ATP’s Fujairah Challenger tournament in UAE had to be abruptly halted as an oilfield just 9 km away from the venue caught fire amid the escalation in conflict in the Gulf region following US and Israel’s combined strikes in Iran which has invited retaliatory action by the Islamic Republic across the region.

A video of Belarusian Daniil Ostapenkov and Japan’s Hayato Matsuoka scrambling for shelter after a public announcement went viral on social media. Ukrainian player Vladyslav Orlov said that during a match he heard jets flying overhead.

I’ve watched a lot of challenger tennis. This is the scariest thing I’ve seen on court pic.twitter.com/yckUehRnkS

— RacketRisk (@RacketRisk) March 3, 2026

The play was suspended and ultimately the tournament was cancelled due to the conflict. It became the latest sporting event to be cancelled or postponed in the wake of the bombings in the region.

The Qatar Football Association has announced the suspension of all football matches in the country indefinetly. This puts the high-profile Finalissima match between Spain and Argentina, scheduled for March 27 in Doha, in serious doubt.

Iran’s top division football competition, the Persian Gulf Pro League, has also been suspended indefinitely while the AFC Champions League Elite matches in the region have been postponed.

England Lions’ cricket tour ended midway

England had sent a developmental cricket team to UAE to play Pakistan’s similar team but it had to be cancelled midway through the tour due to the strikes. The two teams had played three T20s and one One-Day match with four of the 50-over clashes remaining. However, the tour was suspended. England Women’s planned T20 camp in Abu Dhabi has also been scrapped.

Afghanistan were supposed to play Sri Lanka in the UAE from March 13 but that series also seems to be on its way to cancellation or postponement.

World Endurance Championship postponed

World Endurance Championship (WEC) 2026 season opener in Qatar has been shifted to Imola as the race in Doha has been postponed indefinitely. While F1 season opener in Australia is expected to go ahead as scheduled, races in the Gulf region next month could be impacted if the situation does not improve.