Soccer leads the United Arab Emirates, ahead of Cricket and Motorsport. Ranking of 12 sports.
This page ranks the sports of the United Arab Emirates by the evidence behind each one, because no single participation, membership, or survey figure covering all sports in the United Arab Emirates could be identified in this session, so the ranking below rests on qualitative evidence per sport (governing body activity, international competition record, and hosting of major events) instead of one comparable number.
Soccer is on top, followed by Cricket and Motorsport. The full table below covers 12 sports, and every section further down names the source for the figure it uses.
The Most Popular Sports in the United Arab Emirates
The table counts evidence, not people who say they like a sport. It is the figure that is published the same way for every sport in the list, which is what makes the rows comparable. The reference year is 2026.
| # | Sport | Basis for the placing |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Soccer | The UAE Football Association runs the men’s top domestic league and a national team that has reached the FIFA World Cup once (1990) and regularly enters AFC qualifying, making socc |
| 2 | Cricket | The Emirates Cricket Board became a full member of the International Cricket Council in 2017, and cricket is played extensively through club and league competitions driven largely |
| 3 | Motorsport | Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi hosts the Formula 1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, confirmed live on the circuit’s own site as the Formula 1 Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, making moto |
| 4 | Rugby | Dubai has hosted an annual rugby sevens tournament since the 1970s that has served as a leg of global sevens competition, and the event is one of the best attended sporting weekend |
| 5 | Golf | Dubai hosts multiple DP World Tour events each year, including the season ending DP World Tour Championship, and the tour itself carries the DP World naming rights from the UAE bas |
| 6 | Tennis | Dubai hosts an annual joint ATP and WTA tournament, the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, that draws top ranked professional players and is among the highest profile tennis eve |
| 7 | Equestrian | The Dubai World Cup, run at Meydan Racecourse, is among the world’s richest thoroughbred horse races by prize money, and the Dubai ruling family has a long and internationally docu |
| 8 | Jiu-Jitsu | Abu Dhabi has made jiu-jitsu part of the public school physical education curriculum and hosts the Abu Dhabi World Professional Jiu-Jitsu Championship, with the UAE Jiu-Jitsu Feder |
| 9 | Falconry | Falconry was inscribed on the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2016 as a multinational heritage practice that lists the United Arab Emi |
| 10 | Camel racing | Camel racing is a long standing Bedouin heritage sport in the United Arab Emirates that has moved to government regulated tracks using remote controlled robotic jockeys after a law |
| 11 | Basketball | The UAE Basketball Federation organizes a domestic league and a national team that has competed in FIBA Asia competitions, though the sport has a smaller organized base than soccer |
| 12 | Athletics | The UAE Athletics Federation fields athletes in regional and international track and field competition, and Dubai hosts internationally recognized road running events, though the c |
Is There a National Sport of the United Arab Emirates?
the United Arab Emirates has no national sport laid down by law or by government decision. No law or government decree formally designating a national sport for the United Arab Emirates could be identified in this session, so no legally set national sport is reported here.
- Soccer. Soccer functions as the United Arab Emirates’ de facto national sport by following and organized participation, based on the size of the domestic league and national team compared with other federations.
- Falconry and camel racing. Falconry and camel racing are widely described as the country’s traditional national sports, tied to Bedouin heritage and actively promoted at government supported heritage events, even without a formal legal designation.
#1 Soccer
- Governing body: UAE Football Association
- Top national league: UAE Pro League
- Best known athlete: Omar Abdulrahman. Omar Abdulrahman, known as Amoory, was named the AFC’s top player in 2016 and is widely regarded as the most technically gifted Emirati footballer of his generation, best known for his play with Al Ain and the national team
Soccer is the most widely followed team sport in the United Arab Emirates, organized nationally by the UAE Football Association through a men’s top domestic league and a national team program.
The national team has qualified for one FIFA World Cup and regularly competes in AFC Asian Cup and World Cup qualifying, and domestic league matches remain the most attended club sport fixtures in the country.
Latest Posts about Soccer
#2 Cricket
- Governing body: Emirates Cricket Board
Cricket has a very large following in the United Arab Emirates, driven mainly by the country’s substantial South Asian expatriate population rather than by Emirati nationals.
The Emirates Cricket Board is a full member of the International Cricket Council, the men’s national team competes in ICC events, and Dubai and Sharjah host major international matches and tournaments on a regular basis.
#3 Motorsport
- Governing body: Yas Marina Circuit
- Top national league: Formula 1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
Motorsport has a major national profile in the United Arab Emirates because Abu Dhabi hosts a round of the Formula 1 world championship each year at Yas Marina Circuit.
The Grand Prix weekend draws large crowds and heavy media coverage, and the circuit also hosts other regional racing, endurance, and karting competitions through the rest of the year.
#4 Rugby
- Governing body: UAE Rugby Federation
- Top national league: Dubai Rugby Sevens
Rugby sevens has an outsized profile in the United Arab Emirates because of the annual Dubai tournament, which has run since the 1970s and regularly draws large crowds over its weekend.
The UAE Rugby Federation also runs a domestic club competition, with participation concentrated among the expatriate community in Dubai and Abu Dhabi.
