FIFA’s Infantino taps Dubai to host top soccer awards in 2026
World soccer chief Gianni Infantino said today that Dubai will host the FIFA Best Awards next year, providing support as the UAE seeks a higher profile in global sports.
Infantino, President of soccer’s FIFA governing body, made the announcement while speaking at the Dubai World Sports Summit, which has brought together top figures from sports, business and government for a two-day conference to mull the commercial future of athletic competition.
“I can announce here a new partnership we have closed together to honor the best players, coaches and teams, here in Dubai,” Infantino said. This year’s FIFA Best Awards were announced earlier this month in Qatar, where France forward Ousmane Dembélé and Spain midfielder Aitana Bonmatí were named the top men’s and women’s players.
The UAE is trying to boost its visibility on the international sports calendar amid the success Saudi Arabia and Qatar have shown in hosting major events. The 2022 FIFA World Cup was held in Doha and Saudi Arabia will host in 2034.
Sheikh Mansoor bin Mohamed, Chairman of the Dubai Sports Council, opened the summit, which is taking place at Dubai’s Madinat Jumeirah conference center. Bahrain’s Sheikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifawon the Arab Sports Personality Award at the World Sports Summit in Dubai. Sheikh Mohamed bin Hamad, Crown Prince of the Northern emirate of Fujairah, won the UAE Sports Personality Award.
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, son of Dubai’s ruler, led the Beyond Developments Globe Soccer Awards held on Sunday evening in Dubai at which Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo, who plays for Saudi Arabia’s Al-Nassr team,won the best Middle Eastern player award. Paris Saint-Germain forwardOusmane Dembélé was crowned Best Men’s Player and FC Barcelona midfielder Aitana Bonmatí Bonmatí was named Best Women’s Player.
Ronaldo heads to Dubai summit, mixing sports, business, politics
Dubai is using the new World Sports Summit next week to burnish its ambition to be a global crossroads for the business and politics of sports, drawing some of the industry’s biggest names for two days of dealmaking and debate.
The gathering Dec. 29-30 will mix star power and boardroom clout, with appearances by Brazilian soccer legend Ronaldo Nazario, boxing icon Manny Pacquiao and MMA champion Khabib Nurmagomedov, alongside club owners, league chiefs and investors.
On the business side, speakers will include the Paris Saint-Germain soccer team’s Qatari president, Nasser Al-Khelaifi, Manchester United co-owner Jim Ratcliffe, and executives from companies such as Nike and Adidas.
Organizers say the summit will focus on how technology, new financing models and global fan engagement are reshaping sports, as well as how events and franchises can be leveraged for economic growth and soft diplomatic power.
Government and corporate figures expected include Dubai Crown Prince Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed, Sports Minister Ahmed Belhoul Al Falasi, Dubai Sports Council Vice Chairman Khalfan Belhoul and Abu Dhabi Media Network Chairman Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak.
Saudi Arabia invests to turn young generation into sports fans
Saudi Arabia is working to engage its sports fans from the bottom up.
As Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman pours billions of dollars into international golf, tennis and football, Danny Townsend, CEO of Saudi Arabia’s SURJ Sports Investments, says it’s vital to get the young generation hooked early in their lives.
“Frankly, I care far more about engaging a 10-year-old in a sport we invest in than engaging someone my age,” Townsend said in a panel discussion about sports at the Milken Summit. “If we get the product right and deliver it the right way for that young fan, the long-term value follows.”
Ben Harburg, the American investor who founded MSA Capital and bought Saudi Arabia’s Al-Kholood pro soccer club in July, said he’s constantly amazed by the dedication of local fans.
“I’ve had fans come up to me at matches with printed A4 pages – line-by-line recommendations on how we should compete in the league, which players to pursue, what style of play to adopt, even preferred formations,” Harburg said.
Musk, Ronaldo join Trump at black-tie dinner for Saudi leader
The White House hosted a heavyweight mix of political, business and sports figures at President Donald Trump’s black-tie dinner for Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Tuesday night.
The guest list was filled with CEOs from tech and finance, including Tesla’s Elon Musk, Nvidia’s Jensen Huang, Apple’s Tim Cook, Citigroup’s Jane Fraser and Chevron’s Mike Wirth, Paramount’s David Ellison and Palantir’s Alex Karp.
Also present were Salesforce’s Marc Benioff, Coinbase’s Brian Armstrong, Blackstone’s Stephen Schwarzman, Pershing Square’s Bill Ackman, as well as 26North’s Josh Harris, and Dina Powell McCormick, the Vice Chairman of merchant bank BDT-MSD and former U.S. Deputy National Security Advisor. Another prominent guest was soccer superstar Cristiano Ronaldo, who plays in the Saudi Pro League.
