Sports

The World’s Most Expensive Camel? Paul Pogba Enters Saudi Camel Racing in a Landmark Investment Move

Paul Pogba Enters Saudi Camel Racing: A Move Linked to the World’s Most Expensive Camels

The World’s Most Expensive Camel? Paul Pogba Enters Saudi Camel Racing in a Landmark Investment Move

KSA Journal – Sports & Investments

World Cup star Paul Pogba partners with Saudi professional camel racing team Hubub, bringing global attention to a sport rooted in Arabian heritage.

World Cup champion Paul Pogba has officially stepped into one of the Gulf’s oldest and most prestigious sporting traditions: professional camel racing. The French football star has announced a strategic investment and ownership stake in the Saudi camel racing team Hubub, marking one of the most unexpected crossovers between global football and Arabian heritage sports.

The move has triggered wide interest in both the sports and business communities, particularly as Pogba links his name and brand to a sport known for producing some of the world’s most expensive and highly valued racing camels.

A New Frontier: Co-Owner and Global Ambassador

Pogba joins Hubub as a part-owner and global ambassador, with a clear mandate to help elevate camel racing onto the international stage. His involvement comes at a time when Saudi Arabia is accelerating the modernization and professionalization of its heritage sports, with a focus on building global audiences and new commercial structures around them.

According to sources close to the deal, Pogba did not enter this arena lightly. He spent months following camel racing, studying the training systems, performance strategies and technology used across major regional competitions. What began as curiosity evolved into a conviction that camel racing offers a unique mix of culture, competition and commercial potential.

In his comments about the partnership, Pogba has emphasized that sport, at its core, is about passion, sacrifice and identity – and that camel racing embodies all three through its deep roots in Arabian culture and its growing global profile.

Hubub: Saudi Arabia’s First Fully Professional Camel Racing Team

Hubub is among the first teams in the region to approach camel racing with a fully professional structure. The team’s vision goes beyond participation in traditional races; it seeks to build an integrated performance and commercial ecosystem around the sport.

The project focuses on:

Scientific breeding and advanced veterinary care for racing camels
Professional training programs and performance planning
Brand building and sponsorship strategies targeting regional and global partners
Long-term plans for structured leagues and international events

With Pogba’s entry as a high-profile investor and ambassador, Hubub is now positioned to become the first camel racing team with truly international recognition. Industry observers expect this partnership to accelerate new sponsorships, broadcast interest and cross-border collaborations.

Where Heritage Meets High-Value Assets

Camel racing is one of the region’s most historic sports, but it is also increasingly known for the extraordinary economic value it generates. Elite racing camels with the right lineage, performance record and training can be worth millions of dollars, placing them among the world’s most expensive racing assets.

In that sense, Pogba’s move into camel racing is more than a lifestyle or cultural statement; it is also a calculated sports investment. It mirrors global trends where top athletes and celebrities are moving into team ownership and niche sports franchises, from US soccer and Major League Pickleball to racing series and golf leagues.

Yet, unlike many of these ventures, this partnership connects directly to a deep-rooted regional identity, centered around the Arabian camel as both a cultural symbol and a high-performance athlete.

Technology, Tradition and the Future of Camel Racing

Modern camel racing bears little resemblance to the sport as it was practiced decades ago. Today, the sport uses robotic jockeys equipped with remote-control systems, GPS tracking and advanced monitoring tools, enhancing both safety and performance analysis.

Alongside technology, the sport also incorporates:

Data-driven training and race strategy
Professional management teams and commercial departments
Structured race calendars and major prize purses
Growing media coverage and digital viewership

Pogba’s involvement signals growing confidence that camel racing can evolve into a globally watched niche sport, particularly as younger audiences seek new and authentic sports experiences with strong cultural stories behind them.

A Cultural Bridge with Global Impact

The partnership also functions as a cultural bridge. On one side stands a World Cup–winning footballer with a global following; on the other, a sport that has carried the heritage of the Arabian Peninsula for generations.

By tying his name to camel racing, Pogba helps open a new narrative: one in which heritage sports are not only preserved, but also repositioned as global platforms for investment, innovation and storytelling.

For Saudi Arabia, the deal aligns with broader ambitions to showcase local culture in world-class formats, attract foreign partnerships and diversify its sports and entertainment portfolio.

For the global sports business, the message is clear: the next “big story” in sports may not come from a new league in a familiar game, but from a centuries-old discipline now entering the era of professionalization and international capital—and, perhaps, from the world’s next “most expensive camel.”

Sports

How to watch the 2026 FIFA World Cup in UAE

The 2026 FIFA World Cup is just around the corner meaning football fans in the UAE need to prepare for a summer of late nights and early mornings.

While not having free-to-air World Cup coverage, the UAE will still have full access to every single match through beIN SPORTS, the official broadcaster for the Middle East and North Africa region. That means all 104 games will be shown live, but via subscription-based platforms.

There are a few ways fans can tune in with the most traditional option through a beIN SPORTS satellite subscription, which delivers dedicated World Cup channels straight to your TV.

For those who prefer streaming, beIN CONNECT offers live coverage on mobile, laptop and smart TV devices. Meanwhile, TOD by beIN has become a popular standalone streaming option, giving fans more flexibility to follow the action without needing a full satellite package.

What time do the games kick-off in UAE?

With the tournament being hosted across the United States, Canada, and Mexico, spanning multiple time zones, matches will follow a structured daily rhythm designed for global audiences, but it isn’t so helpful for UAE fans.

