Dubai Basketball will join the EuroLeague on a five-year contract from September 2025, just a year after being founded.
The competition, regarded as one of the toughest basketball leagues in the world, announced its expansion from 18 to 20 teams in late May.
Dubai Basketball has now been confirmed as one of the two new teams to secure a slot to play in the 2025/26 EuroLeague season.
In a stellar debut campaign in the ABA League – where the team reached the play-off semi-finals before being halted by Partizan – Dubai Basketball showed the huge potential for the sport in the emirate.
Not only did they excel on the court, they made the Coca-Cola Arena their home, attracting crowds in excess of 5,000 fans.
“I would like to extend my deepest gratitude to the leadership of Dubai and the Dubai Sports Council for their unwavering support,” Abdulla Saeed Juma Al Naboodah, chairman and Founder of Dubai Basketball, said.
“Their vision and commitment have been instrumental in making the success of Dubai Basketball possible.”
The team, under the stewardship of head coach Jurica Golemac, will now take a huge step forward in a competition boasting the elite of European basketball.
The move also deepens the UAE's ties with the EuroLeague, with the 2025 finals having been staged at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi in May.
Istanbul giants Fenerbahce were crowned champions in front of a sold out arena on Yas Island.
As well as Fenerbahce, Dubai Basketball will face the likes of Real Madrid, FC Barcelona, Panathinaikos and Olympiacos as the club brings top-tier European basketball to Coca-Cola Arena from September 2025 to June 2026.
Co-Chief Executive Officer Dejan Kamenjasevic said this latest step follows years of hard work to get the project off the ground.
“Dubai Basketball is not an instant project – it has taken us years to reach the point we are in today,” he said.
“But it brings me great pride to say that this team is an instant success [on the court]. Credit goes to our coaches, players and all Dubai Basketball employees who worked hard to convert this dream to a reality.
“Now, with EuroLeague ahead, we have even more to show. We’re building something this city has never seen before, and we’re excited to make history while growing the Dubai Basketball family.”
In just their first season, Dubai Basketball attracted a total of nearly 80,000 fans to Coca-Cola Arena, paving the way for a new era for the sport in the emirate.
That fan base is expected to grow next season, with the team's home arena boasting a capacity of 15,000 in its basketball format.
Fans can register to attend 2025/26 season games through the Coca-Cola Arena website, with full season passes available in July.
Results
5.30pm Maiden (TB) Dh82,500 (Turf) 1,400m
Winner Spirit Of Light, Clement Lecoeuvre (jockey), Erwan Charpy (trainer)
6.05pm Maiden (TB) Dh82,500 (Dirt) 1,900m
Winner Bright Start, Pat Cosgrave, Saeed bin Suroor
6.40pm Handicap (TB) Dh92,500 (D) 2,000m
Winner Twelfthofneverland, Nathan Crosse, Satish Seemar
7.15pm Handicap (TB) Dh85,000 (T) 1,600m
Winner Imperial Empire, Tadhg O’Shea, Satish Seemar
7.50pm Handicap (TB) Dh92,500 (T) 2,000m
Winner Record Man, Tadhg O’Shea, Satish Seemar
8.25pm Handicap (TB) Dh92,500 (D) 1,600m
Winner Celtic Prince, Fabrice Veron, Rashed Bouresly
Results
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GIANT REVIEW
Starring: Amir El-Masry, Pierce Brosnan
Director: Athale
Rating: 4/5
Russia's Muslim Heartlands
Dominic Rubin, Oxford
COMPANY%20PROFILE%3A
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EName%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Envision%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2017%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EKarthik%20Mahadevan%20and%20Karthik%20Kannan%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20The%20Netherlands%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Technology%2FAssistive%20Technology%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInitial%20investment%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%241.5%20million%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ECurrent%20number%20of%20staff%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2020%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Seed%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204impact%2C%20ABN%20Amro%2C%20Impact%20Ventures%20and%20group%20of%20angels%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
How has net migration to UK changed?
The figure was broadly flat immediately before the Covid-19 pandemic, standing at 216,000 in the year to June 2018 and 224,000 in the year to June 2019.
It then dropped to an estimated 111,000 in the year to June 2020 when restrictions introduced during the pandemic limited travel and movement.
The total rose to 254,000 in the year to June 2021, followed by steep jumps to 634,000 in the year to June 2022 and 906,000 in the year to June 2023.
The latest available figure of 728,000 for the 12 months to June 2024 suggests levels are starting to decrease.
Milestones on the road to union
1970
October 26: Bahrain withdraws from a proposal to create a federation of nine with the seven Trucial States and Qatar.
December: Ahmed Al Suwaidi visits New York to discuss potential UN membership.
1971
March 1: Alex Douglas Hume, Conservative foreign secretary confirms that Britain will leave the Gulf and “strongly supports” the creation of a Union of Arab Emirates.
July 12: Historic meeting at which Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid make a binding agreement to create what will become the UAE.
July 18: It is announced that the UAE will be formed from six emirates, with a proposed constitution signed. RAK is not yet part of the agreement.
August 6: The fifth anniversary of Sheikh Zayed becoming Ruler of Abu Dhabi, with official celebrations deferred until later in the year.
August 15: Bahrain becomes independent.
September 3: Qatar becomes independent.
November 23-25: Meeting with Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid and senior British officials to fix December 2 as date of creation of the UAE.
November 29: At 5.30pm Iranian forces seize the Greater and Lesser Tunbs by force.
November 30: Despite a power sharing agreement, Tehran takes full control of Abu Musa.
November 31: UK officials visit all six participating Emirates to formally end the Trucial States treaties
December 2: 11am, Dubai. New Supreme Council formally elects Sheikh Zayed as President. Treaty of Friendship signed with the UK. 11.30am. Flag raising ceremony at Union House and Al Manhal Palace in Abu Dhabi witnessed by Sheikh Khalifa, then Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.
December 6: Arab League formally admits the UAE. The first British Ambassador presents his credentials to Sheikh Zayed.
December 9: UAE joins the United Nations.
