His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence of the UAE, and Chairman of The Executive Council of Dubai, has reiterated that Dubai’s year-round sporting calendar has positioned the city as a permanent and preferred global destination for various sports and athletes from across the globe.
Speaking on the eve of the 13th edition of the Nad Al Sheba Sports Tournament, His Highness Sheikh Hamdan noted: “The Nad Al Sheba Sports Tournament was launched in 2013 and has since then become a meeting place for amateur and professional athletes of all nationalities across various sports. It is a key event on Dubai’s sporting calendar, and this year’s tournament will be the largest ever, with more than 11,000 athletes participating in 11 different sports. And this reaffirms Dubai’s commitment, with every major sporting event it hosts, to being a city that loves sports and welcomes all athletes.”
“Through this annual initiative, we are keen to encourage all segments of society to take up sports and enthusiastically participate in the high-calibre sporting competitions in a competitive atmosphere. We also wanted it to be a gathering place for families to introduce their children to the noble values of sports and competition, and to motivate adults and children alike to practice sports in all its forms during this special ‘Year of the Family’,” His Highness added.
Impressive track record
Organised by the Dubai Sports Council, the 13th edition of the Nad Al Sheba Sports Tournament will be held from 18 February until 7 March 2026 at the Nad Al Sheba Sports Complex.
Since its inception, the Nad Al Sheba Sports Tournament has attracted over 60,000 amateur, professional and special needs athletes from diverse nationalities and age groups. The tournament has also hosted numerous international stars and distributed prize money exceeding AED60.5 million to winners, and spectators, too.
The tournament has become an annual sporting showpiece, bringing together diverse segments of society, providing a competitive environment that fosters positivity and reinforces the concept of sport as a way of life, while also reflecting Dubai’s status as a global sporting destination.
Soaring participation
The first edition of the tournament in 2013 witnessed the participation of over 1,500 athletes from various nationalities competing in five sports. The number of participants during the second edition of the tournament in 2014 rose to 3,000 athletes competing across six sporting disciplines.
Building on the impressive track record, the number of participating athletes and sports rose in the third edition in 2015 as well, reaching 4,000 participants of various ages and nationalities competing in seven sports, including futsal, volleyball, padel tennis, track events, cycling, archery, and wheelchair basketball.
The fourth edition of the tournament, held in 2016, brought together more than 4,000 athletes, competing across nine sports, namely futsal, volleyball, padel tennis, fencing, track events, cycling, the NAS Night Challenge, wheelchair basketball, and football for the deaf.
The fifth edition in 2017 saw a significant increase in participation, attracting 5,000 athletes, male and female, amateurs and professional, competing in nine sports, namely futsal, volleyball, padel tennis, fencing, track events, cycling, the NAS Night Challenge, wheelchair basketball, and football for the deaf.
The tournament continued to expand in terms of athlete numbers and sporting disciplines, with the sixth edition in 2018 boasting over 6,000 participants competing in 11 sports, namely futsal, volleyball, padel tennis, track events, cycling, the NAS Night Challenge, wheelchair basketball, jiu-jitsu, fencing, 3x3 basketball, and football for the deaf.
The seventh edition of the tournament in 2019 witnessed the largest number of competitions, with 13 different events featuring the participation of more than 7,000 athletes competing in 13 sports, namely futsal, volleyball, padel tennis, track events, cycling, the NAS Night Challenge, wheelchair basketball, jiu-jitsu, fencing, 3x3 basketball, football for the deaf, cricket, and ice skating.
Post-pandemic return
Despite the tournament’s suspension in 2020 as a precautionary measure during the COVID-19 pandemic, and despite the cessation of all activities worldwide, the eighth edition was held in 2021 with more than 2,500 athletes participating in padel, cycling, and track events.
The tournament returned bigger and stronger the following year in 2022, with more 6,000 professional and amateur participants competing in eight sports, namely padel, volleyball, cycling, track events, the NAS Night Challenge, jiu-jitsu, wheelchair basketball, and archery.
In its tenth edition in 2023, the tournament witnessed over 5,000 male and female athletes belonging to various age groups representing 103 different nationalities competing in eight sports, including volleyball, padel, wheelchair basketball, archery, track events, cycling, jiu-jitsu, and fencing.
In 2024, the 11th edition saw the participation of 7,149 athletes in nine sports, including volleyball, padel tennis, jiu-jitsu, fencing, wheelchair basketball, track events, cycling, tug-of-war, and obstacle course.
The twelfth edition of the tournament in 2025 attracted nearly 8,000 athletes across various age brackets and nationalities competing in 11 sports, including volleyball, padel, jiu-jitsu, fencing, wheelchair basketball, track events, cycling, tug-of-war, obstacle courses, badminton, and a unique laser run.
