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TCG Event Calendar 2026–27 — GCC
Upcoming tournaments, championships, card shows & comic cons across the UAE and the Gulf — Pokémon, One Piece, Magic: The Gathering, Dragon Ball & Naruto. Now looking ahead into Q1 2027.
UAE-focused · GCC-wide · June 2026 – March 2027 (Q1) · Updated 7 September 2026
Confirmed date
Approximate / month known
Date TBC
Official play window
Master Timeline
All confirmed GCC anchors + official play windowsThe fixed, dated anchors of the GCC scene are the big conventions, where the region's largest tournaments and trading floors run. Around them, each game's publisher runs official organized play at local stores via Bandai TCG+ and Play! Pokémon — these roll out month-to-month, so they're shown here as the windows in which they happen.
August 2026
Aug – Nov2026
Dragon Ball
Fusion World — Championship 26-27 Regionals Wave 2
Bandai's confirmed regional championship window (Aug 1 – Nov 2026) — the higher-stakes path where players compete for ranking and a spot toward Worlds. Runs alongside store-level Ultimate Battle and Store Championship events on TCG+.
Bandai TCG+ registered stores — UAE & GCC
Play Window
~Aug 2026late Aug
One Piece
OP-17 Release Tournaments — UAE Stores
Launch tournaments for OP-17 "The World's Strongest Warriors" (4th Anniversary set, releases ~Aug 26). OP-17 begins One Piece's worldwide simultaneous release, so GCC stores get it day-and-date; release events give early-card access and exclusive prizes.
Bandai TCG+ registered stores — UAE & GCC
Approx.
Aug – Dec2026
One Piece
Championship 26–27 · Season 2 Regionals & Store Championships
Second competitive season of the 26–27 cycle. Store Championships and store preliminaries run at GCC stores and feed regional finals; check TCG+ for your store's slot.
Bandai TCG+ registered stores — UAE & GCC
Play Window
September 2026
Sep 11–132026
Convention · All TCGs
The Gulf's flagship pop-culture festival, rescheduled from April to September. Expect TCG vendor halls, sealed product, singles, graded slabs and floor tournaments across all major games — "3 days, 3 tournaments, 300 players." The TCG Arena schedule is now published: Pokémon on Fri 11 Sep (4:00pm start), One Piece on Sat 12 Sep (1:15pm — slots full, waitlist only) and Magic: The Gathering on Sun 13 Sep (1:00pm, 1v1 Duel Commander). Entry is AED 65 per tournament with 100 seats each, and an MEFCC event ticket is required. The single biggest GCC trading weekend of the year.
ADNEC Centre, Abu Dhabi, UAE
Confirmed
~Sep 5–132026
Pokémon
Storm Emerald Prerelease — UAE League Stores
Expected Play! Pokémon prerelease window for Storm Emerald (Mega Rayquaza-ex), the two weekends before its Sep 18 street date — the same launch day as the 30th Anniversary set. Run at sanctioned UAE leagues.
B2G Dubai · Battle Zone Dubai · other Play! Pokémon leagues
Play Window
~Sep 182026
Pokémon
30th Anniversary Launch Events — UAE Leagues
Worldwide simultaneous launch of the 30th Anniversary Celebration set. Expect league launch parties, promos and League Challenges built around the drop at sanctioned UAE stores.
B2G Dubai · Battle Zone Dubai · Play! Pokémon leagues
Approx.
October 2026
Oct 23–242026
Card Show · Dubai
A dedicated two-day trading-card exhibition: vendor tables, showcases and a collector floor plan, with CGC on site for comic & card grading submissions. Purpose-built for buying, selling and grading cards rather than a general pop-culture con. Free entry.
Dubai Studio City, Dubai
Confirmed
Oct 2026from Oct 2
MTG
Reality Fracture Prerelease — WPN Stores
Prerelease weekends for the main-line set "Reality Fracture" at Wizards Play Network stores across the UAE — sealed events the weekend before street date.
WPN stores — Dubai & Abu Dhabi
Play Window
Oct 31–Nov 12026
Convention · All TCGs
The MEFCC team's fan-first Dubai weekend returns for its second edition. A dedicated TCG, board-game and gaming tournament floor plus 80+ vendors with collectibles, singles and exclusive drops — a strong card-trading weekend bridging the October card show and December.
