Mansour bin Mohammed witnesses part of the Dubai Games 2026 competitions

Today (Thursday), His Highness Sheikh Mansour bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairman of the Dubai Sports Council, witnessed part of the competitions of the first day of the seventh edition of the “Dubai Games”, which are being held with the participation of 56 international cities and more than 1,600 players among 239 teams.
His Highness praised the advanced level demonstrated by the competing teams, and the high performance they presented that reflects the extent of the physical and mental fitness of the competitors. His Highness stressed that Dubai continues to provide an inspiring model for a community aware of the value of sports, and is keen to make it a lifestyle followed by everyone within different age groups and physical abilities.
His Highness also reviewed the technical preparations for the tournament and praised the levels of professional organization of the tournament, and the collaboration of teams from various parties to produce the tournament in a manner befitting Dubai’s name in the field of organizing international events.
The first day of the tournament witnessed two enthusiastic rounds of the government challenge for the men’s category, with the challenge for this category being completed in the third round tomorrow, Friday, and then the three teams qualifying for the finals will be announced.
The Dubai Games 2026 Organizing Committee confirmed that the strong start of the first day of the tournament under the slogan “Together we face the challenge” and the high levels of competitiveness and exceptional team spirit witnessed among the men’s Government Challenge teams reflects the essence of the tournament as a test of teamwork in the spirit of one team and to achieve one goal, where achievement is not achieved by individual strength alone, but rather by the team’s ability to move as an integrated unit to maintain focus and integration at every station.
In its seventh edition, the Dubai Games continue their growth, attracting the most prominent sporting talents from around the world. The tournament witnesses the participation of more than 1,600 players within 239 teams competing in government, community, city and youth challenges. The Government Challenge for Men records the participation of 546 players within 78 teams, while 147 players compete within 21 teams in the Government Challenge for Women. The number of participants in the Community Challenge reached 195 male and female players within 28 teams, while 392 young champions competed within 56 teams in the Junior Challenge. The Dubai 2026 Games record the largest participation of international cities in the history of the tournament, as 336 male and female players from 56 international cities compete in the Cities Challenge to win the championship title this year.
This year’s tournament comes with an official partnership with DB World, a diamond partnership with Damac, Emarat, and Beyond Real Estate Development, a golden partnership with Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA), Al Gurg Group, and Unilabs Middle East, and a strategic partnership with the Dubai Sports Council.
The Government Challenge attracted a large audience to encourage the participating players and teams, adding a distinctly enthusiastic atmosphere to the tournament in a way that reflects the success of the Dubai Games in establishing the culture of sports as an essential part of Dubai’s identity. In parallel, the tournament provided families with a range of interactive and entertainment activities suitable for all ages, which confirms that the tournament has become a community platform that inspires various groups to adopt an active lifestyle and enhances community cohesion and well-being.