The season in the Emirates isn’t only about beaches from October to April. It’s also the busiest sports calendar in the region: golf’s European tour finale, rugby, Formula 1, two big tennis tournaments, a World Tour cycling race and the richest race day of the year. Almost all of it fits into six months, and almost all of it is within an hour or an hour and a half’s drive.
I’ve put together the calendar for the 2026–2027 season and checked every date on the organisers’ sites. Where a date hasn’t been announced, I say so. Below: what, where and when, how to fit an event into a trip, and what to watch out for with tickets.
The 2026–2027 season at a glance
| When | Event | Where |
|---|---|---|
| 12–15 November 2026 | DP World Tour Championship, golf | Jumeirah Golf Estates, Dubai |
| 27–29 November 2026 | Emirates Dubai 7s, rugby and more | The Sevens Stadium, Dubai |
| 3–6 December 2026 | Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Formula 1 | Yas Marina Circuit, Abu Dhabi |
| 12 December 2026 | ADNOC Abu Dhabi Marathon | Abu Dhabi |
| 17 January 2027 | Dubai Marathon | Dubai |
| 31 January – 6 February 2027 | Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open, WTA tennis | Abu Dhabi |
| 3–6 and 15–21 February 2027 | UAE Tour, women’s and men’s cycling | Across the emirates |
| 14–27 February 2027 | Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships | Dubai |
| 27 March 2027 | Dubai World Cup, horse racing | Meydan, Dubai |
Dates can shift and line-ups change until the last day. Check before you buy tickets and flights.
October: UFC in Abu Dhabi
The season opened with UFC 333 at Etihad Arena on 24 October 2026, headlined by featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski against the unbeaten Movsar Evloev, with the third fight between Petr Yan and Merab Dvalishvili for the bantamweight title as co-main event. The fights were wrapped in Abu Dhabi Showdown Week: a week of fan events, fighter meet-and-greets and entertainment.
Abu Dhabi has hosted the UFC since 2010, and the partnership has been extended to 2028, so an autumn card here is close to a tradition. If you’re planning for next year, watch the official Etihad Arena and UFC announcements.
November: golf and rugby
The DP World Tour Championship is the final event of the European tour season, where the Race to Dubai is decided. In 2026 it runs 12–15 November on the Earth Course at Jumeirah Golf Estates, with 10 million dollars in prize money. The week before, 5–8 November, Abu Dhabi hosts the Abu Dhabi Championship. Golf is a relaxed format for spectators: you can walk the course behind a group of players and choose where to stand.
Emirates Dubai 7s runs 27–29 November 2026 at The Sevens Stadium. It’s both a stop on the HSBC SVNS world rugby sevens series and a big festival: alongside rugby, netball, cricket, fitness and padel, this year adds Gaelic football. There’s live music on all three days, with headliners announced closer to the date. A Friday pass is 75 AED, Saturday or Sunday 455 AED, all three days from 595 AED, and prices haven’t changed for three years. Families can get a three-day Family Pass for 1,136 AED (two adults and two children), under-15s go free, and the kids’ zone this year is the biggest in the festival’s history. In 2025 the Dubai 7s drew more than 88,000 spectators.
Meydan Racecourse: the Dubai Racing Carnival runs here from November to March, and the Dubai World Cup on the last Saturday of March. Photo: Imadkayyali, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons.
December: Formula 1 and a marathon
The main event of the year is the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. The official 2026 dates are 3–6 December: the programme around the race starts on Thursday, on-track sessions run 4–6 December, and the race is on Sunday, 58 laps of a 5.281 km circuit.
Formula 1 here is more than the race. In December 2025 I filmed the air show over the circuit: the planes flew so fast that getting a proper shot was impossible. Of the 2026 performers, I’ve already seen Imagine Dragons live, and it was out of this world.
What to know about tickets:
- The after-race concerts are included in your race ticket: general entry is only for Grand Prix ticket holders. Announced for 2026: Zara Larsson and Lewis Capaldi (Thursday), Alex Warren (Friday), Imagine Dragons (Saturday), The Chainsmokers and The Script (Sunday).
- Abu Dhabi extras for three- and four-day ticket holders: free entry to Louvre Abu Dhabi, the Zayed National Museum and the Natural History Museum, plus a day at teamLab Phenomena or one of the Yas Island theme parks.
- Children. Free entry options apply for ages 3–12, including Kids Go Free on Friday. Conditions depend on the ticket type, so check when you buy.
More on grandstands, hospitality and yachts in the marina is on my Formula 1 in Abu Dhabi page. And if you’d rather drive than watch, you can get behind the wheel on the same circuit: 10 laps in a Formula Yas 3000 run all year round.
