How war and conflict around the globe affect the sporting world.

Sport is often seen as a unifying subject, a space where politics and conflict are set aside in favour of passion, competition and community. However, throughout history and in recent years, this separation has become ever more apparent. War has not only disrupted major sporting events but has also affected athletes, teams and sporting governing bodies around the world. From participation bans on nations and clubs located in conflict zones, the impact of war on sport is both immediate and far-reaching, reshaping the global sporting landscape while the line between sports and politics continues to blur.

(Image - Shakhtar Donestk Players with Ukranian flags during the pre-match ceremony against Crystal Palace being played in Poland due to the war)

The 2026 Bahrain and Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.

Both the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian Grand Prix weekends in April have been cancelled this year due to the conflict in the Middle East, which began after the US and Israel launched attacks against Iran at the end of February. 

Before the Formula One grid arrived in the Middle East, a large number of people had their journeys to the season-opener in Melbourne disrupted due to Middle Eastern airspace being closed. It left many Formula One teams and media crews scrambling to find alternate routes to Australia. As a result of this, the Formula One season has now been reduced to 22 races in total. Tracks in Italy, Turkey and Portugal were discussed, but in the end, plans were abandoned, due to short notice, ticket sales and hosting fees.

UEFA Fixtures during the 25/26 season.

The Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) run the three major European club football competitions, the coveted Champions League, the Europa League, and the Europa Conference League. Throughout the 25/26 footballing season, there have been countless examples of war and conflict affecting the sport. 

Examples include Dynamo Kyiv, who at the time of writing sit 4^th in the Ukrainian Premier League, having to play their Conference League games in Poland. One game they played was against one of the tournament favourites, Crystal Palace, in Lublin. This meant that although away attendance was high from travelling South Londoners, the Ukrainian home fans could not travel to see their team play in such a special tournament due to the conflict in Ukraine

In October, English Premier League side Aston Villa were set to play Maccabi Tel Aviv in a Europa League fixture. Although 700 police were present, Birmingham City Council announced they were banning Israeli fans from attending the game at Villa Park due to safety concerns. In 2024, Maccabi Tel Aviv faced Dutch side Ajax in Amsterdam due to violent clashes involving the Maccabi Tel Aviv fans, residents and supporters in Amsterdam. This led to more than 60 arrests and 4 men being handed short prison sentences, with another individual being handed a community service order. These sentences serve as another example of politics and conflict overshadowing a sporting event, which should instead be a celebration by both sets of fans.

The 2026 World Cup

The 2026 World Cup is set to take place in the US, Canada and Mexico. Donald Trump has started to impose travel bans on many nations. Including four already qualified countries, Iran, Haiti, Senegal and the Ivory Coast. These restrictions came into place on the 1^st of January, before the US attacked Iran. This ban does not affect the teams and officials from these countries, but it does affect the fans. The World Cup is supposed to be one of the biggest and most beautiful sporting competitions in the world; as a result of politics, nationals will not be able to watch their country in the World Cup. 

An example of this is the US being home to the largest Haitian diaspora; Haitians will not be able to watch their country compete in the World Cup for the first time since 1974 and only the second time in their history.

Sport is often promoted as a neutral ground to bring people together, but recent conflict and politics have shown how it can reshape what should be a beautiful reality and celebration. War continues to shape who can compete, where events are held and how athletes live and train. Ultimately, sport reflects what can be seen as a gloomy global reality whilst still being capable of offering moments of unity and resilience in the face of division.