First National Baseball Team Formed Ahead of Arab Classic Tournament

Baseball United, the first professional baseball league focused on the Middle East and South Asia, has announced the creation of the UAE’s first national baseball team. The initiative was officially sanctioned by the Emirates Cricket Board, which oversees bat-and-ball sports across the Gulf region.

As part of this development, a national baseball program will be launched to support the team’s growth. The UAE team is set to make its debut in Baseball United’s inaugural Arab Classic tournament, which will take place from November 7th to the 10th, 2024, at a newly built ballpark in Dubai. The event will feature national teams from Pakistan, India, Saudi Arabia, and five other countries, marking the first time both the UAE and Saudi Arabia will compete in an international baseball competition.

Baseball United will oversee the selection and training of the UAE's team, which will be composed of citizens, permanent residents and players with heritage ties to the UAE, in line with World Baseball Classic regulations. The organization will also manage the team’s participation in future global competitions.

With foreign nationals making up 90% of the UAE’s population, many from cricket-loving countries, Baseball United aims to connect this audience to baseball as a familiar bat-and-ball sport, hoping to boost engagement and interest in the game.