No more football in Qatar
Escalation in the Middle East: consequences for the German world champion
March 1, 2026 – 4:26 p.mReading time: 1 min.
The situation in the Middle East is escalating. This has consequences for sport – and therefore also for a German world champion.
Football matches in the Qatari Stars League have been postponed indefinitely. The Gulf state’s national football association announced this on Sunday. A German world champion is also affected by the measure.
Julian Draxler, who won the World Cup in Rio with the DFB team in 2014, has been playing in Qatar since 2023. The 32-year-old has appeared on the pitch 15 times in the Stars League for his club Al-Ahlis SC so far this season. The former professional from FC Schalke 04 and VfL Wolfsburg scored five goals and provided two more.
On Saturday morning German time, Israel and the USA began carrying out military strikes against Iran. The airspace in several countries in the region has now been closed, including Qatar.
Games in the Stars League had already been canceled on Saturday. In addition to football, handball games in Qatar have also been suspended by the national association.
Draxler played with Al-Ahli against Al-Shahania on Friday. He managed to make it 1-2. The midfielder and his team are currently fighting against relegation. Al-Ahli is in 11th place in the table, second to last.
