The calendar for the Formula 1 2026 season faces a massive change as no race may take place in April. That is because the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian Grands Prix could be cancelled over the weekend due to the conflict in West Asia. Multiple news agencies, including Reuters, said that an announcement may come by Monday at the latest, with a March 20 deadline looming for freight that has to be transported to Bahrain for logistical reasons.

Sky Sports television, which has the broadcasting rights in Britain where most of the 11 teams are based, said it understood the races would be called off by Sunday night. US and Israeli attacks on Iran are continuing while Iranian drones and missiles have hit some West Asian capitals, including Bahrain’s Manama, where most team personnel would be staying in hotels.

Formula One
is racing in China this weekend for the second round of the season after the opener in Australia last weekend.

No F1 race in April 2026

Sources have indicated previously that neither West Asian race is likely to be replaced or rescheduled, leaving April an empty month for the series and the championship reduced to 22 rounds.

Bahrain was scheduled for April 12 with the Saudi race in Jeddah on April 19.

The Japanese Grand Prix, round three, is on March 29 with the next race then in Miami on May 3.

“I think we follow the guidance of the FIA and Formula One, as we always do. They’ve always led us in the right direction,” Audi team principal Jonathan Wheatley told reporters after practice at the Shanghai circuit.

“Nobody’s going to compromise on anything that would put teams into an uncomfortable situation.”

There was no immediate comment from Liberty Media-owned Formula One or the governing International Automobile Federation (FIA).

The World Endurance Championship (WEC) has already postponed what would have been its season-opener in Qatar on March 26-28, with the first race now scheduled for Italy’s Imola circuit on April 19.

The Qatar round at the Lusail circuit outside Doha, which also hosts Formula One in November, has been rescheduled for October 24 as the penultimate round before the finale in Bahrain on November 7.

MotoGP is due to race in Qatar on April 12 with that round also likely to be cancelled.

With agency inputs

President Donald Trump’s veiled threat to the Iranian football team has resulted in a massive backlash, with many fans demanding that the United States of America should not be hosting the FIFA World Cup 2026. Trump, in a social media post on Thursday, said that it would be “inappropriate” for Iran to take part in the World Cup matches in the USA when both countries are involved in an ongoing war.

Trump insisted that Iran must skip the World Cup
for their own “life and safety.”

“The Iran ​national soccer team is welcome to the World Cup, but I really don’t believe it ⁠is appropriate that they be there, for their own life and safety,” Trump said on ​Truth Social.

He later backtracked and clarified that Iranian players will face no security threat from the USA.

“It will be the Greatest and Safest Sporting Event in American History. All Players, Officials, and Fans will be treated like the “STARS” that they are,” he said in another post.

Fans want FIFA World Cup out of USA

However, by the time Trump backtracked, a new controversy had begun. And fans are demanding that the USA must be stripped of the hosting rights. The 48-team 2026 World Cup will be played across Canada, Mexico and the USA. The USA will host 78 matches out of the total 104.

USA President Trump just Threatened Iran men’s Soccer team from participating in FIFA World Cup !!

If it would have been any other Nation they would have snatched hosting Rights from them !!

Western media Double Standards pic.twitter.com/EviRgovna1

— Navin Mittal (@NavinSports) March 12, 2026

‎Iran will play their group games against New Zealand and Belgium in California and against Egypt in Seattle.

And while the Iranian Sports Minister Ahmad Donyamali has already said that they
won’t take part in the World Cup 2026 in the USA, it’s important to note that Trump cannot stop them from playing the group games in the States if the Asian nation decides to make a U-turn.

There’s a precedent that shows that if the USA deny entry to the Iranian football team, then they can lose the hosting rights for the FIFA World Cup 2026. Indonesia
lost the hosting rights for the FIFA Under-20 World Cup three years ago when they refused to allow Israel to play in the men’s tournament.

Indonesia’s hosting rights were cancelled just weeks before the tournament was to start and it was moved to Argentina.

Under what conditions can FIFA remove a World Cup host?

FIFA, if needed, can use the Force majeure clause in the hosting rights contract to move a few matches or the entire tournament (World Cup 2026) from the USA. Force majeure is a common clause in contracts that frees involved parties from obligations in case of unforeseen circumstances like natural disasters, wars or pandemics. The Force majeure clause can also be used when government action makes it impossible to perform a duty.

While speaking to SPORTbible, the professor of sports law at the University of Melbourne, Jack Anderson, explained how FIFA can remove the USA as the hosts for the FIFA World Cup 2026.

“Under the contracts in place, FIFA has broad powers to unilaterally terminate the arrangement with the host country and city, but only if they could justify an ‘extraordinary’ ground of termination,” Anderson said.

“It would under the contract be very difficult for the US to challenge a FIFA termination, but equally, it is very unlikely that FIFA would strip the most powerful economy in the world of its hosting rights, as this would have long-term diplomatic and economic impact for FIFA,” he added.

However, considering the closeness of FIFA President Gianni Infantino to US boss Trump, it’s highly unlikely that FIFA would take any such step even if Iran are barred from the tournament.