Sporting events coming to the UAE, from World Tennis League to Abu Dhabi F1 Grand Prix

The UAE is fast becoming a global hub for major sporting events, offering something for every fan. From the high-octane Abu Dhabi Formula One Grand Prix and SailGP to the competitive World Tennis League and Fiba 3x3, there's no shortage of world-class action.

Whether you're a motorsport enthusiast or a MMA fanatic, here are some coming events in the Emirates to look forward to.

UFC 308, October 26 at Etihad Arena

Abu Dhabi to host UFC 308

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UFC will return with co-main event fights. The headline bout will see featherweight champion Ilia Topuria defend his title against Max Holloway, while the co-main event features No 3-ranked Robert Whittaker facing off against No 11-ranked Khamzat Chimaev in a five-round contest. Additionally, there are three more matches on the main card.

Tickets are sold out

Fiba 3x3 World Tour Abu Dhabi, October 26 and 27 at Abu Dhabi Corniche

A specially constructed arena on the Corniche will host the basketball event, featuring 14 international teams and one local team competing in the 3x3 tournament. The tournament will also showcase recent Paris Olympic medallists.

Tickets are Dh25

Dubai Premier Padel P1, November 3 to 10 at Dubai Duty Free Tennis Centre, Al Garhoud

Some of the world’s top padel players, including international stars like Arturo Coello, Ariana Sanchez Fallada and Juan Lebron Chincoa will head to Dubai for the week-long championship that has a prize pool of Dh1.8 million in the men’s and women’s categories.

Tickets start at Dh60

The HSBC Golf Championship, November 7 to 10 at Yas Links

The fourth Rolex Series event of the season, the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship will feature Olympic silver medallist Tommy Fleetwood, along with former world number ones Adam Scott and Justin Rose. As part of the new DP World Tour Play-Offs, the event welcomes the top 70 players from the Race to Dubai Rankings, following the Genesis Korea Championship.

General admission tickets are free

DP World Tour Championship, November 14 to 17, Jumeirah Golf Estates

Billy Horschel, who recently claimed his second PGA Championship title, will tee it up alongside Major Champions Shane Lowry, Justin Rose and Adam Scott and fellow Rolex Series winner Robert MacIntyre, who won the Scottish Open in July. Reigning Race to Dubai champion Rory McIlroy and fellow Ryder Cup star Tommy Fleetwood will also tee off.

General admission for Thursday and Friday is free, while Saturday and Sunday early bird tickets start at Dh90

SailGP Dubai, November 22 to 24, Dubai Marina

The Sail Grand Prix season will launch when 11 teams take part in five fleet races across two days, before a winner-takes-all, three-boat final on the second day. The winner of the final is named event champion and awarded 10 points in the Championship Leaderboard, which is added to a cumulative season total.

Tickets start at Dh330

Emirates Dubai 7s, November 29 to December 1, Seven Stadium

The Dubai 7s is the longest running sporting event in the Middle East. Ruel Pableo for The National

The Dubai 7s is an annual rugby event held at The Sevens Stadium in Dubai. It was founded in 1970, making the event the longest-running sports event in the Middle East. The Dubai 7s has six competitions each year including the World Rugby Sevens Series and the World Rugby Women’s Sevens Series. This year Stormzy and Sugababes will perform as part of the event.

Tickets start at Dh425

Fim Supercross World Championship, December 4 at Etihad Arena

The season finale of the Fim World Supercross Championship will take place in Abu Dhabi. Two world champions will be crowned. Additionally, those who get tickets for the championship will also get access to the first day of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on Thursday, including the after-race concert with Teddy Swims and Peggy Gou.

Tickets start at Dh95

Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, December 5 to 8 at Yas Marina Circuit

For the 10th time, the Abu Dhabi Formula One Grand Prix will host the final race of the season, as well as marking 15 years since the Yas Marina Circuit began staging races. This year’s after-race concert series will feature Teddy Swims and Peggy Gou on Thursday, Maroon 5 on Friday, Eminem on Saturday and Muse on Sunday.

Various packages and passes available

World Tennis League, December 19 to 22 at Etihad Arena

Some of the top tennis players in the world will return to the UAE as the World Tennis League unveiled a star-studded line-up of players for the third season. This includes US Open winner Aryna Sabalenka and World No 1 Iga Swiatek, who secured bronze at the Paris Olympics as well as a third consecutive French Open title earlier this year.

This year's Wimbledon champion Barbora Krejcikova and women’s doubles Paris Olympics gold medalist Jasmine Paolini will be making their debut. Among the male stars, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Sumit Nagal and Aussie star Nick Kyrgios will also return.

Tickets start at Dh50

MATCH INFO

Uefa Champions League final:

Who: Real Madrid v Liverpool
Where: NSC Olimpiyskiy Stadium, Kiev, Ukraine
When: Saturday, May 26, 10.45pm (UAE)
TV: Match on BeIN Sports

The most expensive investment mistake you will ever make

When is the best time to start saving in a pension? The answer is simple – at the earliest possible moment. The first pound, euro, dollar or dirham you invest is the most valuable, as it has so much longer to grow in value. If you start in your twenties, it could be invested for 40 years or more, which means you have decades for compound interest to work its magic.

“You get growth upon growth upon growth, followed by more growth. The earlier you start the process, the more it will all roll up,” says Chris Davies, chartered financial planner at The Fry Group in Dubai.

This table shows how much you would have in your pension at age 65, depending on when you start and how much you pay in (it assumes your investments grow 7 per cent a year after charges and you have no other savings).

Age	$250 a month	$500 a month	$1,000 a month
25	$640,829	$1,281,657	$2,563,315
35	$303,219	$606,439	$1,212,877
45	$131,596	$263,191	$526,382
55	$44,351	$88,702	$177,403

RESULT

Kolkata Knight Riders 169-7 (20 ovs)
Rajasthan Royals 144-4 (20 ovs)

Kolkata win by 25 runs

Next match

Sunrisers Hyderabad v Kolkata Knight Riders, Friday, 5.30pm

The five stages of early child’s play

From Dubai-based clinical psychologist Daniella Salazar:

1. Solitary Play: This is where Infants and toddlers start to play on their own without seeming to notice the people around them. This is the beginning of play.

2. Onlooker play: This occurs where the toddler enjoys watching other people play. There doesn’t necessarily need to be any effort to begin play. They are learning how to imitate behaviours from others. This type of play may also appear in children who are more shy and introverted.

3. Parallel Play: This generally starts when children begin playing side-by-side without any interaction. Even though they aren’t physically interacting they are paying attention to each other. This is the beginning of the desire to be with other children.

4. Associative Play: At around age four or five, children become more interested in each other than in toys and begin to interact more. In this stage children start asking questions and talking about the different activities they are engaging in. They realise they have similar goals in play such as building a tower or playing with cars.

5. Social Play: In this stage children are starting to socialise more. They begin to share ideas and follow certain rules in a game. They slowly learn the definition of teamwork. They get to engage in basic social skills and interests begin to lead social interactions.