Victory Team’s Reign Continues as UAE Prepares for XCAT World Championship Season

Fujairah and Dubai will host back-to-back rounds of world-class powerboat racing in December, with the reigning champions seeking to defend their title on home waters.

The waters off Fujairah and Dubai will soon come alive with the thunder of high-performance catamarans as the 2026 XCAT World Championship season draws the world’s elite powerboat racing teams to the UAE. Across two consecutive weeks in December, competitors will navigate challenging courses in pursuit of glory, with Fujairah hosting the opening round from 4 to 6 December, followed by Dubai’s showcase from 11 to 13 December.

Victory Team enters the championship as the defending world champion, a position earned through an extraordinary 2025 campaign. The Emirati partnership of Salem Al Adidi and Eisa Al Ali guided Victory 7 to the world title with commanding authority, securing the championship on Dubai’s waters with one round remaining and then reinforcing their dominance by claiming victory in the second main race. With 200 points accumulated across the season, Victory finished well ahead of competitors, a feat that represented the team’s seventh title in the XCAT World Championship and their 29th world championship across all international racing categories.

The Dubai Grand Prix will mark the crescendo of the UAE’s hosting duties, bringing together an elite roster of international teams and drivers for one of the most fiercely competitive and technically demanding championships in world powerboat racing. As we reported in our coverage of Nasser Al Dhaheri’s election to the F1H2O World Championship Committee, the UAE has established itself as a centre of marine sports excellence and governance.

Mohammed Harib, Chief Executive of Dubai International Marine Club, spoke of the championship’s significance for the emirate. The hosting of the XCAT World Championship, he noted, reflects both the UAE’s established position on the international marine sports stage and the country’s sophisticated organisational capabilities in delivering major global competitions. Dubai’s long history of staging and organising prestigious championships has cultivated an expertise and reputation that will ensure participants and spectators experience an outstanding sporting occasion.

The season holds particular resonance for UAE sport, with Victory Team’s previous success serving as a wellspring of national pride. As defending champions, the team will draw upon their extensive championship experience to defend their crown against the world’s leading competitors. For marine sports enthusiasts across the emirate, the Fujairah and Dubai rounds offer an opportunity to witness powerboat racing at its most thrilling and technically sophisticated.

Source: WAM