Concourse Convention Center, Dubai Outlet Mall, Dubai
Confirmed
November 2026
Nov 6–72026
Convention · Card Show
The Middle East's largest dedicated trading-card convention returns — now confirmed for Boulevard City, a step up from February's hotel venue. Vendor hall, collector's lounge, live auctions, artist alley and tournaments. Tickets opened 12 July (1-day 90 SAR, 2-day 160 SAR, VIP 550 SAR); vendor bookings open.
Boulevard City, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Confirmed
Nov 2026from Nov 20
MTG
Universes Beyond: Star Trek Prerelease
Prerelease weekends for the Star Trek crossover set at WPN stores across the UAE.
WPN stores — Dubai & Abu Dhabi
Play Window
December 2026
Dec 2026rumoured
Dubai · Unconfirmed
Unconfirmed. A second Dubai MEFCC was rumoured for December, but the Dec 7–11 Expo City dates are actually booked for GITEX Global (a tech expo), and MEFCC's official channels list only the September Abu Dhabi show plus FNDM (Oct 31–Nov 1). Kept here as a watch-item only — don't plan around it until organisers confirm.
Dubai — venue & dates unconfirmed
Unconfirmed
Q4 2026TBC
Dragon Ball
Fusion World — FB11 Booster & Year-End Events
Year-end launch events tied to the next booster (FB11), once announced. Details follow Bandai's set reveal; run via TCG+ at GCC stores.
Bandai TCG+ registered stores — UAE & GCC
TBC
January 2027
~Jan 2027Riyadh
Card Show · Saudi
The Saudi Collectors Fest series ran quarterly through 2026 (Riyadh in January, Al Khobar in June, Jeddah in September). Its 2026 opener was Jan 16–17 at the Radisson Blu, Riyadh, so a January 2027 Riyadh edition is expected — dates to be announced.
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (expected)
Expected
~Jan 2027finals
One Piece
Championship 26–27 — Winter Regional Finals window
Bandai's 26–27 cycle runs a second wave of Championship Finals in winter 2027 (~January), feeding toward the One Piece World Finals in March 2027. GCC store championships and preliminaries continue on TCG+.
Bandai TCG+ registered stores — UAE & GCC
Play Window
February 2027
Feb 2027from Feb 5
MTG
Nauctis: The Sunken Realm — Prerelease
Prerelease weekends for Magic's first 2027 standard set, Nauctis: The Sunken Realm (street date Feb 5, 2027), at Wizards Play Network stores across the UAE — sealed events the weekend before release.
WPN stores — Dubai & Abu Dhabi
Play Window
~Feb 2027Qatar
Doha · Pop Culture
Qatar's flagship pop-culture weekend (Doha Film Institute) has anchored to early February in recent years (Feb 6–8, 2025), so a February 2027 edition at Lusail Boulevard is expected, with its usual TCG trading and gaming floor. Dates to be announced.
Lusail Boulevard, Doha, Qatar (expected)
Expected
Feb 2027TBC
Riyadh · Card Show
TCG Con Arabia ran a February edition in 2026 (Feb 6–7) before its November Boulevard City show, so a second winter / February 2027 edition is plausible. Not yet announced — watch the organiser after the November event.
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (TBC)
TBC
March 2027
Feb 26–Mar 52027
One Piece
OP-19 Prerelease & Release Tournaments — UAE Stores
OP-19 launches worldwide on March 5, 2027 with an official prerelease window Feb 26 – Mar 4. As a simultaneous global release, GCC stores get it day-and-date; expect prerelease and launch tournaments at Bandai TCG+ stores.
Bandai TCG+ registered stores — UAE & GCC
Confirmed
Mar 12027
Naruto
Naruto Mythos — European Championship
The first-ever Naruto Mythos European Championship (Mar 1, 2027; venue TBA) caps the game's 2026 competitive season. Held in Europe, not the GCC — listed for context as GCC organized play may build toward future editions.
Europe (venue TBA)
Europe
Q1 2027 — still firming up. Most Gulf conventions confirm winter dates only a few months out. Expected in Q1 2027 but not yet dated: MEFCC (Abu Dhabi is contracted to host through 2027), Comic Con Arabia (a Riyadh Season fixture, and Riyadh Season runs into March), the next Card Show Exhibition and Sandbox Swapmeet Dubai editions, and Kuwait's COMFEST / CardXpo. Pokémon and Dragon Ball Fusion World 2027 set dates are announced ~2–3 months out. This section fills in as organisers publish.
