The final between Copa América champions Argentina and European champions Spain will go ahead as planned, but the match will not be held in Qatar, which bears the financial burden of the event.
With the Iran conflict spreading across the Persian Gulf and parts of the Mediterranean, it is no longer possible to hold the match at Lusail Stadium for obvious security reasons.
The match is scheduled for March 27, and the participating teams, date and significance of the event will remain unchanged, but the venue will be moved to another city. The match is highly likely to be held in Europe, meaning Miami, a potential host, has been ruled out.
UEFA, CONMEBOL and Qatar will hold several meetings this week, and sources have revealed that a final decision will be made "within 48 hours".
These discussions cover not only the final but also six matches in the so-called Qatar Sports Festival, which was originally to be hosted by Qatar in late March. The festival also includes a match between Spain and Egypt originally scheduled for March 30 in Qatar, as well as other matches involving the national teams of Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Serbia.
All these matches will now be moved to other cities, as Qatar and the participating football associations are unwilling to lose all the invested funds and event revenue. The Argentine national team had indicated it was willing to play in Miami or New York, but in discussions between UEFA, Qatar and CONMEBOL, there is no alternative but to play in Europe.
This is due to both travel convenience and security concerns, as most Middle Eastern countries hosting such events, such as Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, are affected by the conflict.
As a result, cities such as London, Milan and Rome – especially London – appear to be the best choices to host the Spain vs Argentina match. The other matches of the Qatar Sports Festival will also be held in the same city or nearby cities to keep the original schedule. If the match is held in London, it will not take place at Wembley Stadium, as England’s friendly against Uruguay is also scheduled for the same day, March 27.
The Argentine national team was initially unwilling to play against Spain and has now rejected the possibility of hosting the match in Spain. Madrid was also an alternative option, but it now appears to be off the table for this reason.
