Kabaddi heads to Europe as IPKL 2026 launches its trophy in Dubai

Kabaddi is making another move beyond its Indian heartland. The International Premier Kabaddi League has unveiled the trophy for its 2026 edition in Dubai, setting up a tournament that will be played not in India but in The Hague, where the organisers are trying to build a professional base for the sport in Europe.

The league runs from 12 to 16 August at the Sportcampus Zuiderpark in the Dutch city, with six men’s teams and four women’s sides scheduled to contest more than 27 matches across the five days. The organisers bill it as Europe’s largest professional kabaddi competition, a description that reflects the sport’s still-thin footprint on the continent as much as the league’s ambition.

A Dubai launch for a Netherlands league

The trophy launch was led by the Dubai-based businessman Shuza Mehandi and aimed squarely at corporate backers from Europe, Dubai and India. The league itself sits under the Netherlands Kabaddi Federation and its president, Dalbir Singh Sindhu, with Sohan Tusir of the Just Sports Arena Federation credited as the man behind the idea.

A few familiar names lend it weight. Hoshar Singh has come on board as head coach, overseeing player evaluation, with Sonali Nikam as league advisor and the India defender Mohit Chhillar attached to the project as a special guest. For a first-year competition a long way from the Pro Kabaddi ecosystem, that kind of association counts for more than it would at an established event.

What comes next

The groundwork is largely in place. Selection trials have been held across several countries and the squads are locked, with a ten-day training camp planned for the last week of July before the teams head to the Netherlands. Whether a compact, five-day event can grow into something that lasts is the open question, and the crowds in August will offer the first real answer.

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