New Dubai-based league will also host a first-ever National Team tournament as part of its yearly event calendar
DUBAI, UAE (Embargoed until 9 am EST/ 5 PM GST on August 1, 2024) – Baseball United, the first professional baseball league focused on the Middle East and South Asia, announced its plans for the league’s first full season as part of an ambitious 12-month calendar of events. In addition to the season, Baseball United will host a professional tournament called the Baseball United Cup, as well as a national team tournament – featuring the official national baseball teams from countries across the Middle East and South Asia – called the Baseball United Arab Classic. All events will be held in Dubai, UAE.
Season One will begin next fall, running from October 23, 2025 to November 23, 2025. The inaugural season will include five Baseball United franchises – the Mumbai Cobras, Karachi Monarchs, Arabia Wolves, Mid East Falcons, and a new Riyadh-based franchise slated to be announced early next year. Each team will play 12 regular season games, culminating with a United Series best-of-three championship featuring the top two teams. Overall, the league will host 33 games in 32 days, bringing an unprecedented sprint of professional baseball games to Dubai.
The Baseball United Cup will take place February 22, 2025 to March 1, 2025, and feature BU’s first four franchises – the Cobras, Monarchs, Wolves, and Falcons – in an eight-day tournament. Teams will compete in a round robin format, followed by the semifinals and finals. The Baseball United Cup will represent the first-ever professional franchise baseball games in the history of the Middle East and South Asia, coming roughly 15 months after BU’s All-Star Showcase event which was held in Dubai last November.
“After nearly three years of around-the-clock work, and a lifetime of dreaming, we are grateful and proud to announce the dates for the BU Cup and BU Season One,” said Kash Shaikh, Chairman, CEO, and Co-Founder of Baseball United. “Our small but driven team has pieced together the entire ecosystem of professional baseball in this incredible part of the world, overcoming daily challenges with commitment, passion, and resolve. And now, we are poised to continue making history. I can’t wait to have our players and franchises on the ground in Dubai for the BU Cup in February and our first full season next October. And, most importantly, our team and I can’t wait to continue sharing this beautiful game with our amazing fans in Dubai and across the world.”
Baseball United’s franchises are made up of top professional players from around the world. The league’s inaugural draft was held in October 2023, with 70% of players originally drafted by Major League Baseball teams, including former MLB All-Stars and Gold Glove winners like Robinson Cano, Jair Jurrjens, and Andrelton Simmons. Roster updates and changes will be shared as they happen on baseballunited.com.
In addition to the league’s professional games, Baseball United will also continue to help grow and develop local talent across the region with the introduction of the BU Arab Classic. This new baseball tournament will feature national teams from countries across the Middle East and South Asia and follow World Baseball Classic rules and regulations, with a few regional modifications. The inaugural Arab Classic will bring together eight nations, including India, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE. Baseball United has previously announced partnerships with the baseball federations in each of the eight countries. The BU Arab Classic will take place this year from November 7th – 10th. The event will be the largest baseball national team tournament in the history of the region.
“From day one, we’ve believed in both a top-down, and a bottom-up approach to growing the game in this region,” said John Miedreich, Vice-Chairman, EVP, and Co-Founder of Baseball United. “We’ve been working with the national teams in the region for the last two years, and now our Arab Classic event will provide a broader foundation and a bigger stage for us to continue our development work. We truly believe in the potential and talent of young athletes in this part of the world.”
Tickets for the Arab Classic will go on sale in September. Baseball United Cup and Baseball United Season One tickets will be available for VIP and Season Ticket purchases this winter. Fans can join the waitlist at baseballunited.com.
Full game-by-game schedules and venue locations for each of the Baseball United events will be shared in the coming months on BU’s website and social channels.
Baseball United was co-founded by Shaikh, Miedreich, and MLB Hall of Famers, Barry Lakin and Mariano Rivera in November of 2023. BU was the most talked about new sports league in the world in its first year, with the ownership group expanding to now include 20 MLB legends, including Hall of Famer, Adrián Beltré and All-Stars like Felix Hernandez, Ryan Howard, Albert Pujols, Bartolo Colon, Ronald Acuña Jr., and Cano. Baseball United’s Showcase event – also played in Dubai – was broadcast in 127 different countries.
To learn more about Baseball United, visit baseballunited.com.
About Baseball United
Baseball United is the first professional baseball league focused on the Middle East and the Indian Subcontinent. Baseball United’s inaugural Showcase event in Dubai was broadcast in 127 countries, reaching 200 million households. Our mission is to inspire one billion new fans to fall in love with baseball. Our ownership group includes award-winning entrepreneur, Kash Shaikh, and 20 baseball legends, including Barry Larkin, Mariano Rivera, Adrián Beltré, Felix Hernandez, Robinson Cano, Ryan Howard, and Ronald Acuña Jr. In addition to our professional league, the Baseball United ecosystem spans youth development, federation partnerships, media and content production, merchandise, and non-profit outreach. With over 30 nationalities represented on our team rosters and a new suite of innovative game changes, Baseball United is working to create a new future for baseball in one of the fastest growing and most culturally diverse regions in the world.