The Saudi leader, wearing his traditional royal robe while standing in the East Room next to a tuxedo-clad Trump, hailed the close ties between the two countries that go back nine decades. Earlier in the day, he said Saudi Arabia’s investment in the U.S. could reach close to $1 trillion.
“We believe the opportunity is huge,” Prince Mohammed said. “We’re going to focus on implementation and keep increasing the opportunities between our… countries.”
Trump hosted the dinner of pistachio-crusted rack of lamb and sweet potato puree with his wife Melania, who wore a green strapless gown designed by Lebanese couturier Elie Saab.
Members of the Trump administration who attended included Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent, Attorney General Pam Bondi, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum,
and White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles.
Dubai seeks to become a global hub for international sports
Dubai is seekng to become a global hub for sports, with the goal of boosting the economic contribution of sporting events by 80% to reach $18.3 billion by 2033.
“The ultimate vision, we want Dubai to be the world’s best sporting city,” Khalfan Belhoul, Vice Chairman of the Dubai Sports Council, said.
With major events such as the 2030 Asian Games in Qatar and soccer’s 2034 FIFA World Cup in Saudi Arabia on the horizon, the Middle East is entering what consulting firm Oliver Wyman describes as a “defining decade” for sports.
A report published by the New York-based agency on the region’s sports economy projects $75 billion in growth potential, Arab News reports.
The report says governments have committed over $100 billion in sports infrastructure through 2034.
Saudi Arabia puts two more league soccer teams up for sale
Saudi Arabia is increasingly finding sports to be a lucrative source of cash.
The kingdom’s Ministry of Sport announced this week it has put two soccer teams, Al Najma and Al Okhdood, up for sale as part of its privatization campaign, Arabian Gulf Business Insights reports.
Last year, the Public Investment Fund bought ownership of four clubs from the government, including Al-Nassr, home to Portuguese superstar Cristiano Ronaldo.
Al-Kholood was bought last month by American investor Ben Harburg.
Qatar vies with Turkey, India, Indonesia to host 2036 Olympics
Qatar has officially entered the race to host the 2036 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al-Thani, President of the Qatar Olympic Committee, said competing for the games will build on the country’s success as the first Middle Eastern nation to host the FIFA World Cup soccer championship in 2022.
Having established prominence in international sports as a “central pillar of our national strategy,” Sheikh Joaan said Qatar already has 95% of the required infrastructure in place to become the first Middle East nation to host the Olympics.
Also competing for the 2036 games are India, Turkey, Chile and Indonesia.
Saudi Arabia’s SURJ eyes investment in pro triathlon tour
Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund is looking to further broaden its interests in professional sports after becoming a global power in competitions ranging from golf and soccer to mixed martial arts.
SURJ Sports, an investment arm of the kingdom’s Public Investment Fund, is in talks to invest in the organizers of the T100 Triathlon World Tour as part of plans to grow the series, Bloomberg reports.
The Saudi fund is negotiating with the London-based Professional Triathletes Organisation and it’s unclear how much SURJ will invest, the news agency said.
The PTO aims to turn triathlons into a professional sport. Last year, it launched the T100 Triathlon World Tour, which covers a total distance of 100 kilometers (62 miles), including an 80-kilometer bike ride, an 18-kilometer run and a 2-kilometer swim.
Cordillera Investment Partners, a San Francisco-based investment fund, invested $10 million into the PTO in March, Bloomberg reports. Other investors in the PTO include Warner Bros. Discovery.
Saudi PIF invests in surging soccer realm with Kings League
Having disrupted the athletic world with billions poured into golf, tennis, mixed martial arts and esports, Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund is diving deeper into soccer.
SURJ Sports, an investment arm of the sovereign wealth fund, signed an agreement on Tuesday to form a joint venture with the upstart Kings League.
The move brings a wildly popular new brand of football to the kingdom that features seven players on each side of the field.
An inaugural event is planned for November, which will be streamed on a range of platforms including TikTok and YouTube. The league has close to 30 million social media followers.
Kings League was founded in 2022 by former Barcelona defender Gerard Piqué and has a growing young audience drawn by its fast-paced format.
Most of the league’s revenue comes from sponsorship and merchandising, rather than broadcasting, which fuels traditional football teams that play with 11 to a side.
“Our priority today is to maximize reach and get in front of as many fans as possible,” Kings League CEO Djamel Agaoua tells Bloomberg.
“In the future, as the product matures, we want to develop our media rights revenue stream, and we might consider more exclusive deals with broadcasters and streaming platforms,” he said.
