FIFA Postpones FIFAe Finals in Saudi Arabia After Airport Attack

FIFA and the Saudi Esports Federation have postponed the FIFAe Finals 2026, the global video game tournament that was due to run in Jeddah from Oct 16 to 25, organisers said on Thursday.

The call follows the strike on Riyadh's King Khalid International Airport on Saturday, Oct 10, which killed at least 12 people and wounded more than 300. Yemen's Iran aligned Houthi movement claimed the attack, the deadliest in Saudi Arabia in more than a decade.

Organisers said the decision followed an assessment of recent developments in the region and their impact on the logistical arrangements needed to stage the tournament. Further announcements will come in due course, they said. Japan and Brazil had already withdrawn their esports teams on Saturday, after judging the situation in the host country.

The shadow spreads across the calendar

The postponement is not staying inside esports. The Six Kings Slam, the exhibition tennis event in Saudi Arabia, has been moved from October to December. IANS reported the new dates as Dec 27 to 30, citing logistical challenges after the airport attack.

Golf is watching too. The Asian Tour said it is monitoring developments ahead of next month's Saudi International in Riyadh.

The largest event in the queue is football itself. The Asian Football Confederation said it remains open to delaying the Asian Cup until 2028 if needed. The tournament is scheduled to kick off on Jan 7 next year in Riyadh, Jeddah and Al Khobar. The Korea Football Association said it is in contact with the AFC and monitoring the situation in Saudi Arabia.

The Asian Cup has been moved before. The previous edition was delayed by a year after China withdrew as host over COVID restrictions, and Qatar staged it in early 2024.

Why it matters

Saudi Arabia has spent heavily to put its cities on the world sports map, from tennis and golf to football's biggest Asian tournament. That model depends on teams, fans and broadcast crews flying in on schedule. An airport strike breaks the first link in that chain, and every organiser with a Saudi date this winter now has to price the same risk the FIFAe organisers just acted on.

What happens next

FIFAe has no new dates yet. The next markers are the Asian Tour's decision on the Saudi International, and any AFC update on the Asian Cup. If the January tournament moves, it will be the clearest sign yet that the Oct 10 attack has rewritten the region's sporting year, not just its esports week.