There are few tournaments in world golf that can claim to have shaped the landscape of the professional game quite like the Hero Dubai Desert Classic. When the European Tour first pitched up at Emirates Golf Club in 1989, the notion of championship golf in the Arabian Peninsula was still in its infancy. Three-and-a-half decades later, the Dubai Desert Classic stands as not merely the oldest professional golf event in the Middle East, but as a tournament that has consistently attracted the very finest players on the planet.
From 22-25 January 2026, the iconic Majlis Course will once again play host to a field that reads like a Who’s Who of modern golf. As the first Rolex Series event of the new Race to Dubai season, the stakes could hardly be higher.
No player is more synonymous with the Hero Dubai Desert Classic than Rory McIlroy. The Northern Irishman’s relationship with the tournament stretches back twenty years to when, as a fresh-faced 16-year-old amateur, he first walked the fairways of Emirates Golf Club in 2006. By 2007, McIlroy was making his first professional cut anywhere in the world on the very same course. Two years later, at just 19 years of age, he claimed his maiden professional victory, edging Justin Rose by a single stroke to lift the famous Dallah Trophy.
McIlroy has since added three more Dubai Desert Classic titles to his collection – in 2015, 2023 and 2024 – making him the most successful player in the tournament’s history. His 2024 triumph was particularly memorable: having trailed by ten shots entering the weekend, he produced a stunning Saturday 63 before completing the comeback on Sunday.
Now, fresh from completing the career Grand Slam by winning the 2025 Masters at Augusta National – becoming only the sixth player in history to achieve the feat – McIlroy returns to Dubai in search of a record-breaking fifth Dallah Trophy. It will be his 16th appearance at the event.
While McIlroy’s pursuit of history provides the headline storyline, he faces stern competition from a field brimming with Major champions, Ryder Cup heroes and exciting young talents.
Defending champion Tyrrell Hatton returns to Emirates Golf Club looking to claim a second Dallah Trophy. The Englishman’s triumph in January 2025 was built on four rounds of relentless consistency. “I’m delighted to be heading back to Emirates Golf Club to defend my title,” said Hatton. “It’s a golf course that has really suited my game over the years.”
Both McIlroy and Hatton were key members of Luke Donald’s European Ryder Cup team that triumphed at Bethpage Black in September. Viktor Hovland, the 2022 Dubai Desert Classic champion and 2023 FedEx Cup winner, returns eager to add a second Dallah Trophy. Shane Lowry, the 2019 Open Champion who holed the crucial putt that secured Europe’s Ryder Cup triumph, also features. FedEx Cup champion Tommy Fleetwood, a Dubai resident making his 15th consecutive appearance, adds further firepower.
Perhaps the most intriguing storyline surrounds Dustin Johnson, who will make his debut at a DP World Tour event in Dubai. The two-time Major champion – winner of the 2016 US Open and the 2020 Masters – spent 135 weeks as World Number One. At the 2021 Ryder Cup at Whistling Straits, Johnson became the first American player in over 40 years to achieve a perfect 5-0 record.
“I’m really looking forward to playing the Hero Dubai Desert Classic for the first time,” said Johnson. “When you look at past champions like Seve, Tiger and Rory, you know it’s a really prestigious tournament with incredible history.”
Few players can match the Major championship pedigree of Pádraig Harrington. The Irishman, inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2024, won back-to-back Open Championships in 2007 and 2008 before adding the PGA Championship later that summer. Now 54, Harrington continues to compete at the highest level, adding two senior Major championships in 2025.
“The Hero Dubai Desert Classic holds special memories for me – I finished runner-up here back in 2001 alongside Tiger Woods, and I’ve always loved competing on the Majlis Course,” said Harrington.
Beyond the established stars, the 2026 Hero Dubai Desert Classic showcases emerging global talent. Chile’s Joaquín Niemann arrives as one of the hottest players in world golf. The 26-year-old recorded five individual victories across the 2025 LIV Golf season, from Adelaide to Singapore to the UK. A two-time PGA Tour winner, Niemann impressed with a tied-fourth finish on his Hero Dubai Desert Classic debut in 2024.
Danish star Nicolai Højgaard, a member of Europe’s victorious 2023 Ryder Cup team and winner of the 2023 DP World Tour Championship in Dubai, brings further quality. New Zealand’s Ryan Fox, the 2022 DP World Tour Player of the Year who added two PGA Tour victories in 2025, brings power and precision to an already stacked field.
Tom McKibbin, the 22-year-old Northern Irishman from the same Holywood Golf Club as McIlroy, impressed with a tied-sixth finish at the 2025 Dubai Desert Classic and returns with high expectations. “Last year was a very good week for me on a difficult golf course,” said McKibbin. “I love the challenge of the Majlis Course and the atmosphere in Dubai is always incredible.”
The Hero Dubai Desert Classic has evolved into far more than a golf tournament. Under the stewardship of Executive Tournament Director Simon Corkill, the event has transformed into a complete ‘festival of golf’.
“The 2026 Hero Dubai Desert Classic is shaping up to be one of the strongest fields in our 37-year history,” said Corkill. “To have so many of Europe’s Ryder Cup heroes confirmed alongside Major champions, former World Number Ones and the brightest young talents on Tour is incredibly exciting. But this event has always been about more than just the golf – it’s a celebration that brings people together.”
Tournament Town, open daily from 10am to 11pm, has doubled in size for 2026 and promises live music across multiple stages, comedy performances and family-friendly activities. The brand-new ‘Eat Street’ brings together over 25 food and beverage outlets. Family Friday features FamilyBeatz – Dubai’s first family-friendly rave – from 3pm to 6pm. The popular Social on Sixteen hospitality experience returns double the size, offering premium views of the iconic par-three 16th hole.
The Hero Dubai Desert Classic continues to set the standard for sustainable sporting events. As the first golf event in the Middle East to achieve GEO Certification® – now held for three consecutive years – the tournament has implemented initiatives that balance world-class entertainment with environmental responsibility.
Solar panels power key facilities, while free filtered water refill stations have saved over 120,000 single-use plastic bottles since 2022. There is no public parking on-site, with the Dubai Metro providing direct access via Al Fardan Exchange station – making Emirates Golf Club arguably the only golf course in the world with a metro stop at its gates.
The Mental Fitness & Recovery Zone, introduced in 2024, returns for 2026. The first-of-its-kind wellbeing space on the DP World Tour features sleeping chambers, VR meditation tools, brain-boosting nutrition and dedicated relaxation facilities.
With a USD $9 million prize fund, a field bursting with star quality and a tournament experience that extends well beyond the ropes, the 2026 Hero Dubai Desert Classic has all the ingredients for a week to remember.
Whether it’s McIlroy cementing his status as the King of Dubai, Hatton defending his crown, Johnson making his mark on his Emirates Golf Club debut, or a new star emerging from the pack, the Majlis Course will provide the stage for golf’s next great chapter.
General admission is free on Thursday and Friday (with a registered ticket), while weekend tickets are available from AED 100. Children aged 17 and under attend free across all four days. For those seeking the ultimate experience, the signature Dallah Lounge hospitality packages start from AED 2,100, while Social on Sixteen offers premium views from AED 695.
Thirty-seven years after the Dubai Desert Classic first captured the imagination of the golfing world, the tournament that helped put Middle Eastern golf on the map continues to write new chapters in its remarkable story. This is one you won’t want to miss.
