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How UAE continues to transform Premier League's rise

From Manchester City ownership to sponsorship tie-ins, UAE is reshaping English football

3 MIN READ

Manchester City

Dubai: London might be several thousand kilometres away, but the Premier League feels right at home in the UAE. What began with shirt sponsorships and regional fan clubs has grown into a broader, deeper alliance. From Abu Dhabi’s ownership of Manchester City to Dubai-based real estate giants inking shirt deals with Arsenal and Chelsea, the UAE is no longer just a fan of English football — it’s one of its most powerful backers.

At the heart of this relationship is the Abu Dhabi's City Football Group. The group transformed Manchester City into a global football empire — now spanning 12 clubs across five continents, including New York City FC, Mumbai City FC. The unified City brand that began in the Premier League, has become a truly international force.

It was the kind of success story that turned heads elsewhere in the region.

A regional ripple effect

Thirteen years after Manchester City was bought by City Group, Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) followed a similar playbook. In 2021, PIF finalised a £300 million takeover of Newcastle United, making the Magpies the second Gulf-backed team in the Premier League.

From there, the pattern began to crystallise. Qatar’s Sheikh Jassim Bin Hamad Al Thani made a headline-grabbing attempt to buy Manchester United, ultimately falling short to Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s INEOS. Dubai-based investors have long been rumoured to have eyes on Liverpool, and Egyptian billionaire Nassef Sawiris — who co-owns NBA’s Milwaukee Bucks — has made significant moves at Aston Villa.

The trend isn’t exclusive to England. Qatar Sports Investments (QSI), which owns Paris Saint-Germain, is now close to acquiring Malaga CF in Spain. Sheffield United and clubs in France and Portugal have also seen Gulf-linked ownership or investment.

The UAE’s corporate playbook

While sovereign investors and private capital groups have focused on club ownership, UAE-based brands have made their presence felt through global partnerships and long-term commercial strategies.

Emirates Airline has led the charge for nearly two decades, most prominently with Arsenal, where it holds naming rights to the stadium and kit sponsorships. The airline also backs AC Milan, Real Madrid, Olympique Lyonnais, and others, and remains the title sponsor of the Emirates FA Cup. Not to be left behind, Etihad Airways has aligned itself with Manchester City, Girona and Mumbai City FC.

More recently, real estate powerhouses have entered the picture. Sobha Realty, headquartered in Dubai, struck a landmark deal with Arsenal — rebranding the club’s training ground as the Sobha Realty Training Centre in a first-of-its-kind naming rights agreement. The partnership goes beyond branding; it aims to improve infrastructure and align Arsenal’s player development philosophy.

Not to be outdone, Chelsea announced a new global partnership with Damac Properties, another major Dubai developer. The Damac logo will appear on the club’s men’s and women’s kits through the 2024/25 season. In an ambitious crossover between sport and lifestyle, Damac and Chelsea also unveiled plans for Chelsea Residences by Damac, a football-themed residential project in Dubai — the first of its kind.

With elite clubs training in Dubai, exhibition matches in Abu Dhabi, and shirts on racks in every mall, the Premier League isn’t just watched in the Emirates — it’s part of the cultural fabric. And with each new deal, each new development, that relationship deepens.

What began with a logo on a shirt now looks very much like a new world football order — with the UAE near the top of the table.

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