During the group stage, the matches will most frequently rotate through the following set of kick-off windows:

11:00 PM GST
2:00 AM GST
5:00 AM GST
8:00–11:00 AM GST

It means fans in the Emirates will get a real mix of late night and sunrise football. Whether it’s gathering with friends late at night or catching highlights over morning coffee, the World Cup will be part of daily life across the country for a month-long stretch.

While the absence of free-to-air coverage means viewers need a subscription to follow every match, the upside is complete access to the entire tournament in one place, with full coverage, analysis, and dedicated World Cup programming across beIN’s platforms.

And of course, football in the UAE rarely stays behind closed doors. Across Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and beyond, fans can expect packed sports bars, fan zones, and public screenings throughout the tournament, creating that shared World Cup atmosphere that brings people together no matter who they support.

So, whether you’re watching at 11pm, 2am or even grabbing a quick nap before a 5am kick-off, one thing is certain, the World Cup is set to take over life in the UAE once again.

KSA

LIV Golf CEO urges trust in Saudi PIF funding commitment.

LIV Golf CEO Scott O’Neil told CNBC Tuesday that as a funding cliff approaches, the organization has to trust Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund will back the golf venture through the rest of the season as it has promised.

“I can say they’ve been terrific partners so far, and you have to take an incredible organization like PIF at their word,” O’Neil said. “They’ve been very public about funding us through the season, so we are full steam ahead.”

PIF is set to pull its funding from the golf league at the end of 2026 schedule, CNBC reported in late April. PIF Chairman Yasir Al-Rumayyan also stepped down from his position as LIV Golf chairman.

The organization began an investor roadshow last month, seeking to raise up to $350 million from stakeholders to continue its operations.

But recent media reports suggested PIF could pull its money earlier than planned, raising doubts about whether the league could even finish out its season.

When asked about those reports, O’Neil said the players, management and advisors are “locked in.”

Asked if he can guarantee that the four remaining tournaments on this year’s schedule will take place, O’Neil said that what he “can guarantee is a heck of a return if you come invest in this business.”

He added that the organization now needs to be “disciplined and very, very value-creative” in order to be sustainable.

“I think we have a very, very special opportunity to create tremendous value,” O’Neil said.

So far, O’Neil said, he’s had five formal meetings to discuss interest in funding the organization, with 18 more planned for this week. He said the response has “been positive” and that he hopes to end the fundraising process this summer.

“While we have incredible business momentum, what we don’t have is a lot of time, so we’re very urgently out there talking to those who are interested,” he said

CNBC

Sports

Lewis Hamilton insists he is getting closer to first Ferrari victory

Lewis Hamilton believes his first win for Ferrari is on the cards after a second-place finish at the Monaco Grand Prix, with the seven-time champion committed to chasing down the Formula One world championship leader, Kimi Antonelli, who won again in Monte Carlo.

After the race there was also a furious reaction from France’s Pierre Gasly, who crossed the line believing he had secured third and a place on the podium, only to find he had two penalties for speeding in the pit lane, dropping him to seventh.

Antonelli won for Mercedes after a dominant drive and maintaining his lead through a safety-car restart and another standing restart. With his teammate George Russell finishing in 13th, one of five drivers penalised for speeding in the pit lane, the 19-year-old Italian now leads the title race by 66 points from Hamilton, who has surpassed Russell and is two points ahead of him in second place.

“I can’t believe I am second in the championship,” said Hamilton. “It is still very early days in the season and we have to keep chasing. It is actually easier to chase than it is to defend and while these guys [Mercedes] are very quick, we are going to keep pushing, keep chasing and I have no doubt that at some stage we will get that [Ferrari win].

“Kimi is doing a phenomenal job but it just encourages me to level up and it encourages everyone else to level up, too. I am going to do my best to try and chase him down for the rest of the year.”

Hamilton was among five drivers who were penalised for speeding in the pit lane, an unusually high number. Alongside Russell, Gasly and Hamilton, Oscar Piastri and Franco Colapinto were also punished.

Gasly had driven a superb race from ninth on the grid, passing Lando Norris at the start and then Red Bull’s Isack Hadjar at the standing restart. He crossed the line and celebrated his third place enthusiastically on his in-lap, not knowing he had two five-second penalties to be added to his time.

He was left angry, convinced his podium place had been unfairly denied. “I don’t think there is anything that could hurt me more right now,” he said. “It’s 10 years I’m fucking working my ass off for this type of moment. We did everything right today [for] standing on that podium in front of all the fans that turned up.

“This is the type of moment that for me can’t be taken away from us by unfair reasons. What’s going on right now is not right and hopefully they can make the right choice.”

His Alpine team have requested the right to review the penalties. The drivers involved all believed they had employed their pit speed limiters correctly and the issue appears to have come about when marginally cutting the line where speed measurement begins on pit entry, an issue the FIA had warned against.

Russell has seen his title hopes take a serious blow in not scoring at the last two races and was let down in Monaco when Mercedes failed to impose his five-second penalty during his stop, for which he was given a drive-through, demoting him from third to 13th. He was bereft at his poor fortune.

“I’m beyond frustration now. Just struggling to comprehend how this season has panned out,” he said. “The team tell me there’s nothing I did wrong with the speed in the pit lane, software issue.

“I’m in a very weird state of mind because I’ve had very low moments in my career where I’ve maybe had a run of two bad races or three bad races on my own personal performance. I’ve never had a run of bad luck like this.”

THE GUARDIAN