Spain v Argentina ‘Finalissima’ match in Qatar cancelled due to Middle East war

The “Finalissima” football match between Spain and Argentina, scheduled to be held in Qatar later this month, has been cancelled due to the conflict in the Middle East.

The contest between the current European champions, Spain, and Copa América winners Argentina was scheduled for 27 March at the Lusail Stadium near Doha, which hosted the 2022 World Cup final, won by Argentina.

Uefa, European football’s governing body, said they held discussions with organising authorities in Qatar and concluded that the match could not take place due to the “current political situation” in the region.

“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,” said a statement released on Sunday.

Uefa added that they explored other feasible alternatives but they proved to be “unacceptable” to the Argentinian Football Association (AFA). Uefa first offered to stage the match at Real Madrid’s Santiago Bernabéu stadium, with a 50:50 split of supporters for both team.

A second option was to stage the Finalissima over two legs – at the Bernabéu on 27 March and the second leg in Buenos Aires during an international window before the next Euros and Copa América. However, the AFA rejected both options.

Uefa added that Argentina made a counter offer to play the game after the World Cup but Spain had no available dates. The cancellation is a major blow to the contest between the European and South American champions, which was relaunched as the Finalissima in 2022. Argentina beat Italy 3-0 at Wembley to win the first edition.

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