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The DP World Tour and WWE are pressing ahead with events in the Middle East this week despite ongoing tension and security concerns in the region due to the U.S.–Iran war.
Rory McIlroy and Jon Rahm highlight a star-studded field at the Abu Dhabi Aldar Championship, which begins Thursday after questions arose recently about the viability of holding the golf tournament. “We have plans in place for every aspect of every tournament on the DP World Tour and that is the case again this week,” a spokesperson for the DP World Tour told Front Office Sports on Monday. The tour had been monitoring the situation in recent weeks and taking advice from its international travel advisors, it previously told FOS.
As the first of two playoff events that conclude the 2026 DP World Tour season, only the leading available 70 members from the Race to Dubai Rankings make the Abu Dhabi event, which has a $9 million purse. But 11 of the top 70 have elected not to play. Matt Fitzpatrick (10th) and Robert MacIntyre (56th), who are also not playing, previously expressed some concerns about playing in the Middle East while the war remains ongoing.
The top 50 in the rankings after Abu Dhabi will qualify for the season-ending DP World Tour Championship Nov. 12-15 in Dubai, so it’s possible players still inside that bubble could play next week despite not competing this week. Ryan Fox (No. 6), winner of this year’s Open Championship, is planning to play in Dubai, his agent told FOS, citing a busy travel schedule this year for Fox skipping Abu Dhabi.
Shane Lowry (16th), Alex Fitzpatrick (24th), Min Woo Lee (38th), Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen (43rd), and Ludvig Åberg (45th) are also skipping this week but could still play in Dubai. Si Woo Kim (62nd), Justin Rose (69th) and Ryan Gerard (70th) forfeited their chances of playing in Dubai by not competing this week. The DP World Tour spokesperson told FOS that “everything remains firmly on course for next week’s tournament in Dubai.”
As players began arriving at Yas Links in Abu Dhabi on Monday, an ominous notice about emergency procedures was posted on site. “If the UAE authorities issue a mobile phone alert to the public at any point during the week whilst on site, play will be suspended immediately, signalled by a long blast of the air horns, as per the procedure for a dangerous situation,” the message reads in part. “Players and caddies should evacuate the course as per the evacuation plans and proceed to the clubhouse.”
On Sunday, UAE official Anwar Gargash, who is the diplomatic adviser to the president, said the country is “braced for the worst” until a resolution is reached. “We’re hoping that we will see a breakthrough because it is not in the interests of the region to go through another round … of confrontation,” Gargash said at the Manama Dialogue conference in Bahrain. “But I think we are also, as we have shown before, braced for the worst—and to protect also our achievements, our development model, our country, our citizens and people who are residents here.”
Last month, the Asian Tour’s season-ending event, the PIF Saudi International scheduled for Nov. 18-21 in Riyadh, was postponed indefinitely due to “logistical challenges.”
WWE in Saudi Arabia
WWE Crown Jewel, a premium live event on the pro wrestling circuit, is still on track to be held in Saudi Arabia on Saturday, albeit with a major last-minute logistical change.
Riyadh Season announced on Oct. 29 that the WWE event was being moved from the 30,000-seat Riyadh Season Stadium to The Venue at ANB Arena, which holds 8,000. The date and time did not change, and ticket holders were set to receive a full refund, with a smaller allotment of tickets being re-released to those interested. Multiple reports suggest the venue change was made for security reasons.
Meanwhile, the Oct. 31 boxing match between Canelo Álvarez and Christian Mbilli in Riyadh took place as planned at ANB Arena without a hiccup. Álvarez won by unanimous decision to reclaim the WBC super-middleweight title. In early October, Saudi government official Turki Alalshikh posted on X that Álvarez told him he’d fight in Riyadh “no matter what happens.”
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