Three Zimbabwean schools, Lord Brighton College, Westridge School, and Camelot School of Kwekwe — will proudly represent the country at the Abu Dhabi World Schools Festival, set for 14–20 December 2025 in Abu Dhabi, the capital city of the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
Lord Brighton College will compete in rugby, Westridge School will feature in cricket, while Camelot School will showcase its netball talent at the international youth sports event.
The World Schools Festival was founded in South Africa in 2018, but was paused due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It later found a new home in Abu Dhabi after the city secured hosting rights from 2024 to 2026. The tournament is organised by World Schools Pvt, the official host in the UAE.
In an interview with Zim Now, Royal Arnold Mabika, who is in charge of Southern Africa at the World Schools Festival, said the 2025 edition will attract teams from around the globe.
“The World Schools Festival is an initiative which was founded in South Africa in 2018. It was on a halt because of COVID, then Abu Dhabi got the hosting rights from 2024 to 2026,” Mabika said.
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A total of 52 institutions from New Zealand, England, Africa, and Asia are expected to take part. The competition has two categories, the Cup Championship for developing nations and the Trophy Division for more established teams.
“Everything is arranged by the World Schools Festival,” Mabika explained. “There will be an athletes’ village in Abu Dhabi close to the venue, and Visit Abu Dhabi under the Department of Tourism will also offer city tours to visiting teams.”
Mabika’s company, RM Sports Agency, is responsible for selecting schools from Southern Africa (excluding South Africa).
“We assess schools based on their performance before inviting them,” he said.
He encouraged Zimbabwean teams to prepare thoroughly for the tournament.
“The level of competition is tough because schools from the UK and other countries play at a higher level,” Mabika noted. “But I’m pleased with Lord Brighton — it’s a new school, yet they have a very good team.”
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