US-Israeli Strike on Iran Threatens Finalissima, AFC Postpones Three Competitions

DOHA, MONDAY — The war in the Middle East that broke out on February 28 has led to the suspension of football activities in the Arabian Peninsula. Domestic competitions and interclub matches across Asia have been halted since March 1. Additionally, the match between Argentina and Spain titled "finalissima," scheduled for March 28 at Lusail Stadium in Qatar, is at risk of being canceled. The war erupted following attacks by the US and Israel on Iran.

Qatar was the first country to announce the postponement of their league after Iran targeted ballistic missiles at a United States military base in their maritime region in the Persian Gulf. Two matches remaining in the 17th week of the Qatar League, which were supposed to take place last Sunday, were canceled. The matches included Al Shamal SC versus Qatar SC and Al-Arabi against Al-Sailiya.

Not only for the 17th week match, the Qatar Football Association (QFA) has not provided certainty regarding the 18th week, which is supposed to take place from March 6 to 8.

"The Qatar Football Association announced the postponement of all tournaments, competitions, and matches effective from today (March 1) until further notice. New dates for the continuation of the competitions will be announced on the association's official account," stated the official QFA announcement.

The situation in Qatar poses a threat to the upcoming Qatar Football Festival, which is set to take place from March 26 to 31. The festival involves six national teams that will compete in international FIFA matches this month. One of the matches is the finalissima, which pits the champion of the European Cup against the champion of the Copa America.

Spain, as the king of Europe, will challenge Argentina, the reigning power of South America and the world. The two top-ranked teams in the latest FIFA rankings will compete at Lusail Stadium on March 28 at 01:00 WIB.

In addition to Argentina and Spain, the festival will also involve Qatar, Egypt, and Serbia. The six teams will each play two matches in Qatar at the end of March.

According to reports, the Argentine Football Association (AFA) and the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) have been in communication to discuss the finalissima. The two federations are currently reviewing the match agreement, including the potential cancellation of the match and the relocation of the event.

The situation in Qatar has been monitored by FIFA. FIFA Secretary General Mattias Grafstrom hopes that there will be no repercussions from several plans for the implementation of international matches at the end of March.

"It is still too early for us to comment, but FIFA is monitoring all situations around the world. We hope that in the end, teams and supporters will not encounter any issues," said Grafstrom during an event in Cardiff, Wales, as reported by AS.

In addition to Qatar, Iran has also confirmed the suspension of football activities within the country. The Persian Gulf Pro League, the highest tier competition in Iran, has postponed three matches of the 23rd week that were supposed to take place from February 28 to March 1. Five matches were held last weekend.

In fact, the Persian Gulf Pro League still has two weeks remaining before the Idul Fitri break on March 14. However, the implementation of these two weeks is shrouded in uncertainty. The only Iranian football team competing is the women's national team in the 2026 Women's Asian Cup in Australia.

The Pro League of the United Arab Emirates has also confirmed the postponement of three matches in week 19, scheduled for March 7 and 8. In the coming days, four other matches are also at risk of being postponed.

Over the past weekend, only the Saudi Arabian League completed all matches for that week. One of the closing matches of the 24th week of the Saudi League involved Cristiano Ronaldo's club, Al Nassr, which defeated Al Fayha 3-1 to maintain its position at the top of the standings.

Meanwhile, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has confirmed the postponement of 10 matches in three Asian club competitions that were scheduled to take place from March 2 to 5. These matches are the first leg of the knockout stage of the Round of 16 of the Asian Elite Champions League, the quarter-finals of the Asian Champions League Two, and the quarter-finals of the Asian Challenge League in the Western zone.

The affected matches in the Asian Elite Champions League are Al Duhail (Qatar) versus Al Ahli (Saudi), Shabab Al Ahli (UAE) against Tractor FC (Iran), Al Sadd (Qatar) versus Al Hilal (Saudi), and Al Wahda (UAE) against Al Ittihad (Saudi).

The postponed matches in the AFC Champions League Two include Al Ahli (Qatar) facing Al Hussein (Jordan) and Al Wasl (UAE) against Al Nassr (Saudi Arabia). Meanwhile, the affected Asia Challenge League duel is Al Ansar (Lebanon) versus Muras United (Kyrgyzstan), which is scheduled to take place at a neutral venue, Grand Hamad Stadium, Doha, as well as Al Shabab (Oman) facing Kuwait SC.