The Champions League final between Spain and Argentina will not be played in Qatar following the attacks on Iran.

BarcelonaThe military escalation between the United States, Israel, and Iran is already impacting the world of sports, just in time for the World Cup. The Qatar Football Association announced on Sunday that it is suspending all competitions in its territory due to the instability in the region. Spain and Argentina were scheduled to play a match, the Finalísima, as European and South American champions, respectively, on March 27. More than 80,000 tickets had been sold for this match, which was to be held at Lusail Stadium, but the event was canceled after drones were seen...Iranians crashed in Qatar, and the match has been suspended. Now FIFA is looking for a new venue for this match between the best teams from Europe and South America.

Various unofficial reports claim that the Iranian Football Federation has also informed FIFA that it will not participate in this summer's World Cup, hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico. With approximately 100 days until the start of the tournament, FIFA must decide how to handle the situation. Iran was scheduled to play in Group G alongside Belgium, New Zealand, and Egypt, and was set to debut on June 15 against New Zealand in Inglewood (Los Angeles). Donald Trump imposed a travel ban on Iranian citizens last June, but made exceptions for "any athlete or member of a sports team, including coaches, persons performing a necessary support role, and immediate family members, traveling for the World Cup, the Olympic Games, or any other sporting event."

Mehdi Taj, the president of the Iranian Football Federation, explained to Iranian media: "With the US attack, it's unlikely we can look forward to the World Cup, but it's up to the sports officials to decide." If Iran withdraws, FIFA is considering sending the United Arab Emirates team to the World Cup, even though they were eliminated and finished behind Iraq. But Iraq is scheduled to play one this March. play-off Because of its presence in the World Cup, and to avoid altering the schedule of these matches, the UAE would be the preferred venue. FIFA, which awarded Donald Trump a special peace prize a few weeks ago, is monitoring the situation and, for the moment, has not announced any decision. It's worth noting that last week, violence related to the fight against drug trafficking also affected Mexican cities slated to host World Cup matches.

Leagues in the region have been suspended. Israel, Iran, Qatar, and the other countries involved have had to postpone matches scheduled from today onward due to the outbreak of the confrontation. Foreign athletes who were working in Iran are trying to escape the area, such as Emilio Álvarez, goalkeeping coach for Persepolis FC, who explained to the EFE news agency that he, along with members of coaching staff and foreign players from several clubs in the Iranian league, are trying to leave the country. Former Barcelona player Munir El Haddadi, who plays in Iran, explained: "We wanted to leave by plane, but with the airspace closed, it wasn't possible. The club offered me a car to take me to the border, and we were able to get to Turkey." Others, like Antonio Adán, former Real Madrid player and now with Estehlal FC, were able to leave Tehran on Saturday before the airspace closed and are already in Madrid.

Basketball, affected

The EuroLeague announced yesterday that the postponed Round 21 game between Hapoel Tel Aviv and Paris Basketball, scheduled for March 3, has been suspended due to the "current situation" in Israel. The Next Generation tournament for young players, which was being held in Abu Dhabi featuring several of Europe's top under-18 teams, has also been suspended. Players from the participating teams, including Real Madrid and Valencia, are currently in their hotel awaiting the reopening of airspace so they can return to their respective countries. The International Basketball Federation (FIBA) also postponed the remaining games in Asia for the second qualifying window for the 2027 Qatar World Cup on Saturday due to the situation affecting the Middle East.