FIFA and the Saudi Esports Federation have officially announced the postponement of the FIFAe Finals 2026, the esports version of the FIFA tournament.
The tournament was originally scheduled to take place in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, from October 16 to 25. According to the statement, the decision followed a review of recent developments in the region and how they affect the practical arrangements needed to hold the tournament, such as travel, accommodation, and event operations.
The latest announcement, however, did not give a new date. FIFA said further updates on the FIFAe Finals will be shared in due course.
FIFA and the Saudi Esports Federation stated in the official statement, “FIFA and the Saudi Esports Federation have announced the postponement of the FIFAe Finals 2026, originally scheduled to take place in Jeddah from 16 to 25 October. The decision follows an assessment of recent developments in the region and their impact on the logistical arrangements required to stage the tournament.”
The postponement follows reports that most of the participating teams had withdrawn from the competition, citing the security situation in Saudi Arabia linked to the ongoing regional conflict and concerns for the safety of players.
The 2026 FIFAe is not the only esports tournament to have been disrupted by the situation in the Middle East. Major disruptions to air travel across the region led the Esports Foundation to move the Esports World Cup, a separate and much larger tournament series, from Riyadh to Paris earlier this year.
In August, the Esports Foundation also postponed the first edition of the Esports Nations Cup, a new tournament where countries compete against each other, which had been planned for Riyadh this November. It has been pushed back a full year to November 2027, with organisers citing “ongoing assessment of the wider regional situation.”
