Dubai Sevens 2026: Dates, Tickets, Lineup | Emirates Dubai 7s

Dubai Sevens 2026

This guide explains the Dubai Sevens from the start, for first-timers and for regulars. It covers what the event is, everything that happens there, the dates and schedule, tickets, the music, the teams, where it is and how to get there, the family day, how to enter a team, what to wear and the rules at the gate.

Latest announcements, updated 23 October 2026

• 31 August 2026: tickets went on sale, at the same prices as the last two years. Tickets
• 31 August: Gaelic football joins as the sixth sport. What's on
• 8 September: a 25% offer on group tickets, while they last. Tickets
• 12 October: Melanie C and Jax Jones were announced for the Beats on 2 stage. Lineup
• 23 October: Sunday single-day tickets now show limited availability. Tickets
• Not announced yet: the international match times, the main-stage headliners, the fancy dress theme and the 2026 kids' zone list.

What Is the Dubai Sevens?

The Dubai Sevens is a three-day rugby and music festival held every year at the end of November at The Sevens Stadium, just outside Dubai. Its official name is the Emirates Dubai 7s. You will also hear its older names, the Dubai Rugby Sevens and the Emirates Airline Dubai Rugby Sevens. The organisers say it has a 53-year history.

It is two events in one:

• A top international rugby tournament. The world's best rugby sevens teams, men and women, play the first round of the season of the HSBC SVNS, the world series of rugby sevens.
• A festival around it. Amateur teams from the UAE and abroad play rugby, netball, cricket, padel, fitness and Gaelic football on the other pitches. There are four music stages, food and drink areas, kids' zones and a fancy dress day. More than 88,000 people came in 2025.

You do not need to know rugby to enjoy it. Many people come for the music, the food, the fancy dress and the day out with friends or family. Rugby sevens is easy to follow: it is rugby with seven players a side instead of 15, and a match is just two halves of seven minutes. A new match starts every few minutes, so there is always something to watch.

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What's On at the Dubai Sevens

Everything below is included in your entry ticket, apart from the paid upgrades and the competitions you enter as a player. The sport runs during the day on eight pitches, four netball courts and the cricket ovals. The music gets bigger after dark.

The HSBC SVNS is the main event. Eight men's and eight women's national teams play pool matches on Saturday and knockout matches on Sunday, ending with the finals and the trophy on Sunday evening on Pitch 1. The best seats for it are the grandstands around Pitch 1.

The other sports are played by amateurs, and you can watch them for free with any ticket. Netball, cricket and the 17 invitational rugby divisions run across all three days. If you want to play rather than watch, see How to Enter a Team.

The music starts in the afternoon and gets bigger at night. Rugby Rocks and BrewFest have tribute bands through the day, Beats on 2 is a DJ bar next to the rugby on Pitch 2, and Frequency on 8 is the main stage on Pitch 8, where the headliners play after dark on Saturday and Sunday.

Dubai Sevens 2026 Dates

The Dubai Sevens 2026 runs from Friday 27 to Sunday 29 November 2026. Each day has a different programme:

So come on Friday for a cheap, relaxed family day, on Saturday for the most matches and the fancy dress, and on Sunday for the finals.

Dubai Sevens Schedule

The 2026 match schedule has not been published yet. The official Schedule and Results page is still empty. In 2025 the pools and match times were published in October. Until then, this is what is fixed, and what the 2025 timetable looked like.

How the 2025 international matches ran, as a guide. On Saturday, the first HSBC SVNS match on Pitch 1 kicked off at 10:58am. On Sunday, the quarter-finals started at 9:20am, the women's final was at 7:35pm and the men's final at 8:11pm. Expect a similar shape in 2026, and check the official schedule when it is out.

Dubai Sevens Tickets

Dubai Sevens 2026 tickets cost AED 75 for Friday, AED 455 for Saturday or Sunday, and AED 595 for all three days. Children under 4 go free, children aged 4 to 9 pay AED 40 and children aged 10 to 14 pay AED 115. On Friday, all under 15s go free. Sunday single-day tickets are limited, so if you want the finals, buy soon or take the 3-day ticket.

