Miniature football .. The UAE leads the Arab scene towards development

Abu Dhabi, August 2 / WAM / The UAE continues to establish its leadership role in leading and developing mini football sport at the Arab level, which was clearly embodied by taking over the presidency of the Arab Federation for the game as of May 2025, after its first official formation.
In confirmation of this position, the UAE will host the headquarters of the Federation, in addition to its victory in the right to organize the first edition of the Arab Championship in 2026, which reflects the great confidence that the Arab federations of the UAE, and its ability to lead the desired transformation of the game and the development of its Arab and international horizons.
In order to enhance this role, the game interferes in a new stage with the announcement of the “Emirates for All” announcement of the launch of the League and Cup competitions for the next season 2025 – 2026, as this announcement falls within an integrated national strategy that aims to provide a distinctive Arab model in spreading and developing the game, establishing organized competitions, and qualifying technical and administrative cadres capable of managing clubs and championships with high efficiency, in order to enhance the state’s position as a regional platform for quality sports.

This current leadership is based on previous global successes, the most prominent of which is the successful hosting of the fourth version of the Mini Football World Cup in the Emirate of Ras Al Khaimah in 2023, as part of a strategic step from the International Federation of the game aimed at enhancing its spread in the region, given the vital geographical location of the state and its pioneering position on the global sports map.

These Emirati efforts come in line with the great global growth witnessed by mini football. According to the data of the International Federation, the game is currently playing in 144 countries, and it has between 70 to 75% of the countries of the world recognized national federations, with expectations to increase this percentage in the coming years.

The World Football Championship plays every two years with the participation of teams from different continents, and with the participation of 6 players for each team, on stadiums with smaller dimensions from traditional football fields, using an artificial herb and a top network to prevent the ball from leaving.
In an important development, the General Assembly of the International Federation acknowledged in its last meeting in Azerbaijan the qualification system for the sixth edition of the World Cup in 2027 through the continental championships, including the Asian Cup and the African Cup, along with the Arab Championship to be organized in the UAE in 2026.
This leadership was widely praised by the leadership figures in the game, as Saeed Al -Aji, President of the Arab Football Association, Vice President of the Asian Federation of the West Asian region, stressed that the next stage will witness remarkable growth of the game, in light of the increasing demand for its practice, official support from the national federations, and the attention of the media, in addition to the emergence of promising talents in various Arab and Gulf countries.
The urgent explained that the establishment of the Arab Federation received great support from the International Federation and an official accreditation from the Union of Arab Federations, which represents a strong start to spread the game and expand its base in the Arab world, based on the universal sporting values, and its role in strengthening cultural and human relations between peoples.

Ashraf Bin Salha, Vice President of the International Football Association, the President of the African Confederation, considered that the expansion and development witnessed by the game reflects the success of the partnership between the International Federation and the continental and national federations, expecting greater growth in its popularity during the next stage, especially in light of the records in the mass attendance and global views of the game championships.

Adel Salibikh, the Secretary General of the Bahraini Football Association, pointed out that the game witnessed a remarkable development since the start of the first version of the World Cup in 2015 in the United States, stressing the interest of the Kingdom of Bahrain to host the sixth edition of the tournament in 2027, after a successful participation of its team in the Azerbaijan version.
With these integrated efforts, the UAE embodies its pivotal role in drawing the features of the future of miniature football, achieving a qualitative shift that keeps pace with the growing global interest in this game, and establishes its position as a leading sporting destination at the regional and international levels.

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