Latest Posts about Rugby
#5 Golf
- Governing body: Emirates Golf Federation
- Top national league: DP World Tour Championship
Golf has a well established professional and recreational base in the United Arab Emirates, concentrated in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, where multiple championship courses host regular international tournaments.
Dubai stages several DP World Tour events every season, including the tour’s season ending championship, which brings sustained international broadcast coverage to the sport in the country.
Latest Posts about Golf
#6 Tennis
- Governing body: UAE Tennis Federation
- Top national league: Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships
Tennis draws significant attention in the United Arab Emirates through the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, an annual event on both the men’s and women’s professional tours.
The tournament regularly attracts top ranked players from around the world, giving the sport a higher international profile in the country than its domestic participation base alone would suggest.
Latest Posts about Tennis
#7 Equestrian
- Governing body: Emirates Equestrian Federation
- Top national league: Dubai World Cup
- Best known athlete: Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, ruler of Dubai, competed as an endurance rider at international level for decades and built the Godolphin racing operation into one of the most prominent thoroughbred stables in the world
Equestrian sport, and horse racing in particular, carries major national prestige in the United Arab Emirates, centered on Meydan Racecourse in Dubai.
The Dubai World Cup meeting is one of the richest race days in the sport worldwide, and the country’s rulers have long personal involvement in racing and endurance riding, which keeps the sport prominent in national coverage.
Latest Posts about Equestrian
#8 Jiu-Jitsu
- Governing body: UAE Jiu-Jitsu Federation
- Top national league: Abu Dhabi World Professional Jiu-Jitsu Championship
- Best known athlete: Sheikh Tahnoun bin Zayed Al Nahyan. Sheikh Tahnoun bin Zayed Al Nahyan, a black belt practitioner, is the patron figure most associated with building jiu-jitsu into a nationally promoted sport in the UAE, including its introduction into Abu Dhabi public schools
Jiu-jitsu has grown into a nationally promoted sport in the United Arab Emirates, most visibly in Abu Dhabi, where it has been introduced into the public school curriculum.
Abu Dhabi hosts an annual world professional jiu-jitsu championship, and the sport has official backing from senior members of the Abu Dhabi ruling family, which has driven a rapid rise in local participation.
#9 Falconry
- Governing body: Emirates Falconers’ Club
Falconry is a heritage practice with deep roots in Emirati culture, organized today through clubs and competitions rather than a conventional professional league.
The practice is recognized internationally as intangible cultural heritage with the United Arab Emirates among its listed countries, and falconry displays remain a regular feature of national heritage events.
#10 Camel racing
- Governing body: Emirates Camel Racing Federation
Camel racing is a traditional heritage sport in the United Arab Emirates that continues at purpose built tracks in several emirates, drawing spectators and owners from across the Gulf region.
Races today use lightweight robotic jockeys operated remotely by trainers, a change introduced after regulations banning the use of child jockeys, and the sport remains closely tied to national heritage identity.
#11 Basketball
- Governing body: UAE Basketball Federation
Basketball is an organized but comparatively smaller team sport in the United Arab Emirates, run through the UAE Basketball Federation and a domestic club league.
The national team competes in FIBA Asia qualifying events, and the sport has a growing youth participation base in schools in Dubai and Abu Dhabi.
Latest Posts about Basketball
#12 Athletics
- Governing body: UAE Athletics Federation
Athletics is organized nationally through the UAE Athletics Federation, with participation built mainly around school programs and road running events.
Dubai hosts internationally recognized marathon and road running events each year that draw both elite international runners and a large recreational field of residents.
Latest Posts about Athletics
Sources
- FIFA
- International Cricket Council
- Yas Marina Circuit
- World Rugby
- DP World Tour
- International Federation for Horseracing Authorities
- Ju-Jitsu International Federation
- UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage
- FIBA
- World Athletics
Figures on this page come from national federations and statistics offices and are only as current as their latest published report. Last reviewed: August 2026.
FAQ
What are the most popular sports in the UAE?
Soccer is the most widely followed team sport in the United Arab Emirates, organized through the UAE Football Association and a domestic top league. Cricket also has a very large following, driven mainly by the country’s South Asian resident community, and motorsport draws major attention through the annual Formula 1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix at Yas Marina Circuit.
What is the national sport of the UAE?
No law or government decree formally naming a national sport for the United Arab Emirates was found in this session. Soccer functions as the de facto national sport by following and league size, while falconry and camel racing are the traditional heritage sports most closely tied to national identity.
Is cricket popular in the UAE?
Yes. Cricket has a very large following in the United Arab Emirates, driven mainly by the country’s South Asian expatriate population. The Emirates Cricket Board became a full member of the International Cricket Council in 2017, and Dubai and Sharjah regularly host major international matches.
What is the major sport in Dubai?
Soccer and cricket both have large followings in Dubai, and the city also hosts internationally significant annual events in other sports, including the Dubai World Cup horse race at Meydan Racecourse, the Dubai Rugby Sevens, the DP World Tour Championship in golf, and the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.
Are sports growing in the UAE?
Yes, in several sports. Jiu-jitsu has expanded rapidly after being introduced into the Abu Dhabi public school curriculum and gaining backing from the Abu Dhabi ruling family, and the country continues to add international hosting rights in golf, tennis, rugby sevens, and motorsport, which has broadened the range of sports with a visible national profile.
