FIFA and the Saudi Esports Federation have postponed the FIFAe Finals 2026 in Jeddah, a day before the first match was due. The joint statement gave no new date or venue. It said the decision "follows an assessment of recent developments in the region and their impact on the logistical arrangements required to stage the tournament." The statement did not mention security.
The Japan Football Association said on Oct. 10 that it would not send its team "following a comprehensive assessment of the current situation in the host country and the available information regarding safety and security." Brazil's CBF cancelled the eSeleção's participation that evening, citing escalating regional tensions and risks posed by the airspace and airports the delegation would have had to pass through. Japan's withdrawal also removed the home federation of Konami, whose eFootball supplies two of the event's three competitions.
Both withdrawals came on the day of a Houthi strike on Riyadh's King Khalid International Airport that killed at least 12 people and wounded more than 300, according to Reuters. The source reports that it was the third Houthi attack on the airport that week.
FIFA had said more than 120 nations entered this year's qualifying, with finals scheduled at the Abadi Al Johar Arena from Oct. 16 to 25. The 2025 edition in Riyadh carried a $450,000 prize pool, according to FIFA. The source does not report a 2026 prize pool.
The source reports that Konami's notice to players attributed the postponement to "various circumstances." It also reports that the Esports Foundation moved the 2026 Esports World Cup from Riyadh to Paris in May and postponed the Esports Nations Cup to November 2027.
The source does not say whether the new dates will be set, whether the event will stay in Saudi Arabia, whether 2026 qualification results will carry over, or who will cover the travel and venue costs already incurred.