Qatar pulls out of hosting 2028 Nations Championship owing to Middle East crisis
Qatar has pulled out of hosting the 2028 Nations Championship finals due to the ongoing Middle East crisis, leading to the cancellation of a planned £80m title sponsorship deal with Qatar Airways.
Following months of negotiations, both parties have agreed to withdraw from the agreement that would have seen Qatar stage the six-match final series in 2028 and 2032, as well as a title sponsorship for four editions of the competition. The total value of staging rights and title sponsorship was understood to have been worth around £80m to the Nations Championship for each tournament held in Qatar.
The Nations Championship resumes this weekend following last summer's matches in the southern hemisphere, with the finals to be held over three days at Twickenham's Allianz Stadium at the end of the month. While this year's inaugural competition will take place without a title sponsor, the initial financial impact is expected to be minimal.
Regional Impact
The outline of the Qatar deal was agreed last year, but Donald Trump's decision to order US airstrikes on Iran in March and the subsequent escalation in the region caused complications. With the US and Israel continuing to threaten further strikes on Iran despite peace talks hosted by Qatar last weekend, a mutual agreement has been reached to cancel the deal.
Qatar's sporting ambitions have been severely curtailed by the war, as have those of Saudi Arabia and other neighbouring countries.
Future Hosting Plans
In addition there have already been informal expressions of interest from France and Spain to host in 2028 with the Nations Championship planning to issue an invitation to tender at the start of next year. The United States has been pencilled in to host the finals in 2030 the year before staging the Rugby World Cup in 2031.
A 2028 finals event at the Stade de France is regarded as the most likely outcome at this stage. Despite the absence of a title sponsor, the Nations Championship is still projected to be profitable in year one, with TV rights deals in place with over 80 broadcasters and 70% of tickets already sold for the finals weekend.
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