Ryder Cup hero Rory McIlroy has confirmed he will return to Dubai Creek Resort for the 2026 Dubai Invitational, taking place from January 15-18.
The five-time Major Champion will tee it up in the second edition of the event following a history-making 2025 season, which saw him play a starring role in Europe’s Ryder Cup victory at Bethpage Black – their first win on American soil in 13 years.
McIlroy’s performance capped a remarkable year for the Northern Irishman, who became the first European to complete the career Grand Slam when he added the 2025 Masters title to his previous Major triumphs at the 2011 U.S. Open, the 2012 and 2014 PGA Championships, and The Open in 2014.
He finished runner-up at the inaugural Dubai Invitational two years ago, finishing one shot behind eventual champion and Ryder Cup teammate Tommy Fleetwood, who has already been confirmed for the 2026 edition.
The World Number Two currently leads the 2025 Race to Dubai and is looking forward to starting 2026 with back-to-back weeks in the UAE for the Dubai Invitational and the Hero Dubai Desert Classic, the first Rolex Series event of the campaign and an event he has won on four occasions.
“Starting my year in the UAE has always been my preference,” said McIlroy. “I’ve had so many great weeks there, and I’m sure Dubai next January will be no different.
“Dubai Creek Resort was a fantastic host venue two years ago, and my friend Abdulla and his team put on an incredible event. I came very close to winning that week, so I’m hoping 2026 will be another strong year for me and starting off well in Dubai would be the perfect way to get it under way.”
Tournament Host Abdulla Al Naboodah commented: “It is an honour to welcome career grand slam winner Rory McIlroy back to the Dubai Creek Resort for the 2026 Dubai Invitational. His participation is a significant addition to our world-class field, and we look forward to delivering another exceptional week of competition and hospitality for players, partners, and spectators.”
The Dubai Invitational is the opening event on the Race to Dubai’s International Swing and is played concurrently with a three-day Pro-Am team event, with Sunday featuring professionals only. The bi-annual event consists of 60 professional DP World Tour golfers, and 60 amateur golfers.
About the DP World Tour
The DP World Tour is the main men’s professional golf tour of the European Tour group.
As golf’s global tour, we showcase global talent in global destinations and use our platform to build, entertain and connect our global community.
GLOBAL TALENT: We provide pathways and a platform for the leading international talent, bringing together golfing icons, national heroes and emerging stars from around the world.
GLOBAL DESTINATIONS: We stage tournaments in iconic cities and locations around the world and each week we celebrate and showcase the rich diversity of the courses, cities and cultures we visit.
GLOBAL COMMUNITY: We build, entertain and connect communities through our commitment to innovation, creative content and having a positive social and environmental impact.
Our 2025 Global Schedule features 42 tournaments in 26 different countries and comprises three distinct phases: five ‘Global Swings’, the ‘Back 9’ and the ‘DP World Tour Play-Offs’. It features five Rolex Series events – the premium category of events on the DP World Tour – and four Major Championships, all of which count towards the Race to Dubai Rankings, the Tour’s season-long competition which concludes at the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai.
DP World, the leading provider of global smart end-to-end supply chain and logistics solutions, has been the title partner of the DP World Tour since the start of the 2022 season, the Tour’s 50th season following its formation in 1972.
We also enjoy the support of many of the world’s leading business brands with DP World, Rolex, Aldar, BMW, Buffalo Trace Distillery, Emirates, Fortinet, Nexo and Vestas as Official Partners.
About the European Tour group
The European Tour group administers the DP World Tour, the HotelPlanner Tour, the Legends Tour and the G4D Tour and, as the Managing Partner of Ryder Cup Europe LLP, stages golf’s greatest team contest, the Ryder Cup, in partnership with the PGA of America.
The European Tour group has Strategic Partnerships with the PGA TOUR, the Sunshine Tour, the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia, the China Golf Association (CGA), the Japan Golf Tour Organization (JGTO), the Korea Professional Golfers’ Association (KPGA), and the TATA Steel Professional Golf Tour of India. These partnerships provide global pathways for players from across the world to compete internationally on the DP World Tour, the main men’s professional golf Tour of the European Tour group which was established in 1972, as well as the HotelPlanner Tour.
