UAE Horse Racing Season 2026-27: Every Key Date to the Dubai World Cup

Last updated: 17 October 2026

The 2026-27 UAE racing season opens on Thursday 22 October 2026 at Abu Dhabi Turf Club. Its centrepiece, the Dubai World Cup at Meydan on Saturday 27 March 2027, closes Meydan's season, though the ERA calendar has race meetings at Abu Dhabi and Al Ain continuing until Thursday 15 April 2027. In all, the Emirates Racing Authority (ERA) has scheduled 64 race meetings across five racecourses. Meydan's share starts with the opening of the Dubai Racing Carnival on Friday 6 November. Below are the official dates, which venue hosts which meeting, and the one fixture that tends to confuse people.

Key takeaways

• Opening day: the season starts on Thursday 22 October 2026 at Abu Dhabi Turf Club. The ERA calendar also shows an Al Ain fixture on 21 October, but that card is barrier trials, not a race meeting.
• 64 meetings: Meydan has 17, Abu Dhabi Turf Club 16, Al Ain 14, Jebel Ali 11 and Sharjah 6.
• The Carnival: the Dubai Racing Carnival opens at Meydan on Friday 6 November and runs for 16 meetings. Festive Friday is 18 December, Fashion Friday 22 January and Super Saturday 27 February.
• Abu Dhabi's big days: the UAE President Cup (AED 8 million) is on Saturday 12 December and the Abu Dhabi Gold Cup (US$1 million) on Sunday 7 February 2027, both at Abu Dhabi Turf Club.
• World Cup night: the Dubai World Cup is on Saturday 27 March 2027. The race itself is worth US$12 million. Racing carries on at Abu Dhabi and Al Ain until 15 April 2027.

When does the 2026-27 UAE racing season start?

The ERA announced the calendar on 4 June 2026. It says the season "commences" on 22 October 2026 at Abu Dhabi Turf Club, and that is the official opening day.

The ERA calendar does list fixtures earlier than that: Meydan on 30 September, Jebel Ali on 7 October, Meydan on 14 October and Al Ain on Wednesday 21 October. We opened the 21 October card on the ERA site. It is made up of four races labelled "Trial", each over 700m on dirt, for Purebred Arabian and Thoroughbred maidens and open horses. Trials are schooling and qualifying runs, not races for prize money, and no purse is listed on the card. The earlier Meydan (30 September and 14 October) and Jebel Ali (7 October) cards were trials too, and so is Meydan on 28 October. The ERA's own wording puts the start of the season on 22 October.

After the Abu Dhabi opener, the first proper race meetings at the other courses are:

• Sharjah: Sunday 25 October, a six-race card of Purebred Arabian maidens and handicaps worth AED 50,000 each
• Jebel Ali: Saturday 31 October, with Thoroughbred races worth AED 72,000 to AED 120,000
• Meydan: Friday 6 November, the Carnival opener
• Al Ain: Saturday 7 November, its first race card after the October trial

Which racecourse hosts which meetings?

The ERA's 4 June release splits the 64 meetings like this:

Racecourse — Emirate — Meetings — Headline races (per ERA)

• Meydan — Dubai — 17 — Dubai Racing Carnival, Dubai World Cup
• Abu Dhabi Turf Club — Abu Dhabi — 16 — UAE President Cup, Abu Dhabi Gold Cup
• Al Ain Racecourse — Abu Dhabi (Al Ain) — 14 — Three-leg Marathon Series, Al Ain Mile
• Jebel Ali Racecourse — Dubai — 11 — Jebel Ali Mile, Jebel Ali Sprint, Jebel Ali Stakes
• Sharjah Racecourse — Sharjah — 6 — Ruler of Sharjah Cup, GCC Cup, Sharjah Crown Prince Cup, Sheikh Ahmed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Cup

Two points about Dubai. Dubai has two racecourses, Meydan and Jebel Ali. The Carnival and World Cup night happen only at Meydan. Al Ain is in the emirate of Abu Dhabi, so Abu Dhabi stages 30 of the season's 64 meetings, more than any other emirate.

The ERA does not give dates for the Sharjah, Al Ain and Jebel Ali feature races in its release. Their dates are on the individual cards in the ERA's online calendar as those cards are published.

When is the Dubai Racing Carnival 2026-27?

Dubai Racing Club (DRC), which runs Meydan, put Carnival tickets on sale on 8 September. Its announcement says the Carnival opens on Friday 6 November at Meydan and runs "from November through to March" over 16 meetings. The three feature nights it names are:

• Festive Friday: 18 December 2026
• Fashion Friday: 22 January 2027
• Emirates Super Saturday: 27 February 2027

The ERA calendar shows the opening card. It has seven Thoroughbred races, with purses from AED 165,000 for a maiden to AED 250,000 for a handicap. On the calendar, Meydan's last meeting before the World Cup is Friday 12 March 2027. DRC's announcement only says the Carnival runs "through to March" and does not name a closing night.

According to DRC, general admission tickets start at AED 10 and Paddock Garden tickets at AED 75. Hospitality packages start at AED 345.

When is the Dubai World Cup 2027?

