Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open 2027

The Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open 2027 brings eight days of WTA 500 women’s tennis to the International Tennis Centre at Zayed Sports City in Abu Dhabi, running from the qualifying weekend on Saturday 30 January to finals day on Saturday 6 February. Presented by Abu Dhabi Sports Council, it is the capital’s top women’s tournament and an early stop on the tour’s Middle East swing.

The 2027 field has not been named yet: the listing says 28 of the world’s leading players will be announced soon. What is already set is the format, the daily schedule and a Tennis Village that makes it easy to spend a whole day on site.

A short history of the tournament

The women’s Abu Dhabi Open was introduced in January 2021, when Aryna Sabalenka won the first title. It skipped 2022, then returned and has been played every year since on the outdoor hard courts at Zayed Sports City. Past champions give a good sense of the level:

• 2021: Aryna Sabalenka beat Veronika Kudermetova.
• 2023: Belinda Bencic beat Liudmila Samsonova in a final-set thriller.
• 2024: Elena Rybakina beat Daria Kasatkina.
• 2025: Belinda Bencic won her second Abu Dhabi title, against Ashlyn Krueger.
• 2026: Sára Bejlek of the Czech Republic beat Ekaterina Alexandrova 7–6, 6–1.

Expect the 2027 edition to follow the same pattern: a 28-player singles main draw, a 16-team doubles draw and a 16-player qualifying draw.

How the week unfolds

Each day has a different feel, so it is worth choosing your session with care. Times can shift with the match schedule, and closing times depend on how long matches run.

• Saturday 30 January: qualifying rounds, 10am to 10pm, first match at 11am.
• Sunday 31 January: final qualifying rounds and the start of the main draw, same hours.
• Monday 1 February: Round of 32, from 10:30am, first match at 11am.
• Tuesday 2 and Wednesday 3 February: Round of 16.
• Thursday 4 February: quarter-finals.
• Friday 5 February: semi-finals, from 3pm, first match at 4pm.
• Saturday 6 February: finals day from 12:30pm, with the doubles final at 2:30pm and the singles final at 5pm.

The first-round match-ups are revealed at the official Draw Ceremony, held live on the Mubadala Village Stage, which is a fun extra for keen fans.

Choosing where to sit

The ticket categories are quite different, and the right one depends on how close you want to be:

• Courtside covers the front two rows of Stadium Court, on Sunday 31 January and from Thursday to Saturday. It includes hospitality lounge and terrace access, a premium food and drink menu with table service, and one parking pass for every two tickets.
• Category 1 is reserved seating in the lower bowl of Stadium Court, plus open seating on the outer match courts.
• Category 2 is the unreserved upper bowl, first come, first served.
• Village Pass covers the qualifying matches on the opening weekend, and Mubadala Village access only from Monday to Friday.
• Weekly Pass (Sunday to Thursday) and Finals Pass (Friday and Saturday) bundle several days together.

A ticket is needed for ADCB Court 1, where seating is first come, first served. You can leave the venue and come back during the day.

The Tennis Village and families

The Mubadala Village is a big part of the day out. It has player practice sessions you can watch, coaching clinics, games, family activities and food trucks. The ground is flat and mostly concrete, with some grass near the football pitch, so it is easy to get around with young children.

The tournament is open to all ages, and the opening weekend is the easiest time to bring the family: children under 12 can enter without a ticket on 30 and 31 January. On the final days, children under two must sit on a carer’s lap unless they have their own ticket.

The village opens 30 minutes before the first match on weekdays and an hour before on weekends. The listing gives two different answers for finals day, so check the official social channels (@MubadalaAbuDhabiOpen) closer to the time.

Good to know

• Outside food and drink are not allowed; vendors in the village and stadium sell both, and bottle caps are removed at purchase.
• Anyone over 21 buying alcohol must show an original passport, UAE driving licence or UAE/GCC ID card.
• Prohibited items include professional cameras, flags of any kind, signs and banners, glass, coolers, noisemakers, laser pointers and glow sticks.
• The venue has wheelchair access, with platforms for one wheelchair user and one carer; contact the organiser in advance. Assistance dogs are welcome.

Getting there

Zayed Sports City has more than 7,000 parking spaces on site, so follow the signs once you arrive. Overnight parking is not permitted and cars left for long periods may be towed. Hotels including the Hilton, Hyatt, Ritz-Carlton, Shangri-La, Fairmont and Traders are around five minutes away by car, which suits visitors from Dubai who want to stay for finals weekend.

See more sports events in the UAE, plan the rest of your stay with our guide to things to do in Abu Dhabi, or check what else is on in January and family events.