Host of problems
World of Sport , Issue 1673 IS Saudi Arabia's global sports(washing) dream over?

This month's Saudi Grand Prix was called off and Asian Champions League fixtures have been postponed due to the US/Israel war with Iran.

The expensively assembled Saudi Pro League said it would not suspend its football matches despite the risks of Iranian bombardment, but several had to be rescheduled thanks to flight cancellations. Foreign players, such as Cristiano Ronaldo, have expressed concern about the risks to them and their families.

But it's not just the war that has caused the Saudi sporting quest to hit the buffers.

Deep freeze
In 2022 Saudi Arabia was named host of the 2029 Asian Winter Games, to be held in Trojena in the futuristic Neom region under construction in north-west Saudi Arabia. The mountain destination will offer year round skiing, but in January the country said it was postponing its hosting stint indefinitely, with reports suggesting the ski venue could not be completed in time.

Meanwhile LIV golf, the Saudi-funded alternative to the PGA Tour, has had some highs in its four years, with big names recruited and a TV deal with Fox Sports. But 2026 has seen two of its major players, Brooks Koepka and Patrick Reed, exiting, and many expect others to follow.

Elsewhere, the Women's Tennis Association is looking for a new host city for its end-of-season finals after a three-year deal with Riyadh was not renewed.

Long-term goals
And what of the crown jewel of Saudi sport: the 2034 men's Fifa World Cup? After partnering with other authoritarian rulers for the 2018 event (Russia) and 2022 (Qatar), Fifa president Gianni Infantino has long been keen to reward his friend Mohammed Bin Salman for bankrolling his overblown Club World Cup (Eyes passim).

The 2024 decision by Fifa's 211 member nations to hand the 2034 tournament to the Saudis seemed controversial, but only because of the regime's abysmal human rights record (Eyes passim). However, the Iran war has swivelled the focus to security concerns.

Is it likely that the next decade's Tehran regime or its proxies will try to disrupt the event? Could drones stop play? Would Fifa members voting today choose Saudi Arabia as World Cup host?

Saudi's challenge for the 48-team World Cup is already enormous. Organisers have committed to building 11 new stadiums, plus an array of new hotels, practice pitches and transport links. All that adds up to enormous costs for a regime whose global sports dream appears to be losing momentum.