The
FIFAe World Cup 2026 has been postponed following the withdrawal of the majority of nations expected to compete in the tournament. The event, which had been
relocated to Jeddah having been hosted in Riyadh for the past two years, was expected to take place for
Rocket League from October 20-25.
FIFAe had already hosted five Continental Championships on LAN around the world to determine who would compete at the Main Event this year. However, violence in Saudi Arabia amid a worsening conflict in the region, saw teams raise a myriad of safety concerns in recent weeks. The tipping point came
when two attacks on the King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh killed 14 people and injured 319 others, with the Houthis rebel group in Yemen claiming responsibility. The news of the attacks caused a mass exodus of teams from the event over the weekend, with all but four withdrawing, according to sources.
Sheep Esports originally reported on the situation following the conclusion of the
RLCS 2026 World Championship on October 1. Back then, sources told the publication that a number of national associations were considering withdrawal after many alerts and warnings were issued throughout Saudi Arabia and in Jeddah. At the time, the
United Kingdom foreign travel advisory listed Jeddah as a city under threat and suggested there was “
risk of more attacks and escalation”. England, Brazil, France, the United States, Australia, and Puerto Rico were all weighing up their participation in the event. The organizers attempted to find replacements for these associations as a precaution and contacted teams who had not qualified through the Continental Championships.
There was hope the tournament would continue when Saudi Arabia
announced its official squad for the event on October 4 and
rumours suggested Brazil was willing to send another team after the FURIA lineup personally pulled out. However,
England officially withdrew on October 8 with multiple teams following suit behind the scenes as news broke that three people had died in attacks on multiple airports in the Kingdom. The situation became untenable by Sunday night when only four national associations remained committed to the event amid even more violence in Riyadh.
As a result, the competition has been cancelled, joining a growing list of sporting events and esports tournaments hosted in Saudi Arabia that have been forced to adjust their plans in recent history. The
Esports World Cup, which is currently the biggest multi-title esports event in the industry,
relocated to Paris this year after its two previous editions were hosted in Riyadh. Its sister event, the inaugural
Esports Nations Cup, which was set to host a Rocket League national team tournament in November 2026,
was postponed entirely to next year. Both events were altered mainly because of the Iran War that started in February 2026, but a recent enlargement in the Yemen Civil War has brought the region into further conflict and made the situation even more perilous.
