Dubai Lions RFC will not take part in UAE domestic rugby competitions during the 2026/27 season, the UAE Rugby Federation has confirmed.
The decision comes despite the club having met the eligibility requirements in place when it originally applied to join the domestic competitions.
The UAERF Board approved Dubai Lions on July 16 to enter a maximum of two age-grade teams for the new season. The Federation described the decision as a temporary measure designed to allow a new club into the domestic structure.
However, the process still required Rugby Club Management, which administers the domestic competitions, to assess the club’s player register before deciding which two teams could be accommodated.
According to the Federation, Dubai Lions did not provide the complete player information required for that assessment early enough for the process to be finished before the 2026/27 competition calendar was finalised.
With the playing structure now set, the Federation said there is no longer room to include the club this season.
The UAERF also clarified the scale of its original approval following apparent uncertainty over what Dubai Lions had been permitted to enter.
The July decision allowed two teams in total, rather than two age groups containing several boys’ and girls’ teams.
Each team could have entered one approved age-grade competition, with the final choice to be made after RCM reviewed the club’s registered players and the available competition structure.
The Federation said RCM requested the club’s current player register several times following the July approval.
It added that the information needed to complete the assessment was not received within the timeframe required to place the teams into the new season.
The Federation stressed that the outcome does not change its original finding that Dubai Lions had met the eligibility criteria when it first applied.
Dubai Lions will also remain an affiliated member of the UAE Rugby Federation.
The club can apply to enter the domestic competitions again next season, when it will be assessed under the eligibility rules and application process in place at that time.
The UAERF said the issue surrounding Dubai Lions’ participation in the 2026/27 season is now closed.
