Spain vs Argentina ‘Finalissima’ match in Qatar cancelled because of war

The “Finalissima” match between Spain ‌and Argentina that was scheduled to be held in Qatar this month has ⁠been cancelled due ⁠to the war in the Middle East, UEFA says.

“It is a source of great disappointment to UEFA and the organisers that circumstances and timing have denied the teams of the chance to compete for this prestigious prize in Qatar,” UEFA said in a statement on Sunday.

The US-Israeli strikes on Iran and Iran’s retaliatory strikes on neighbouring nations have affected countries throughout the Gulf, disrupting travel ⁠at some of the world’s busiest transit hubs and cancelling several sporting events due to safety concerns.

The contest between the European champions Spain and Copa America winners Argentina was ⁠scheduled for March 27 at Doha’s Lusail Stadium, where fans would have had the opportunity to watch Lionel Messi go head-to-head with Lamine Yamal.

UEFA said they held discussions with organisers in Qatar and concluded that the match could not take place due to the “current political situation” in the ‌region.

The Spain vs Argentina game was part of the Qatar Football Festival. The five-day festival also included Egypt vs Saudi Arabia and Qatar vs Serbia on March 26, Egypt vs Spain and Saudi Arabia vs Serbia on March 30 and Qatar vs Argentina on March 31.

Serbia will now play Spain away instead.

“Serbia will face the current European champions, Spain, on away turf on March 27, and four ⁠days later they will host the Saudi Arabian national team,” the ⁠Football Association of Serbia said in a statement.

UEFA said it explored alternatives to play the Finalissima but they proved to be “unacceptable” to the Argentinian Football Association (AFA).

UEFA first offered to stage the match ⁠at the Santiago Bernabeu with a 50-50 split of supporters in the stadium.

A second option was to stage the Finalissima over two legs – ⁠at the Bernabeu on March 27 and the second leg ⁠in Buenos Aires during an international window before the next Euros and Copa America.

The AFA rejected both options. UEFA said Argentina made a counteroffer to play the game after the World Cup but Spain had no available dates.

“Ultimately, ‌UEFA sought a commitment from Argentina that, if a neutral venue in Europe could be found, the game could go ahead on 27 March … or on the alternative date of 30 ‌March. ‌This proposal was also rejected,” UEFA added.