Pakistan Goes Undefeated to Claim Inaugural Baseball United Arab Classic Championship
Pakistan took home the trophy at the first-ever Baseball United Arab Classic international baseball tournament, which concluded last night after four straight days of gameplay. Pakistan was dominant the entire tournament, outscoring its opponents by a total of 57 runs, including a 12-1 victory over the UAE in the championship game. The tournament was hosted at the new Baseball United Ballpark at The Sevens in Dubai. Nine nations from the GCC and Subcontinent played 21 games in front of thousands of fans and a global streaming audience.
The UAE, playing in its first international baseball tournament in the nation’s history, was a surprise finalist, beating Saudi Arabia in the quarterfinals and then topping a highly-ranked Palestine team in the semifinals to advance to the championship. The UAE finished the tournament with five wins and two losses, with both defeats coming to Pakistan.
Baseball United created the UAE National Baseball team in just 30 days, after receiving official sanctions from Emirates Cricket Board on October 7th, 2024. Baseball United constructed its new Ballpark in just 38 days in order for all tournament games to be played on a state-of-the-art, professional baseball field.
“Congratulations to Pakistan on their incredible victory,” said Kash Shaikh, Chairman, CEO, and Co-Founder, Baseball United. “This was the largest and most competitive baseball tournament in the history of the region, and the Pakistan team showed they are not only one of Asia’s top teams, but they are on the path to compete with the best baseball playing nations in the world. Congratulations to Manager, Syed Shah, the entire team, and the country of Pakistan on this impressive championship.”
The second-place finish is also significant for the UAE, a nation that is just learning baseball after Baseball United’s work over the last two years.
“Congratulations as well to the UAE on making history yet again,” said Shaikh. “This nation is already known for great sports and entertainment. And now, with our new Ballpark already attracting the eyes of the world, and with the UAE team performing so well, the UAE and Dubai have propelled to the forefront of the global conversation about baseball.
This is significant. Baseball is one of the world’s top sports and now the UAE has a direct connection with hundreds of millions of baseball fans around the world. I’m very proud of Manager, Eddie Diaz, and the team. And I am very grateful to Dubai Sports Council, the Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism, and Emirates Cricket Board for their support. Exciting times for Dubai and the UAE as the world watches us play ball.”
Baseball is a top five sport globally, with 600 million fans, only behind Football (Soccer), Cricket, Tennis, and Basketball. Most baseball fans are located in the United States, Latin America, Japan, and Korea. In the U.S. alone, professional baseball generates nearly $15 Billion in yearly revenue. International tournaments are also now gaining worldwide popularity, with the World Baseball Classic generating record attendance, viewership, and revenue last year. Baseball is also set to appear in the next Olympics, hosted in Los Angeles in 2028.
Baseball United was founded in November 2022 by Shaikh, John Miedreich, and Major League Baseball Hall of Famers, Barry Larkin and Mariano Rivera. In total, 20 MLB legends have invested in the league, including Adrian Beltre, Albert Pujols, Elvis Andrus, Felix Hernandez, Ryan Howard, Robinson Cano, and Robinson Chirinos.
“We did a lot of work in a short time to prove to the world what’s possible with baseball in this part of the world,” said Shaikh. “I have always believed that baseball will be this region’s next great sport. People weren’t so sure about that when we started this journey. But a lot of people believe it now.”