The 2027 Dubai World Cup is on Saturday 27 March 2027 at Meydan. The ERA's 4 June release confirms the date and the US$12 million purse. The ERA calendar lists the race as a 2,000m Thoroughbred contest on dirt.

DRC has not yet put out a release on prize money for the whole 2027 card. The ERA's own calendar does already list nine races for the night, each with a purse:

• Dubai World Cup: US$12 million
• Longines Dubai Sheema Classic: US$6 million
• Dubai Turf: US$5 million
• Dubai Golden Shaheen: US$2 million
• Al Quoz Sprint: US$1.5 million
• Dubai Kahayla Classic, UAE Derby, Dubai Gold Cup and Godolphin Mile: US$1 million each

Those purses add up to US$30.5 million. Treat this as the ERA's calendar listing rather than a formal announcement, because purses can change before declarations.

What are the other big race days?

Abu Dhabi Turf Club hosts the season's two biggest fixtures outside Meydan:

• UAE President Cup: Saturday 12 December 2026, for Purebred Arabians, worth AED 8 million.
• Abu Dhabi Gold Cup: Sunday 7 February 2027, for Thoroughbreds, worth US$1 million.

Sharjah has only six meetings but packs four named cups into them, one of which (the Sheikh Ahmed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Cup) is the first leg of the Emirates Sprint Series. Al Ain stages a three-leg Marathon Series and the Al Ain Mile.

Can you bet on UAE racing this season?

This is the first full Carnival-to-World Cup season with a licensed betting product in the country. In June 2026, Play971, run by Coin Technology Projects LLC, the only sports wagering licensee on the GCGRA's register, added horse-racing wagering. Its own rules still apply: you must be 21 or over, physically inside the UAE, and in an emirate where the platform is switched on. Khaleej Times reported in June that Dubai was not one of them.

That means Meydan and Jebel Ali are in an emirate where, on that reporting, the licensed product cannot be used. Racecourse bookmakers and offshore betting sites remain illegal everywhere in the UAE. At Meydan itself, the alternative is Dubai Racing Club's Pick 7 prediction competition, which you enter on the paper form issued on the day of the meeting. It pays cash prizes but is run as a competition, not a wager.

FAQ

When does the UAE horse racing season 2026-27 start? On Thursday 22 October 2026 at Abu Dhabi Turf Club, according to the Emirates Racing Authority. The Al Ain fixture on 21 October is a card of barrier trials, not a race meeting.

When is the Dubai World Cup 2027? Saturday 27 March 2027 at Meydan Racecourse in Dubai. The main race is worth US$12 million.

When does the Dubai Racing Carnival start? Friday 6 November 2026 at Meydan. It runs over 16 meetings, with Super Saturday on 27 February 2027.

How many race meetings are there in the 2026-27 season? 64 across five racecourses: Meydan 17, Abu Dhabi Turf Club 16, Al Ain 14, Jebel Ali 11 and Sharjah 6.

When is the UAE President Cup 2026? Saturday 12 December 2026 at Abu Dhabi Turf Club, with AED 8 million in prize money for Purebred Arabians.

How much does it cost to attend Meydan? Dubai Racing Club says Carnival general admission starts at AED 10. Paddock Garden tickets start at AED 75 and hospitality at AED 345.

Further reading

• Is gambling legal in the UAE? Game by game
• Play971 location checks explained
• Can you bet on the World Cup in the UAE? Play971 explained
• Illegal gaming risks in the UAE

Sources

• Emirates Racing Authority, "The Emirates Racing Authority (ERA) has announced the official schedule for the 2026-2027 UAE horse racing season" (4 June 2026): https://emiratesracing.com/news/the-emirates-racing-authority-era-has-announced-the-official-schedule-for-the-2026-2027-uae-horse-racing-season
• Emirates Racing Authority, "Season calendar: current season" (fixture cards for 30 Sep, 21 Oct, 25 Oct, 28 Oct, 31 Oct, 6 Nov, 7 Nov 2026, 12 Mar, 27 Mar and 1–15 Apr 2027; accessed 17 October 2026): https://emiratesracing.com/season-calendar/current-season
• Dubai Racing Club, "Tickets now on sale for the 2026–27 Dubai Racing Carnival" (8 September 2026): https://dubairacingclub.com/press-releases/carnival-tickets-on-sale/
• Dubai Racing Club, "Dubai World Cup race programme, 28 March 2026" (Pick 7 competition rules): https://drcwebblob.blob.core.windows.net/drcwebmediacontent/2026/03/Dubai-World-Cup-Race-Programme-English-1.pdf
• iGaming Business, "Play971 talks up competitive advantage as betting launch marks new chapter for UAE" (17 June 2026): https://igamingbusiness.com/sports-betting/horse-racing/play971-abu-dhabi-horse-racing-betting-interview/
• General Commercial Gaming Regulatory Authority, "Our licensees" (accessed 17 October 2026): https://www.gcgra.gov.ae/en/licensing/our-licensees/
• Khaleej Times, "Play971 UAE: Full guide to access, sports wagering and restrictions" (6 June 2026): https://www.khaleejtimes.com/uae/play971-uae-full-guide-to-access-sports-wagering-and-restrictions