The UAE is fast becoming a global hub for major sporting events, offering something for every fan. From the high-octane Abu Dhabi Formula One Grand Prix and SailGP to the competitive World Tennis League and Fiba 3x3, there's no shortage of world-class action.
Whether you're a motorsport enthusiast or a MMA fanatic, here are some coming events in the Emirates to look forward to.
UFC 308, October 26 at Etihad Arena
UFC will return with co-main event fights. The headline bout will see featherweight champion Ilia Topuria defend his title against Max Holloway, while the co-main event features No 3-ranked Robert Whittaker facing off against No 11-ranked Khamzat Chimaev in a five-round contest. Additionally, there are three more matches on the main card.
Tickets are sold out
Fiba 3x3 World Tour Abu Dhabi, October 26 and 27 at Abu Dhabi Corniche
A specially constructed arena on the Corniche will host the basketball event, featuring 14 international teams and one local team competing in the 3x3 tournament. The tournament will also showcase recent Paris Olympic medallists.
Tickets are Dh25
Dubai Premier Padel P1, November 3 to 10 at Dubai Duty Free Tennis Centre, Al Garhoud
Some of the world’s top padel players, including international stars like Arturo Coello, Ariana Sanchez Fallada and Juan Lebron Chincoa will head to Dubai for the week-long championship that has a prize pool of Dh1.8 million in the men’s and women’s categories.
Tickets start at Dh60
The HSBC Golf Championship, November 7 to 10 at Yas Links
The fourth Rolex Series event of the season, the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship will feature Olympic silver medallist Tommy Fleetwood, along with former world number ones Adam Scott and Justin Rose. As part of the new DP World Tour Play-Offs, the event welcomes the top 70 players from the Race to Dubai Rankings, following the Genesis Korea Championship.
General admission tickets are free
DP World Tour Championship, November 14 to 17, Jumeirah Golf Estates
Billy Horschel, who recently claimed his second PGA Championship title, will tee it up alongside Major Champions Shane Lowry, Justin Rose and Adam Scott and fellow Rolex Series winner Robert MacIntyre, who won the Scottish Open in July. Reigning Race to Dubai champion Rory McIlroy and fellow Ryder Cup star Tommy Fleetwood will also tee off.
General admission for Thursday and Friday is free, while Saturday and Sunday early bird tickets start at Dh90
SailGP Dubai, November 22 to 24, Dubai Marina
The Sail Grand Prix season will launch when 11 teams take part in five fleet races across two days, before a winner-takes-all, three-boat final on the second day. The winner of the final is named event champion and awarded 10 points in the Championship Leaderboard, which is added to a cumulative season total.
Tickets start at Dh330
Emirates Dubai 7s, November 29 to December 1, Seven Stadium
The Dubai 7s is an annual rugby event held at The Sevens Stadium in Dubai. It was founded in 1970, making the event the longest-running sports event in the Middle East. The Dubai 7s has six competitions each year including the World Rugby Sevens Series and the World Rugby Women’s Sevens Series. This year Stormzy and Sugababes will perform as part of the event.
Tickets start at Dh425
Fim Supercross World Championship, December 4 at Etihad Arena
The season finale of the Fim World Supercross Championship will take place in Abu Dhabi. Two world champions will be crowned. Additionally, those who get tickets for the championship will also get access to the first day of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on Thursday, including the after-race concert with Teddy Swims and Peggy Gou.
Tickets start at Dh95
Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, December 5 to 8 at Yas Marina Circuit
Various packages and passes available
World Tennis League, December 19 to 22 at Etihad Arena
Some of the top tennis players in the world will return to the UAE as the World Tennis League unveiled a star-studded line-up of players for the third season. This includes US Open winner Aryna Sabalenka and World No 1 Iga Swiatek, who secured bronze at the Paris Olympics as well as a third consecutive French Open title earlier this year.
This year's Wimbledon champion Barbora Krejcikova and women’s doubles Paris Olympics gold medalist Jasmine Paolini will be making their debut. Among the male stars, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Sumit Nagal and Aussie star Nick Kyrgios will also return.
Tickets start at Dh50
More from Neighbourhood Watch
The%20specs
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESingle%20front-axle%20electric%20motor%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E218hp%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E330Nm%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESingle-speed%20automatic%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EMax%20touring%20range%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E402km%20(claimed)%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFrom%20Dh215%2C000%20(estimate)%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESeptember%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Will the pound fall to parity with the dollar?
The idea of pound parity now seems less far-fetched as the risk grows that Britain may split away from the European Union without a deal.
Rupert Harrison, a fund manager at BlackRock, sees the risk of it falling to trade level with the dollar on a no-deal Brexit. The view echoes Morgan Stanley’s recent forecast that the currency can plunge toward $1 (Dh3.67) on such an outcome. That isn’t the majority view yet – a Bloomberg survey this month estimated the pound will slide to $1.10 should the UK exit the bloc without an agreement.
New Prime Minister Boris Johnson has repeatedly said that Britain will leave the EU on the October 31 deadline with or without an agreement, fuelling concern the nation is headed for a disorderly departure and fanning pessimism toward the pound. Sterling has fallen more than 7 per cent in the past three months, the worst performance among major developed-market currencies.
