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It has been a little over three weeks since the United States and Israel attacked Iran and plunged the Middle East into war. Football there is struggling to deal with the fallout from the conflict. Here are the issues.
Iran’s disrupted World Cup preparations
As Tehran is bombarded, Iran’s national team continues with preparations for a World Cup in which, as things stand, they are unlikely to participate. They have friendlies against Nigeria and Costa Rica coming up, both of which will take place in the Turkish city of Antalya.
The main talking point regarding the national team currently is the exclusion of Sardar Azmoun. The forward, who has scored 57 goals in 91 internationals, has reportedly been omitted from the squad for the games against Nigeria and Costa Rica for a perceived act of disloyalty to the government after posting a picture on Instagram of a meeting with Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum, vice-president of the United Arab Emirates and ruler of Dubai, where Azmoun plays his club football. Even if Iran do end up going to the United States this summer, it is likely he will not.
Champions League complications
It has been a source of frustration in Asia in recent years that an increasing number of big games are held in Saudi Arabia, the prime example being Jeddah hosting the AFC Champions League Elite games from the quarter-finals onwards.
The last eight is due to start in the port city on 16 April, with the final taking place nine days later. That feels increasingly uncertain, with a further complication being the incompleted state of the round of 16. The four ties in the eastern zone have been played but the victorious teams from Japan, Malaysia and Thailand are still waiting to find out their opponents, with the four matches in the western zone, which have been reduced from two legs to one, yet to take place. The Asian Football Confederation has said they will be played in Jeddah on 13 and 14 April but it remains to be seen what happens next.
Qatar hard hit
The Qatar football festival 2026 has been cancelled. Six teams – Qatar, Argentina, Spain, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Serbia – were scheduled to compete in fixtures across three stadiums between 26 and 31 March.
The biggest casualty is the Finalissima 2026; the clash between Spain and Argentina, the champions of Europe and South America respectively. The two teams were unable to agree on a different venue. Most of the fixtures have been relocated and it is a blow to Qatar’s reputation as a global sporting hub that this event is no longer taking place.
Uzbekistan players come home
A number of Uzbekistan’s regular starters play their club football in Iran. Or at least they did.
They are now heading home. Midfielder Odil Hamrobekov was the first to arrive back in Tashkent, joined sooned after by defender Rustam Ashurmatov, winger Oston Urunov and veteran striker Igor Sergeev. Jaloliddin Masharipov, another winger, went to Italy for treatment.
A lack of game time could be an issue for Uzbekistan as they prepare for the World Cup, but then again having a few more players on home soil may not be the worst thing for head coach, Fabio Cannavaro.
More woe for Lebanon
The country has once again been hit hard by Israeli attacks, leading to all league fixtures being postponed until the end of April at least. While there are bigger issues, this is a clear setback for the national team. Lebanon have a crucial 2027 Asian Cup qualifier against Yemen scheduled set for 31 March. All they need is a draw to secure a place at the tournament, which takes place in Saudi Arabia next January.
The game was never going to take place in Lebanon anyway, but now it is difficult to predict what will happen and there are rumours of a postponement.
Iraq’s World Cup playoff against either Bolivia or Suriname looked like it may not go ahead, with many of Iraq’s players unable to get out of the region, a blow for a nation hoping to compete in football’s biggest tournament for the first time since 1986, when Uday Hussein, son of Saddam, was in charge.
Fifa talked of a 25-hour land journey to Turkey and then flights out but that was, understandably, dismissed. Thanks to lots of phone calls, a much shorter journey to Jordan, followed by a private flight to Mexico, was organised. So it is now game on, but not without huge uncertainty and complications.
