Games Of The Future Abu Dhabi 2025 Opens With UAE President Presence And Azerbaijani Leader

Games of the Future Abu Dhabi 2025 has opened at Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre, bringing together more than 850 athletes from over 60 countries for six days of competition between 18 and 23 December, with participants combining physical performance and digital gameplay in front of international delegations, officials, and guests of the UAE.

The event focuses on hybrid sports, in which traditional athletic skills intersect with advanced gaming technology, strategy, and precision. The opening ceremony included the UAE national anthem, large-scale visual displays and storytelling segments about the athletes, alongside performances that used modern technologies to highlight how competitors move between real-world arenas and digital environments.

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UAE President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan inaugurated Games of the Future Abu Dhabi 2025 in the presence of His Excellency Ilham Aliyev, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, and welcomed all delegations, wishing every team success while emphasising that the UAE aims to offer an inclusive setting where athletes compete in a respectful and friendly atmosphere.

His Highness highlighted that hosting Games of the Future Abu Dhabi 2025 reflects the UAE’s expanding role as an international hub for future sports, a sector that merges athletic contests with advanced technologies. His Highness also said the competition provides young people from many countries with a space to exchange views, build mutual understanding, and strengthen links through sport-based dialogue.

Key information about Games of the Future Abu Dhabi 2025 is shown below in table form, outlining the timing, location, and scale of participation, along with the event’s hybrid sports focus that links physical and digital competition formats in one programme.

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The stands at the opening ceremony included His Highness Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Vice President, Deputy Prime Minister and Chairman of the Presidential Court, and Lieutenant General His Highness Sheikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior, alongside several Sheikhs, ministers, senior officials, delegation leaders, Her Excellency Tatyana Golikova, and other guests.

Also attending were His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Chairman of the Presidential Court for Special Affairs, His Highness Sheikh Zayed bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, His Excellency Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Tolerance and Coexistence, His Excellency Sheikh Mohammed bin Hamad bin Tahnoon Al Nahyan, Adviser to the UAE President, and His Excellency Faisal Abdulaziz Al Bannai, Adviser to the UAE President on Strategic Research and Advanced Technology Affairs.

Games of the Future Abu Dhabi 2025 and youth-focused hybrid sports

In an opening address, His Excellency Faisal Al Bannai stressed that Games of the Future Abu Dhabi 2025 aligns with the UAE’s wider approach to innovation, youth empowerment, and future sports. His Excellency explained that hosting the competition strengthens Abu Dhabi’s position as a central location for hybrid sports that link digital platforms with physical activity.

His Excellency stated, "This event is about more than competition. The Games of the Future reflects how today’s generation already lives, learns, and competes — moving seamlessly between physical and digital worlds. By hosting this event, Abu Dhabi is creating a platform that recognises young talent, builds future-ready skills, and connects sport with innovation in a meaningful way."

Through Games of the Future Abu Dhabi 2025, the UAE is presenting a model where sport, technology, and youth engagement intersect in one venue, using hybrid sports formats to highlight new forms of competition while offering visiting athletes and officials an opportunity to experience Abu Dhabi’s growing role in international multi-sport and innovation-focused events.

With inputs from WAM