Inaugural Mina Cup gears up for kick-off with local qualifiers in Dubai

Qualifying for the inaugural Mina Cup will begin next month in Dubai, organisers confirmed on Tuesday.

The new tournament, which takes place in the emirate in April and features 64 teams across four age categories, will showcase developing talent from the Middle East, Europe, Asia and Africa, with its remit to become the world’s lead youth football tournament.

The UAE qualifying stage takes place on November 5 and 6 at JA Sports Centre & Shooting Club in Dubai, where teams will compete at Under-12, U14, U16 and U18. Teams from IJF Academy, GoPro, Fursan Hispania and City FC will be represented alongside sides from Barca Academy and Manchester City Football Schools.

Mina Cup founder Chris Brown, long-time Dubai-based football coach, said: "We are delighted to be bringing together some of the world's most promising youth footballers to begin the journey to the Mina Cup, starting with the local qualifiers.

"We believe this tournament can earn its place as the premier global youth football competition, building on the success of the likes of the Milk Cup in Ireland and Gothia Cup in Sweden.

“With the first-class facilities and appetite for the sport in the UAE, it can be a real springboard, giving local teams the chance to go up against international counterparts.”

Official partners for the Mina Cup include Umbro, Lacnor, Oasis Water, Socaloca and Mediclinic, with organisers also working in conjunction with Dubai Sports Council. Meanwhile, match action will be available to supporters and families who are not able to watch games in person through sports video platform Recast. The UK-based platform will display exclusive match highlights, interviews and behind-the-scenes content from the qualifiers.

Brown added: "I am excited to see the players compete during these qualifiers, and for fans all over to get closer to the action and support the up-and-coming stars at their clubs through our partnership with Recast."

Andy Meikle, founder and CEO of Recast, said: “Having grown up in Dubai, I know that, with its second-to-none facilities and culture, it will be the perfect host to a tournament like the Mina Cup, which is all about vibrancy, excitement and showcasing young talent.

"We are delighted to be bringing content from the first local matches directly to fans, families and other players alike through Recast, and in a way which will help grow the competition by monetising this content effectively. The tournament organisers have big plans for the future, and we are pleased to be helping them bring them to life."

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Why are asylum seekers being housed in hotels?

The number of asylum applications in the UK has reached a new record high, driven by those illegally entering the country in small boats crossing the English Channel.

A total of 111,084 people applied for asylum in the UK in the year to June 2025, the highest number for any 12-month period since current records began in 2001.

Asylum seekers and their families can be housed in temporary accommodation while their claim is assessed.

The Home Office provides the accommodation, meaning asylum seekers cannot choose where they live.

When there is not enough housing, the Home Office can move people to hotels or large sites like former military bases.

THE BIO

Born: Mukalla, Yemen, 1979

Education: UAE University, Al Ain

Family: Married with two daughters: Asayel, 7, and Sara, 6

Favourite piece of music: Horse Dance by Naseer Shamma

Favourite book: Science and geology

Favourite place to travel to: Washington DC

Best advice you’ve ever been given: If you have a dream, you have to believe it, then you will see it.

Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.

Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.

“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.

“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.

Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.

From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.

Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.

BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.

Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.

Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.

“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.

“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.

“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”

The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”