“The pound is at a much lower level now but I still think a no-deal exit would lead to significant volatility and we could be testing parity on a really bad outcome,” said Mr Harrison, who manages more than $10 billion in assets at BlackRock. “We will see this game of chicken continue through August and that’s likely negative for sterling,” he said about the deadlocked Brexit talks.
The pound fell 0.8 per cent to $1.2033 on Friday, its weakest closing level since the 1980s, after a report on the second quarter showed the UK economy shrank for the first time in six years. The data means it is likely the Bank of England will cut interest rates, according to Mizuho Bank.
The BOE said in November that the currency could fall even below $1 in an analysis on possible worst-case Brexit scenarios. Options-based calculations showed around a 6.4 per cent chance of pound-dollar parity in the next one year, markedly higher than 0.2 per cent in early March when prospects of a no-deal outcome were seemingly off the table.
Bloomberg
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Buy farm-fresh food
The UAE is stepping up its game when it comes to platforms for local farms to show off and sell their produce.
In Dubai, visit Emirati Farmers Souq at The Pointe every Saturday from 8am to 2pm, which has produce from Al Ammar Farm, Omar Al Katri Farm, Hikarivege Vegetables, Rashed Farms and Al Khaleej Honey Trading, among others.
In Sharjah, the Aljada residential community will launch a new outdoor farmers’ market every Friday starting this weekend. Manbat will be held from 3pm to 8pm, and will host 30 farmers, local home-grown entrepreneurs and food stalls from the teams behind Badia Farms; Emirates Hydroponics Farms; Modern Organic Farm; Revolution Real; Astraea Farms; and Al Khaleej Food.
In Abu Dhabi, order farm produce from Food Crowd, an online grocery platform that supplies fresh and organic ingredients directly from farms such as Emirates Bio Farm, TFC, Armela Farms and mother company Al Dahra.
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
Haircare resolutions 2021
From Beirut and Amman to London and now Dubai, hairstylist George Massoud has seen the same mistakes made by customers all over the world. In the chair or at-home hair care, here are the resolutions he wishes his customers would make for the year ahead.
1. 'I will seek consultation from professionals'
You may know what you want, but are you sure it’s going to suit you? Haircare professionals can tell you what will work best with your skin tone, hair texture and lifestyle.
2. 'I will tell my hairdresser when I’m not happy'
Massoud says it’s better to offer constructive criticism to work on in the future. Your hairdresser will learn, and you may discover how to communicate exactly what you want more effectively the next time.
3. ‘I will treat my hair better out of the chair’
Damage control is a big part of most hairstylists’ work right now, but it can be avoided. Steer clear of over-colouring at home, try and pursue one hair brand at a time and never, ever use a straightener on still drying hair, pleads Massoud.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Why are asylum seekers being housed in hotels?
The number of asylum applications in the UK has reached a new record high, driven by those illegally entering the country in small boats crossing the English Channel.
A total of 111,084 people applied for asylum in the UK in the year to June 2025, the highest number for any 12-month period since current records began in 2001.
Asylum seekers and their families can be housed in temporary accommodation while their claim is assessed.
The Home Office provides the accommodation, meaning asylum seekers cannot choose where they live.
When there is not enough housing, the Home Office can move people to hotels or large sites like former military bases.
The National Archives, Abu Dhabi
Founded over 50 years ago, the National Archives collects valuable historical material relating to the UAE, and is the oldest and richest archive relating to the Arabian Gulf.
Much of the material can be viewed on line at the Arabian Gulf Digital Archive - https://www.agda.ae/en
Haemoglobin disorders explained
Thalassaemia is part of a family of genetic conditions affecting the blood known as haemoglobin disorders.
Haemoglobin is a substance in the red blood cells that carries oxygen and a lack of it triggers anemia, leaving patients very weak, short of breath and pale.
The most severe type of the condition is typically inherited when both parents are carriers. Those patients often require regular blood transfusions - about 450 of the UAE's 2,000 thalassaemia patients - though frequent transfusions can lead to too much iron in the body and heart and liver problems.
The condition mainly affects people of Mediterranean, South Asian, South-East Asian and Middle Eastern origin. Saudi Arabia recorded 45,892 cases of carriers between 2004 and 2014.
A World Health Organisation study estimated that globally there are at least 950,000 'new carrier couples' every year and annually there are 1.33 million at-risk pregnancies.
AIDA%20RETURNS
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ECarol%20Mansour%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EAida%20Abboud%2C%20Carol%20Mansour%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%203.5.%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
War 2
Director: Ayan Mukerji
Stars: Hrithik Roshan, NTR, Kiara Advani, Ashutosh Rana
Rating: 2/5
Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Lamsa
Founder: Badr Ward
Launched: 2014
Employees: 60
Based: Abu Dhabi
Sector: EdTech
Funding to date: $15 million
No Shame
Lily Allen
(Parlophone)
North Pole stats
Distance covered: 160km
Temperature: -40°C
Weight of equipment: 45kg
Altitude (metres above sea level): 0
Terrain: Ice rock
South Pole stats
Distance covered: 130km
Temperature: -50°C
Weight of equipment: 50kg
Altitude (metres above sea level): 3,300
Terrain: Flat ice