How GCC tournament dates actually work. Unlike set releases, store-level competitive dates aren't published far in advance. Pokémon League Challenges & Cups, One Piece & Dragon Ball store championships, and MTG FNM/RCQs are scheduled by each venue and posted to Bandai TCG+, Play! Pokémon, the Wizards Store & Event Locator and store Instagram pages — usually 2–6 weeks out. The windows above tell you when to check; the conventions are the fixed dates to plan around.
Conventions & Card Shows
4 confirmed · 1 unconfirmed · 1 postponed · Q1 2027 buildingThese are the fixed dates the whole GCC scene plans around — from dedicated card shows (just cards) to full pop-culture cons where every major game shows up with vendor floors and tournaments. UAE first, then the wider Gulf.
UAE — Dedicated Card Shows
Oct 23–242026
Dubai · Card Show
A purpose-built two-day trading-card exhibition: vendor tables, premium showcases and a dedicated collector floor plan, with CGC on site taking grading submissions. Cards-first, not a general pop-culture con — ideal for buying, selling, trading and grading. Free entry.
Dubai Studio City, Dubai
Confirmed
2026multi-volume
Dubai · Pop Culture
The UAE's biggest homegrown pop-culture convention (Volume 8 drew 16,000+ at Dubai World Trade Centre in May 2026). Strong TCG presence with tournaments and trading. The next Dubai volume's dates are still to be announced; its first Abu Dhabi edition (PLAYGROUNDS) ran in August 2026 at Manarat Al Saadiyat.
Dubai World Trade Centre · Abu Dhabi (planned)
Next vol · TBC
UAE — Pop-Culture Conventions
Sep 11–132026
Abu Dhabi
The Gulf's flagship pop-culture event at ADNEC. Full TCG vendor halls, sealed & singles, graded slabs and floor tournaments across Pokémon, One Piece, MTG and more. The TCG Arena runs one tournament a day — Pokémon (11th), One Piece (12th, waitlist only) and Magic (13th) — at AED 65 entry with 100 seats each; an event ticket is required. Moved from its original April dates.
ADNEC Centre, Abu Dhabi
Confirmed
Oct 31–Nov 12026
Dubai · Pop Culture
Powered by the Middle East Film & Comic Con team (Informa). The second edition of this community-driven pop-culture weekend runs a dedicated TCG / board-game tournament zone alongside 80+ collectibles, singles and merch vendors at Dubai Outlet Mall.
Concourse Convention Center, Dubai Outlet Mall, Dubai
Confirmed
Dec 2026rumoured
Dubai · Unconfirmed
Unconfirmed. A second Dubai MEFCC was rumoured for December, but the Dec 7–11 Expo City slot is booked for GITEX Global, not a comic con. MEFCC's official channels list only the September Abu Dhabi show and FNDM (Oct 31–Nov 1). Watch-item only.
Dubai — venue & dates unconfirmed
Unconfirmed
Wider GCC
Nov 6–72026
Riyadh · Card Show
The Middle East's largest dedicated trading-card convention. Vendor hall, VIP collector's lounge, live auction zone, artist alley, retro gaming and tournaments. After a sold-out debut (3,000+ attendees, 43 vendors) and a February edition at the Holiday Inn Al-Ezdehar, the November show moves up to Boulevard City. Tickets live since 12 July; vendor bookings open.
Boulevard City, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Confirmed
PostponedBahrain
Sakhir · Pop Culture
Bahrain Comic Con
The Kingdom's leading pop-culture convention (comics, anime, gaming, collectibles). The 2026 edition was set for May 1–2 at Exhibition World Bahrain but was postponed until further notice citing safety amid regional tensions. Watch for a rescheduled date.
Exhibition World Bahrain, Sakhir
Postponed
2026Saudi
Riyadh · Pop Culture
Comic Con Arabia / Saudi Comic Con
Saudi Arabia's flagship GEA-backed pop-culture con, a regular fixture of Riyadh Season with a large gaming and collectibles footprint. 2026 dates not yet officially published.
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Dates TBC
2026Kuwait
Mishref · Pop Culture
Comic Con Kuwait & COMFEST
Kuwait's recurring pop-culture conventions at the Kuwait International Fairground, Mishref — film, anime, gaming, cosplay and a growing collectibles/TCG vendor scene. COMFEST's 2025 edition ran in late September (Sep 25–27), and the organisers are teasing a dedicated COMFEST Card Expo for 2026 — so expect a similar late-Sept window. Exact 2026 dates yet to be confirmed.
