The UAE has developed itself as a global centre for hosting and organizing significant international sporting events, kudos to its world-class facilities for all sports.

These structures are the foundation of the UAE's dominant role in sports, allowing the sector to expand and flourish over the last 50 years.

The UAE's concerted efforts to construct world-class sports complexes demonstrate the UAE's leadership's confidence in the value of the sports sector and its prominent role in improving the UAE's soft power. Many foreign sports organizations, namely FIFA, the Special Olympics, and Formula One racing, and regional and international judo, jiu-jitsu, fencing, karate, basketball, weightlifting, and equestrian federations, have acknowledged the country for hosting many international and regional tournaments with high standards of professionalism.

One of the country's leading sports complexes, Abu Dhabi's Zayed Sports City, was formally inaugurated in 1982, in accordance with the 6th Arabian Gulf Cup.

Zayed Sports City, which covers an area of 12 million square meters, has a massive football stadium that can house 43,000 fans, a 6,000 square meter ice rink, a division of the General Authority of Sports (GAS), a branch of the UAE Football Association (UAEFA), and a tennis facility with the main court that can hold 5,000 spectators and four surrounding practice courts. It also has over six football playing fields, the Khalifa International Bowling Hall, and an all-purpose jiu-jitsu arena.

The UAE has almost 16 FIFA-approved football stadiums, allowing it to organize huge sports competitions namely the FIFA U-20 World Cup, the FIFA Club World Cup, the FIFA U-17 World Cup, and the AFC Asian Cups of 1996 and 2019. These facilities comprise Abu Dhabi's Zayed Sports City Stadium, Mohamed bin Zayed Stadium, Hazza Bin Zayed Stadium, Al Nahyan Stadium, Al Shamkha Stadium, and Khalifa Bin Zayed Stadium, and Dubai's Al Maktoum Stadium, Rashid Stadium, Zabeel Stadium, Maktoum Bin Rashid Stadium, Al Aweer Stadium, and Hamdan Bin Rashid Stadium, and several others in Sharjah, Ajman, Khorfakkan, Ras Al Khaimah and Fujairah.

In terms of architectural quality, the Mohamed Bin Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi is a distinguished architectural icon in the UAE and the entire country, with distinctive architecture and many floors, and a smart design for its audience seats. The stadium, which opened in 1980 and was built in two stages in 2006 and 2009, has a capacity of 42,000 spectators.

The Hazza Bin Zayed Stadium, which opened in 2014 and has 45,000-square-foot floor space, is among the most advanced sports ventures in the Middle East. It has 25,000 seats spread over seven stages, along with 3,000 VIP seats.

The Al Maktoum Stadium in Dubai was reopened in 2019 at an expense of Dhs200 million, transforming it into an exemplary architectural marvel outfitted with cutting-edge lighting and security technology. The stadium was designed to be compatible with European stadium standards.

The Yas Marina Arena in Abu Dhabi has been one of the world's biggest Formula 1 racing circuits, and it has seen many changes since staging its first Formula 1 event in 2009.

Meydan City in Dubai, which has the world's biggest horse racing track, opened in 2010 and hosting the annual Dubai World Cup.

The track and its attached hotel are a remarkable international architectural landmark because they include the world's largest interconnected building with a distance of more than 1.5 miles, and houses for 82,000 spectators, a racing track with a 6.1-kilometer stretch, and a five-star hotel with 285 suites and rooms, a horse racing museum, exhibition spaces, and golf and tennis facilities.

The Hamdan Sports Complex in Dubai, which opened on October 10, 2010, is an invaluable addition to the country's sports infrastructure, having conducted several local and international competitions in the last ten years, comprising 94 foreign activities, 238 local events, and 18 non-sporting events. The facility hosted 59 international water sports competitions, with the number of events organized during the last five years increasing by 41%. The complex hosted 65 events in 2019, namely 13 major events and 52 local ones.

The compound also hosts events for more than ten other Olympic sports, with a capacity of 15,000 spectators. It has three primary swimming pools and three ISO licenses for administration, safety services, industrial health, and environmental management systems.

The Dubai Sports City, which opened in 2004, holds a prominent place among the country's sporting infrastructures and has seen steady growth. It has a total area of 50 million square feet and includes hotels and numerous sports venues. It also houses the International Cricket Council, a cricket pitch, rugby, and hockey pitches, and a gym, an Olympic swimming pool, and other leisure facilities viewing the football courts.

The Dubai Cycling Track, located in Seeh Al Salam and Al Qudra Street, was built in 2013 to the highest international safety and security requirements. It consists of two routes, the first of which is 49 kilometres long and the second one is 10 kilometres.

Fujairah's Zayed Complex is a new national sports centre. Its cornerstone stone was established in October 2014, and it was built in stages. It is situated in an excellent location for large sporting activities, has a total area of 178,300 square meters, can hold 2,500 fans, and does have a VIP section, and many stadiums and restaurants.