Credit: Dubai Parks and ResortsIf you’re only now delving into the UAE’s growing theme park scene with the announcement of Disneyland Abu Dhabi, here’s one park you should definitely have on your radar: Real Madrid World.
From alligators to the Bible, it seems like there’s no limit on what can inspire a theme park. In 2024, another unique effort arrived in the form of Real Madrid World – a new theme park totally dedicated to the famous Spanish soccer club.
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First announced in 2022, updates on the park were relatively slow at first, except for the basics: its location in Dubai, not Spain, as a part of Dubai Parks and Resorts, and the plans to pay tribute to the past, present, and future of Real Madrid FC.
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Real Madrid World eventually opened in 2024 in place of what was once known as Bollywood Park Dubai, repurposing its former attractions.
This included the wooden coaster Bombay Express, previously built for Bollywood Park. Despite being completed before the park’s abrupt closure in April 2023, the roller coaster never opened to guests.
Other attractions featured in the park include “audio-visual displays, interactive experiences, playable gaming interactions, and unique attractions inspired by the spirit, passion, and success that make Real Madrid the Club of the Century” as well as “a museum, rides, football skill games, food and beverage outlets, and unique retail options featuring memorabilia from across Real Madrid’s successful history.”
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Real Madrid is the first soccer team in the world to inspire an entire theme park. The honor seems fitting, considering it tied for the highest-earning soccer club in the world for the 2023/2024 season by Deloitte. The team has a long history of signing industry legends, including David Beckham, Cristiano Ronaldo, Sergio Ramos, and Pepe.
The new park sits alongside Motiongate – a film-inspired theme park featuring lands based on Shrek (2001), How to Train Your Dragon (2010), The Hunger Games (2012), and more – and LEGOLAND Dubai. Dubai Parks and Resorts is also home to three hotels and a shopping and dining district known as Riverland.
For those hoping to bundle the park into a trip with Disneyland Abu Dhabi when it finally opens on Yas Island – which will likely happen towards the end of this decade, if not slightly later – the drive is roughly 45 minutes. Also on Yas Island are the likes of Warner Bros. World, Ferrari World Abu Dhabi, and SeaWorld Abu Dhabi, making the destination one to rival the likes of Orlando’s theme park scene. Updates are relatively thin on the ground as to what guests can expect from the park, but it’s expected to be largely – if not entirely – indoors due to the UAE’s extreme temperatures.
Would you visit a soccer theme park? Let us know in the comments!