Political problems do not seem to be disappearing in the Middle East and the conflict, according to analysts, tends rather towards the medium to long term. That is why the soccer world (with the organizers Conmebol and UEFA at the head) are watching with concern the news coming from Qatar, where missiles launched from Iran have continued to fly over Qatari airspace this past morning.
This is why the organizers are already considering other alternatives, because the idea, we are told, is to play the Finalissima come what may, since, apart from the money at stake, international soccer will continue to be played in March, at least in Europe and America. Among other things, the playoffs for the last places in the World Cup (to be held in Mexico) must be played.
Today, the two most likely venues (not the only ones), if Qatar ‘gets off’ the ship as host, are London, where the first and only edition of this tournament was played back in 2022, and Miami, which will be a World Cup venue.
The advantage of London is the proximity and safety (England is considered a more than secure country in this sense). Proximity, as almost all the players from Argentina and Spain play in Europe. In addition, sentimentally, it is an accepted destination for Argentines as they beat Italy 3-0 there in 2022. On June 1 of that year, Messi lifted the Finalissima title to the sky even before winning in Qatar. In addition, in terms of fans, London is perfect, as many of the 88,966 tickets sold for the Lusail Stadium in Qatar came from fans living in Europe who were going to travel to Doha
Miami. It is the furthest destination, but accustomed to hosting such events. In fact, it will be a World Cup venue with seven matches at the Hard Rock Stadium, which also hosted the final of the 2024 Copa America (a logistical disaster, by the way). But there are doubts: Miami is far away (it would force the two teams to make a long journey by plane), and it is played in the United States, one of the countries in conflict. There are doubts about this.
That said, and without officially ruling out Qatar, more alternatives are being considered. Everything is under study.
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