Kuwait International Fairground, Mishref
Dates TBC
2026Qatar
Doha · Pop Culture
Qatar's recurring pop-culture weekend at Lusail Boulevard — cosplay, gaming, creative marketplace and trading cards. Runs multiple editions a year; next 2026 dates to be announced.
Lusail Boulevard, Doha, Qatar
Dates TBC
Emerging — worth a watch: Bahrain now has a dedicated Bahrain Card Show — its first edition ran Jul 31–Aug 1, 2026 at the InterContinental Manama with Pokémon, One Piece, Yu-Gi-Oh! and Riftbound trading plus tournaments. A separate event from the postponed Bahrain Comic Con; watch for the next edition. Kuwait's CardXpo — a dedicated trading-card expo linked to the COMFEST team at the Kuwait International Fairground, Mishref — is building out its 2026 calendar; dates to confirm. Oman has hosted its first video-games & comic con in Muscat and the format is growing; no 2026 date is published yet. The Insomnia Dubai gaming festival (last held at Meydan in 2021) has no announced 2026 return — it will be re-listed if the organisers confirm one. As the dedicated card-show circuit expands across the GCC, this is where new stops will appear first — check the linked organisers' Instagram pages for date drops. Looking to Q1 2027: expect the Saudi Collectors Fest January opener in Riyadh, Geekend Qatar (early February), a possible TCG Con Arabia winter edition, and MEFCC (Abu Dhabi is contracted through 2027) — all tracked in the Q1 2027 block of the Master Timeline as they firm up.
Pokémon TCG
Play! Pokémon · monthly leaguesThe UAE has active, sanctioned Play! Pokémon leagues that run monthly League Challenges and the higher-tier League Cups, plus prerelease events around each new set. Exact dates post to each league's page and Instagram.
Monthlyongoing
Organized Play
League Challenges & League Cups
League Challenges run ~monthly at sanctioned leagues; League Cups are the step-up events with higher Championship Point payouts. Both are the local competitive ladder for UAE players.
B2G — Time Square Center, Al Quoz, Dubai · Battle Zone — Jumeirah Centre, Dubai
Monthly
~Sep 5–132026
Prerelease
Storm Emerald Prerelease
Expected sealed prerelease window for Storm Emerald (Mega Rayquaza-ex) ahead of its Sep 18 street date. Play before release at participating UAE leagues.
Play! Pokémon leagues — UAE
Play Window
~Sep 182026
Launch
30th Anniversary Celebration — Launch Events
Worldwide simultaneous launch; expect league launch events, promos and a League Challenge built around the set across UAE leagues.
Play! Pokémon leagues — UAE
Approx.
No Pokémon Regional or International Championship is currently scheduled inside the GCC — the nearest stops sit on the European & Asian circuits. UAE competitive play centres on the local League Challenge / League Cup ladder. The Pokémon 2027 (MEGA-era) set schedule is announced ~2–3 months out, so Q1 2027 prerelease windows will be added here as they confirm.
One Piece Card Game
Championship 26–27 · store-levelThe Middle East is now grouped into One Piece's global English organized-play region. Stores registered on Bandai TCG+ run release tournaments, store championships and store preliminaries that feed the regional finals.
~Aug 2026
Release Event
OP-17 "The World's Strongest Warriors" Tournaments
4th Anniversary set launch tournaments (OP-17 releases ~Aug 26) — early card access and exclusive release prizes at participating GCC stores. OP-17 starts One Piece's worldwide simultaneous release, so the GCC gets it day-and-date.
Bandai TCG+ stores — UAE & GCC
Approx.
Aug – Dec2026
Championship
Championship 26–27 · Season 2 Store Championships
Season 2 of the competitive cycle. Store Championships and store preliminaries run at registered stores; top finishers earn invites up the chain. Check TCG+ for your store's scheduled slot.
Bandai TCG+ stores — UAE & GCC
Play Window
Ongoingper set
Organized Play
Store Tournaments & Release Events
Bandai runs a rolling cadence of store tournaments and per-set release events. Each new booster brings a fresh release-tournament window — the steady weekly/monthly play for UAE locals.
Bandai TCG+ stores — UAE & GCC
Ongoing
Feb 26–Mar 52027
Release Event
OP-19 Prerelease & Release
OP-19 releases worldwide on March 5, 2027 (official prerelease window Feb 26 – Mar 4). A simultaneous global launch means GCC stores get it day-and-date — expect prerelease and launch tournaments on TCG+. The 26–27 season also builds toward the One Piece World Finals in March 2027.
