Dubai, UAE: The Mina Cup has announced Queen Elizabeth’s School, Dubai Sports City as its Official Education Sponsor for Mina Cup 2026.

The partnership reflects a shared commitment to excellence and the long-term development of young people, recognising the important role that education plays alongside elite youth sport. Through this collaboration, both organisations aim to promote balanced development, supporting ambition on the pitch while reinforcing the value of academic achievement.

Queen Elizabeth’s School, Dubai Sports City will work with the Mina Cup across the 2026 tournaments, supporting players, families and the wider football community, and helping to underline the importance of education within high-performance youth sport environments.

The Mina Cup is an international youth football tournament hosted in Dubai, bringing together teams from across the globe to compete against leading academies from the UAE and beyond. Hosted at the JA Sports Centre, the tournament provides world-class facilities, a high-quality competitive environment, and a carefully curated off-pitch experience designed to create lasting memories for players and their families. In recent years, the Mina Cup has established itself as a recognised and highly regarded fixture within the international youth football calendar.

Caroline Pendleton-Nash, Chief Executive Officer of Queen Elizabeth’s Global School, said:

“Excellence in both education and sport is built on disciplined standards, ambition, and consistency over time. These principles have defined Queen Elizabeth’s School, Barnet for more than four and a half centuries. As we prepare to open Queen Elizabeth’s School, Dubai Sports City in August 2026, our partnership with the Mina Cup reflects our belief that high-quality sport plays a powerful role in strengthening academic outcomes by developing focus, resilience, teamwork, and self-discipline, while nurturing confident, able, and responsible young people.”

“At Queen Elizabeth’s School, Dubai Sports City, we place equal emphasis on academic rigour and physical excellence, recognising that students who are challenged both intellectually and physically are better equipped to thrive in the classroom and beyond.”

Commenting on the partnership, Chris Brown, Founder of the Mina Cup, said:

“We are pleased to welcome Queen Elizabeth’s School, Dubai Sports City as Official Education Sponsor for Mina Cup 2026. This partnership reflects our shared belief in developing young people holistically, ensuring that education remains a central part of the journey alongside sporting ambition.” 

The partnership will feature across Mina Cup 2026 communications and selected tournament assets.

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Mina Cup Media Team
Email: support@theminacup.com

About the Mina Cup

The Mina Cup is an international youth football tournament hosted in Dubai, bringing together teams from across the world to compete in a professional, well-structured environment. The tournament is recognised for its strong focus on player development, safeguarding, and providing high-quality competitive and off-pitch experiences for young athletes and their families.

For more information about the Mina Cup please visit: theminacup.com

About Queen Elizabeth’s School, Dubai Sports City

Queen Elizabeth’s School, Dubai Sports City, is part of Queen Elizabeth’s Global Schools, delivering world-class British education in the heart of Dubai Sports City, shaped by more than four and a half centuries of academic excellence. Inspired by the legacy of Queen Elizabeth’s School, Barnet, founded by royal charter in 1573 in the UK, the School draws on a longstanding tradition of high standards and character-based education.

Opening in August 2026, Queen Elizabeth’s School, Dubai Sports City will welcome students from Nursery to Year 8 in its first year of operation (2026–2027), with a continuous learning journey through to Senior School (Year 13), including IGCSE and A Level pathways. The School follows the National Curriculum for England, adapted for our international context, and is underpinned by the core values of excellence, curiosity, integrity, community, ambition and responsibility, nurturing confident, able and responsible young people who are prepared for future education and the wider world.

Students benefit from priority access to world-class sports amenities, with professional coaching and opportunities to compete at a high level, developing critical skills for success both on and off the field. High-potential students may join our QE Elite Sports Academy, offering advanced training, performance tracking and access to regional and international competition. Sport is also central to extra-curricular life through QE Flourish Compete, inter-school leagues and our QE House programme.

For further information on Queen Elizabeth’s School, Dubai Sports City and student enrolments, please visit: www.qedubaisportscity.com