Abu Dhabi and Etihad Announce Major Euroleague Deals

Abu Dhabi has announced a new major four-year sponsorship agreement with Euroleague Basketball that designates Experience Abu Dhabi (the destination brand of DCT Abu Dhabi) and Etihad Airways as the Main Partners of Euroleague competitions, and the Presenting Partner for the Final Four.

Under the deal, both brands will gain extensive exposure: in-arena signage, live broadcasts, and jersey placements across all Euroleague teams. Their logos will rotate among teams over the four seasons to ensure balanced visibility. Digital brand integration and exclusive co-created content are also central, aiming to deepen engagement with basketball’s global fanbase of some 90 million.

For Abu Dhabi, this isn’t just about visibility: it forms a strategic pillar of its Tourism Strategy 2030. As Undersecretary Saood Abdulaziz Al Hosani stated, the partnership is intended to bolster the emirate’s presence on the world stage, drive visitor growth, attract investment and strengthen infrastructure for major events. Etihad Airways CEO Antonoaldo Neves emphasized that this collaboration helps the airline reach new audiences and support international sporting spectacle.

The timing of this deal adds important context. It follows Abu Dhabi’s successful hosting of the Euroleague Final Four earlier in 2025, as well as the inclusion of Dubai Basketball in the Euroleague for the 2025-26 season - moves that show the region’s growing foothold in elite European basketball. The expansion to 20 teams, along with broader broadcast and sponsorship reach, signals that Euroleague itself is pushing harder into new markets and embracing cross-regional commercial partnerships.

What this means for Abu Dhabi’s sports industry is multi-fold. First, sport is increasingly central to its economic diversification goals, tying together tourism, travel, and culture, not just hosting events but embedding in sports used as platforms for brand, infrastructure, and soft power.

Second, such major sponsorship deals help build up local sports infrastructure and expertise - event management, digital production, fan engagement - all of which are skills and assets that can be leveraged for future international events.

Third, exposure in Euroleague gives football a run for its money in terms of international attention in the Middle East, helping basketball’s popularity and commercial maturity grow. Lastly, it strengthens Abu Dhabi’s reputation internationally as a serious partner in top-tier sport, which in turn helps attract further commercial, public, and media investment.

Risks remain – notably ensuring that the return on investment in terms of tourism, exposure, fan growth etc matches the cost - but overall, the DCT Abu Dhabi / Etihad deal with Euroleague represents a marked step in the UAE’s ongoing evolution into a global sports-business player, not only hosting but shaping major international sports IPs.