£80m Nations Championship deal in jeopardy due to Iran war

: “Questions are being asked of Qatar Airways about the situation but there has been no word back to say what it is happening.

The biennial tournament is scheduled to begin in early July, but organisers have reportedly approached the state-owned airline for urgent clarification over delays.

Negotiations over a potential £80 million agreement — covering four tournaments across eight years — began more than a year ago, yet no deal has been finalised.

Sources cited by The Times suggest leading rugby unions are increasingly worried that global economic uncertainty, following recent military exchanges between the United States, Israel and Iran, may jeopardise the agreement.

Doha, Qatar’s capital, has been provisionally selected to host the final series in 2028, although this arrangement also remains unsigned.

Securing backing from a Gulf state has been viewed as strategically important — both financially and in terms of expanding the tournament’s international reach.

The 12-team competition will feature the Six Nations sides alongside South Africa, New Zealand, Australia and Argentina as permanent members, with Fiji and Japan also invited to participate.

While organisers are encouraged by strong television rights deals — with ITV holding UK broadcasting rights — the title sponsorship is still considered crucial to the tournament’s overall financial success.

One source said to The Times

"Clearly, this is a time of uncertainty in that part of the world. There have been lots of positive conversations in recent month but nothing has been signed.”

Qatar Airways has previously shown strong interest in rugby union partnerships, having served as title partner and official airline for the British & Irish Lions tour to Australia in 2025.

The airline is wholly owned by the Qatari government, which is currently focused on managing the military and economic consequences stemming from the conflict involving Iran.