The United States men’s soccer team has put off its planned January training camp in Doha, Qatar because of the “developing situation” in the Middle East after a top Iranian general was killed by a US airstrike.
Qasem Soleimani, the head of Iran’s Quds Force, was killed Friday at the Baghdad International airport in Iraq.
The US team was set to train in Doha for most of the month ahead of a friendly against Costa Rica in California on February 1, but officials say they are making “alternative arrangements.”
“Due to the developing situation in the region, U.S. Soccer has decided to postpone traveling to Qatar for the Men’s National Team’s scheduled January training camp,” US Soccer said in a statement.
“We are working with the Qatar Football Association to find an opportunity in the near future for our team to experience Qatar’s world-class facilities and hospitality.”
The 2022 Fifa World Cup is set to be held in Qatar.
US President Donald Trump said he ordered the killing of Soleimani, one of Iran’s most powerful men, to stop a war, not start one, as tensions between the two nations escalated and the US sent thousands of additional troops to the Middle East.
