The cream of the world’s cycling crop return to the saddle this February as the 2026 UCI World Tour resumes in the Middle East. Following an opening (two-event) stop-off in Australia, we are now gearing up for the UAE Tour.
The week-long event gets underway on Monday, February 16, in Madinat Zayed Majlis and finishes in Abu Dhabi on Sunday, February 23. You'll be in pedalling paradise as you can watch or stream all seven of the stages live.
The UCI World Tour is the premier men's elite road cycling tour. The 2026 edition consists of a series of 36 men's races/events that begun with the six-day 'Tour Down Under' last month and concludes with the Tour of Guangxi in China in mid-October.
So, we head to the United Arab Emirates for the third chapter of this year’s World Tour. It’s the eighth edition of the UAE Tour, which was originally formed as a result of the Abu Dhabi Tour merging with the Dubai Tour. Although the UAE Tour has only been an established event since 2019, it has produced many memorable moments and this year won’t be any different.
The UCI’s top-ranked rider, Tadej Pogacar, who reigned supreme for a third time in the UAE Tour twelve months, may be missing from this year’s edition, but his UAE Team Emirates outfit hold plenty more ace cards. They still boast the talents of Remco Evenepoel and Adam Yates, who are both former winners of the UAE Tour, as well as Isaac Del Toro.
We’re set for a sensational week of cycling in the UAE, with a combination of flat sprint stages and mountain stages, using climbs such as Jebel Jais and Jebel Hafeet. Let GOAL bring you all the vital information about the UAE Tour, including the full stage-by-stage schedule, and where you can watch or stream all the race action live each day.
When is the UAE Tour 2026?
The 2026 UAE Tour, which is the 8th edition of the event, takes place from February 16-22, It features 7 stages and is raced over an accumulative distance of 624 miles. The 7 days consist of 4 flat and 2 mountain stages, plus one individual time trial. The route will take in the traditional Jebel Hafeet summit finish on stage 6, but it also features an earlier climbing day, on stage 3, finishing atop the Jebel Mobrah.
How to watch or stream the UAE Tour 2026 in the UK
Every stage of the 2026 UAE Tour will be shown live on TNT Sports in the UK. You can live stream on discovery+ and watch via TNT Sports' TV channels on Sky, BT and Virgin Media platforms. Existing BT broadband customers can access TNT Sports for £20 per month.
It's worth noting that from the end of March 2026, TNT Sports will no longer be streamed on discovery+, but will be available via HBO Max instead. The subscription plans will remain the same though, with HBO Max + TNT Sports priced at £30.99 a month too.
How to watch or stream the UAE Tour 2026 in the US
There are now three main broadcasters/streaming services offering live cycling coverage for US viewers: HBO Max, Peacock and FloBikes. While Peacock (NBC’s streaming service) is the exclusive US home for ASO races (Tour de France, Vuelta a Espana, Paris-Nice & Liege-Bastogne-Liege etc), HBO Max covers RCS Sport races, which include the UAE Tour.
HBO Max plans begin at $109.99 a year (Basic), with the alternative monthly plan costing $10.99. Two ad-free plans are also available: the Standard Plan for $18.49 a month (or $184.99 a year), or the Premium for $22.99 a month (or $229.99 a year).
However, if on the Basic plan, the B/R (Bleacher Report) Sports add-on, priced at $9.99 a month, is required to stream live sports programming.
How to watch or stream the UAE Tour 2026 in Canada
Flobikes is in charge of broadcasting the UAE Tour in Canada. Subscriptions cost CA$39.99 a month, with big savings for long-term plans. The Flobikes TV app is available on Roku, Fire TV, Chromecast and Apple TV, as well as on iOS and Android.
UAE Tour 2026 stage-by-stage schedule
Below is the full schedule for the 2026 edition of the UAE Tour:
| Date | Stage (Route) | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Mon Feb 16 | 1: Madinat Zayed Majlis to Liwa Palace | 144 km |
| Tue Feb 17 | 2: Al Hudayriat Island to Al Hudayriat Island | 12.2 km |
| Wed Feb 18 | 3: Umm Al Quwain to Jebel Mobrah | 183 km |
| Thu Feb 19 | 4: Fujairah to Fujairah | 182 km |
| Fri Feb 20 | 5: Dubai Al Mamzar Park to Hamdan Bin Mohammed Smart University | 165 km |
| Sat Feb 21 | 6: Al Ain Museum to Jebel Hafeet | 168 km |
| Sun Feb 22 | 7: Zayed National Museum to Abu Dhabi Breakwater | 149 km |
Who are the recent UAE Tour winners?
Here are all the previous UAE Tour General Classification winners:
| Year | Winner |
|---|---|
| 2025 | Tadej Pogacar |
| 2024 | Lennert Van Eetvelt |
| 2023 | Remco Evenepoel |
| 2022 | Tadej Pogacar |
| 2021 | Tadej Pogacar |
| 2020 | Adam Yates |
| 2019 | Primoz Roglic |