The Abu Dhabi Sports Council issued the 2027 dates in partnership with the Union Cycliste Internationale and with title sponsorship from AD Ports Group which committed to both races through 2028. The women’s edition will cover four stages while the men’s contest will unfold over seven stages traversing multiple emirates and attracting more than 20 professional teams in each category. RCS Sport the organiser of the Giro d’Italia will direct operational planning for the pair of events that originated from the 2018 merger of the separate Abu Dhabi and Dubai tours.
UCI calendar documentation confirms the women’s race as part of the Women’s WorldTour and the men’s as a UCI WorldTour fixture with both upgraded in points allocation since the 2026 editions. The council’s announcement highlighted the events’ role in drawing elite global competitors to the UAE’s varied terrain ranging from desert roads to mountain ascents. Official race records show the men’s competition has produced eight editions since 2019 with the women’s event launching in 2023.
Tadej Pogacar has recorded three men’s overall victories according to UCI tallies while Elisa Longo Borghini holds the same mark in the women’s race. The 2026 men’s edition went to Isaac del Toro and the women’s to Longo Borghini cycling databases indicate. Such repeat success has elevated the tours’ status among early-season WorldTour and Women’s WorldTour appointments.
AD Ports Group has supported the events since their consolidated format and will continue providing backing that aids staging across venues in Abu Dhabi Dubai and other emirates. The partnership extension was first detailed in prior council briefings and aligns with broader efforts to position the UAE as a year-round hub for professional cycling. A separate UCI review placed the tours among multi-stage races offering 500 points to general classification winners.
The men’s route typically totals more than 1 000 kilometres with a mix of sprint flat and summit finishes that test a full range of rider abilities. The women’s four-day format has averaged around 530 kilometres in recent years and follows a similar geographic spread. Both races conclude with stages in central Abu Dhabi according to historical stage maps published by the organisers.
The 2027 calendar placement comes after the UCI released its complete WorldTour schedule for the year which totals 169 race days for men and 69 for women across 13 and 11 countries respectively. The UAE Tour slots allow riders to build form ahead of European spring classics. Past participants have frequently carried momentum from these events into subsequent Grand Tour campaigns.