The ADNOC Abu Dhabi Marathon is on 12 December 2026. Distances: the full 42.195 km marathon (which you can also run as a team of two), 10 km, 5 km and 2.5 km; registration is open on the marathon’s site. Before it in the same series comes the Al Ain half marathon on 7 November.
January and February: running, tennis, cycling
The Dubai Marathon is the oldest international marathon in the Middle East. The 26th edition is set for Sunday 17 January 2027, and registration is already open.
Tennis. Abu Dhabi first: the Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open, a WTA event, is on the tour calendar for 31 January – 6 February 2027. Then Dubai: the official Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships site gives 14–27 February 2027. In 2026 the women (WTA 1000) played the first week and the men (ATP 500) the second, and Daniil Medvedev won the men’s title. More on the tournament, tickets and courts in my post on tennis in Dubai.
The UAE Tour is a multi-day cycling race organised by the Abu Dhabi Sports Council. The women’s race runs 3–6 February 2027, and the men’s, the ninth edition, 15–21 February. You watch it from the roadside with no ticket: the key is to check the stage route and timings in advance. It’s also a rehearsal for the UCI Road World Championships, which Abu Dhabi hosts in 2028.
Winter football. In February 2025 and 2026 Abu Dhabi hosted the Russian Premier League’s Winter Cup, and European clubs come to the UAE for camps during their winter breaks. Why clubs come here and whether you can watch is in my post on football training camps in the UAE. The 2027 tournament dates had not been announced when I checked.
March: the Dubai World Cup
The season closes with the Dubai World Cup at Meydan Racecourse. It’s held every year on the last Saturday of March, which in 2027 is 27 March. Prize money for the whole day is 30.5 million dollars, and the night ends with a closing ceremony that has set Guinness records more than once. The Dubai Racing Carnival runs at Meydan from November to March, so if you can’t make World Cup night, a race evening on another date still gives you the atmosphere.
How I’d plan it
- Event first, then hotel. For Formula 1 and the Dubai 7s, hotels near the venue get expensive and sell out first. Decide where you’ll stay: Dubai or Yas Island.
- Transfer both ways. After the chequered flag or a main event, thousands of people leave at once. Taxis at that moment are a lottery. A car with a driver who knows where to wait for you saves an hour of stress. Options are on my transfers page.
- Leave a buffer. Don’t book an early flight the morning after a late fight night or an after-race concert.
- Combine. A three-day F1 ticket includes Abu Dhabi’s museums and parks, which is a reason to spend a whole day in the capital rather than just an evening: Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, the Louvre, Qasr Al Watan.
- Buy from official sellers. UAE venues warn that tickets resold above face value or bought from unauthorised resellers can be cancelled.
How I can help
I help people get to sports events in the UAE: choosing tickets and seats, arranging a transfer from your hotel to the arena, circuit or stadium and back, booking dinner before or after, and meeting you at the entrance if needed. If the event is part of a longer trip, I’ll build it into the plan: Formula 1 in the evening and an Abu Dhabi sightseeing day in the morning, for example.
The full current listings are on the UAE events page. Can’t find your event? Message me, I keep an eye on the calendar.
Dates from the organisers’ sites and official announcements: Abu Dhabi GP, Etihad Arena, Emirates Dubai 7s, DP World Tour, Dubai Racing Club, Dubai Marathon, ADNOC Abu Dhabi Marathon, Abu Dhabi Sports Council, Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships. Checked 11 October 2026; past events removed 25 October 2026.
Practical answers
Frequently asked questions
What are the biggest sports events in the UAE this winter?
The DP World Tour Championship golf (12–15 November 2026), Emirates Dubai 7s rugby (27–29 November), the Formula 1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix (3–6 December), the Dubai tennis championships (14–27 February 2027) and the Dubai World Cup horse race (27 March 2027).
When is the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in 2026?
3–6 December 2026 at Yas Marina Circuit. On-track sessions run 4–6 December, and the 58-lap race is on Sunday 6 December.
When is the Dubai World Cup 2027?
27 March 2027 at Meydan Racecourse in Dubai. It is traditionally held on the last Saturday of March, and the Dubai Racing Carnival runs at the same track from November to March.
When is the Dubai tennis tournament in 2027?
The tournament's official site gives 14–27 February 2027. Usually the women (WTA 1000) play the first week and the men (ATP 500) the second; the session schedule comes out closer to the event.
Can I go to an event in Abu Dhabi if I'm staying in Dubai?
Yes, most visitors do. The Formula 1 circuit and Etihad Arena are on Yas Island, on the Dubai side of Abu Dhabi. Book a transfer both ways in advance: after the finish everyone leaves at the same time.
Can you help with tickets for sports events?
Yes. I help with tickets, a transfer from your hotel and back, dinner before or after the event, and I can meet you at the entrance if needed. Tell me which event and which dates.