Bandai TCG+ stores — UAE & GCC
Confirmed
Magic: The Gathering
WPN stores · weekly + seasonalMagic runs through Wizards Play Network stores in the UAE: weekly Friday Night Magic, a prerelease weekend for every new set, and the Regional Championship Qualifier (RCQ) ladder that feeds the next Magic Regional Championship.
Weeklyongoing
Organized Play
Friday Night Magic & RCQ Ladder
Weekly FNM plus Regional Championship Qualifiers at sanctioned stores — the competitive path for UAE players toward Regional Championships.
WPN stores — Dubai & Abu Dhabi
Weekly
Aug 142026
Prerelease
Universes Beyond: The Hobbit — Prerelease
Tolkien-crossover prerelease weekends at WPN stores across the UAE.
WPN stores — UAE
Play Window
Oct 22026
Prerelease
Reality Fracture — Prerelease
Main-line set prerelease weekends — the standard-legal set closing the current storyline arc.
WPN stores — UAE
Play Window
Nov 202026
Prerelease
Universes Beyond: Star Trek — Prerelease
Star Trek crossover prerelease weekends at WPN stores across the UAE.
WPN stores — UAE
Play Window
Feb 2027from Feb 5
Prerelease
Nauctis: The Sunken Realm — Prerelease
Magic's first 2027 standard set (street date Feb 5, 2027). Prerelease sealed events run the weekend before at WPN stores across the UAE; a Universes Beyond set follows in April 2027.
WPN stores — UAE
Play Window
Prerelease dates above key off each set's global street date; the in-store sealed events run the weekend prior. Confirm your store's exact slot on the Wizards Store & Event Locator.
Dragon Ball Super Card Game — Fusion World
store tournaments · championship pathFusion World has one of the most active store-level circuits. GCC stores on Bandai TCG+ run recurring Store Tournaments (Vol. 1–3 across the year), the Ultimate Battle series, and per-set release events.
Jul 1 – Sep 30Vol. 3
Store Tournament
Store Tournament 2026 Vol. 3
Recurring casual-to-competitive store series, now in Vol. 3 (Jul 1 – Sep 30, 2026; Vol. 2 wrapped Jun 30). Stores pick sealed, draft or constructed and run with the official kit.
Bandai TCG+ stores — UAE & GCC
Play Window
Aug 1 – Nov2026
Championship
Championship 26-27 Regionals Wave 2
Confirmed regional championship window (Aug 1 – Nov 2026). Compete against the best in the region for championship-worthy prizes and progression toward the Fusion World World Championship.
Bandai TCG+ stores — UAE & GCC
Play Window
Q4 2026TBC
Release Event
FB11 Booster & Year-End Events
Year-end launch events tied to the next booster (FB11), once announced. Details follow Bandai's set reveal; run via TCG+ at GCC stores.
Bandai TCG+ stores — UAE & GCC
TBC
The Fusion World world-championship path culminates at Dragon Ball Games Battle Hour (a global, invite-fed event held outside the GCC). GCC players reach it through the local store → ranking → regional chain above.
Naruto Mythos TCG
new game · GCC OP not yet announcedNaruto Mythos launched in March 2026 and is still building its organized-play footprint. No sanctioned GCC tournament circuit has been announced yet — the items below are global set/prerelease windows that may reach UAE stores that stock the game.
Fall 2026
Launch
Set 3 — New Expansion
Third Mythos set (1st & 2nd Edition). Part of the road to the first Naruto Mythos European Championship (Mar 1, 2027, venue TBA) — a European event, but watch for any GCC organized-play announcement alongside it.
Stocking stores — UAE (TBC)
TBC
Keep an eye on this section — as Naruto Mythos grows, sanctioned GCC events are the most likely new addition to this calendar.
This calendar focuses on upcoming events inside the GCC (UAE-focused, June 2026 – Q1 2027). Dated convention anchors are sourced from official organisers. Store-level organized-play entries are shown as the windows in which publishers (Bandai TCG+, Play! Pokémon, Wizards Play Network) run events at GCC stores — exact local dates are published 2–6 weeks ahead on each store's TCG+/locator listing and Instagram. Dates marked Approximate, Provisional or TBC should be confirmed before you travel or plan around them.
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