MENA

Qatar remains open to the possibility of staging the 2022 Fifa World Cup under an expanded 48-team format despite football’s global governing body having eased back on the proposal last month.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and Emirates Cricket Board (ECB) have reached a new agreement on the staging of major events in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) following the former’s concern over date clashes for its matches in its adopted home.

Golf bodies the European Challenge Tour, Ladies European Tour (LET) and Staysure Tour have teamed up to launch a new mixed gender tournament that will be hosted in Jordan.

Dubai Sports Council (DSC) has partnered up with Premier Global Championship (PGC), a new mixed martial arts series that will feature fighters competing for national teams.

The European Handball Federation (EHF) has said it will impose sanctions on Qatar amid alleged outstanding payments for sponsorship and activation rights, while it has also called for an expansion of the World Championship to 32 teams.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has said that eight matches will be held at home during the 2019 edition of the Super League, with the United Arab Emirates to remain the main venue for the franchise-based Twenty20 event despite concerns over competition with other tournaments in the region.

The World Para Athletics division of the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) has announced that Dubai will host the 2019 World Para Athletics Championships.

Fifa has pulled back from any plans to expand the 2022 World Cup from 32 to 48 teams, while the ruling Council of world football’s governing body has taken the final step to pave the way for a vote to decide the destination of the 2026 edition of its showpiece tournament.

Lega Serie A, the governing body of the top division of Italian club football, has sealed a deal to take its Supercoppa Italiana competition to Saudi Arabia in three of the next five years.

Lega Serie A, the governing body of the top division of Italian club football, has confirmed it has received an “important offer” to take its Supercoppa Italiana competition to Saudi Arabia.