There are also family, group, reserved seat and hospitality tickets, and the tickets only work inside the Emirates Dubai 7s app. Our Dubai Sevens tickets guide shows every ticket, which one to buy and where.

Dubai Sevens Lineup

Melanie C and Jax Jones are the first two music names for 2026. Each plays a headline DJ set on the Beats on 2 stage, one on Saturday and one on Sunday. The headliners for the main stage, Frequency on 8, have not been announced yet. In 2025 that stage had Sean Paul, Shaggy and FISHER.

All the music is included in Saturday, Sunday and 3-day tickets. Our Dubai Sevens lineup guide lists every artist and which night they play.

Dubai Sevens Teams

Eight men's and eight women's teams play the HSBC SVNS in Dubai. These are the 2026-27 core teams listed by the organisers:

New Zealand won both titles in Dubai in 2025: the men's team took its 15th Dubai title and the women's team its sixth. Dubai is the first of nine stops in the 2026-27 season. The other regular stops are Cape Town, Singapore, Perth, Vancouver and New York, and the season ends with three World Championship rounds in Hong Kong, Valladolid and Bordeaux.

Where Is the Dubai Sevens?

The Dubai Sevens is held at The Sevens Stadium on the Dubai–Al Ain Road (E66), on the edge of the city. It is a sports ground with eight pitches, cricket ovals, netball and padel courts, and parking for 15,000 cars. By car it is about 28 minutes from Dubai International Airport, 29 minutes from Business Bay and 35 minutes from Dubai Marina, according to the organisers.

How to Get to the Dubai Sevens: Parking, Shuttle Bus and Taxi

There is no Metro station near The Sevens Stadium, so you drive or take a taxi there. Free festival buses then take you back to the city at night.

• The shuttle bus only runs from the stadium, in the evening. There is no free bus to get there. The bus station is to the left of the main exit, through the arch.
• Taxi app codes: ZEDSEVENS gives 20% off on the Zed app. On Zofeur, SEVENS50 gives 50% off a first ride and SEVENS10 gives 10% off each trip, up to AED 20.
• The organisers will post the final 2026 bus details on their travel page before the event, so check it that week.

Dubai Sevens Family Day

Friday 27 November is "Family Friday", and children under 15 get in free that day. Adults pay AED 75. There are sports masterclasses for children, youth rugby finals and the kids' zones, and the new zip line opens.

The kids' zones are open on all three days, from 10am to 6pm. In 2025 they had a soft play tent for under 3s, and an outdoor zone for ages 4 to 16 with inflatables, trampolines, an arcade and creative workshops. The outdoor cinema runs from 6pm to 9pm, with headphones and beanbags. The 2026 list is not out yet.

• There is no drop-off creche in 2026. Parents must stay with their children, including in the supervised soft play.
• Baby food is allowed in, and there are baby changing rooms next to the soft play tent, beside Pitch 2, in West Village and in the VIP garden.
• Children aged 4 and over need a ticket on Saturday and Sunday. Under 4s are free but must be registered when you book.

How to Enter a Team at the Dubai 7s

Six sports have amateur competitions you can enter as a team. All entries are made on the official Enter Your Team page. For padel and WODON3, the entry fee includes entry to all three days.

No team? Register as a pool player. Teams that need an extra player pick from the pool in rugby, netball and Gaelic football. Pool players need their own 3-day general admission ticket, and registration closes on 23 November.

What to Wear to the Dubai 7s

The organisers publish no dress code for general admission, and fancy dress is encouraged. Saturday is the big fancy dress day, with a contest and a grand prize for the best costumes spotted in the crowd. The 2026 theme has not been announced yet.

For the rest, dress for a long day outdoors: comfortable shoes for walking between pitches, sun protection for the afternoon, and an extra layer for the evening, when the music starts. There are no lockers, so carry only what you need.

Dubai 7s Rules

Your ticket lives in the Emirates Dubai 7s app. Printouts and screenshots will not scan at the gate. These are the rules people ask about most:

• Last entry is 8pm every day.
• You do not need ID to get in, but you need it to buy alcohol.
• Free water stations are spread around the site, and the app wallet gives discounts on food and drink.
• Gates: Gate 10 is for general admission, Gate 9 for People of Determination, Gate 6 for VIP and Gate 4 for cricket.