Can Saudi Arabia’s 2034 Fifa World Cup survive the Middle East’s escalating wars?

AI Summary

Escalating regional conflict is raising concerns about the safety and viability of Saudi Arabia’s planned 2034 FIFA World Cup. The article links the risk to renewed Saudi strikes on Yemen’s Houthi rebels and recalls a Houthi attack on an oil facility near Jeddah during a Formula One practice session.

When 60,000 football fans gathered in Jeddah for the Arabian Gulf Cup on Tuesday, they inadvertently highlighted the vulnerability of major sports events hosted by Gulf monarchies to the wars raging across the region. The previous day, Saudi Arabia resumed strikes on Yemen’s Iran-allied Houthi rebels after a four-year ceasefire collapsed. That truce had originally followed a Houthi attack on an oil facility near Jeddah’s Formula One track during a practice session. While the two-week football...