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He also described the match as highly entertaining, highlighting the strong competitive spirit of the Egyptian national team, the "Pharaohs".

Despite the nation's loss against Argentina on July 7, the Ruler went on to hail them as "heroes in the eyes of all Arabs".

When the Moroccan team secured a place in the Round of 16 at the Fifa World Cup, the leader used the term "Arab dazzle" to describe their valour on the pitch.

Sheikh Mohammed said, 'Our joy today is Moroccan' as he congratulated the people of Morocco, Mohammed VI and the Moroccan national team on their qualification.

When the team got disqualified, the Ruler still made sure they were celebrated, saying the team had "made the Arab world proud".

The Great Arab Minds Award, often dubbed the 'Arab Nobel', is a prestigious intellectual initiative launched by Sheikh Mohammed in 2022.

From restoring historic buildings in Palestine to turning UAE's desert air into water, the winners have done it all.

Backed by a Dh100 million fund, it recognises exceptional Arab thinkers, scientists, and innovators across six categories, with each winner receiving Dh1 million to fund their research.

For the 2025 edition, the award honoured six winners: Professor Majid Chergui in the Natural Sciences category, Professor Abbas El Gamal in the Engineering and Technology category, Dr Nabil Seidah in the Medicine category, Professor Badi Hani in the Economics category, Dr Suad Amiry in the Architecture and Design category, and Professor Charbel Dagher in the Literature and Arts category.

The award also presents Arab youth with leading examples across Medicine, Natural Sciences, Economics, Engineering and Technology, Architecture and Design, and Literature and Arts, encouraging them to build on these achievements and strengthen the Arab region's contribution to development and human civilisation.

One of the winners of the award — Professor Omar Yaghi — also went on to win the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for 2025, with the leader announcing the Arab nation was "full of geniuses" on the esteemed occasion.

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum handing over the award to Professor Omar Yaghi

Sheikh Mohammed[Arab nation] is rich in intellect… and our mission is to restore confidence in ourselves. Dubai International Holy Quran Award

Launched in 1997 by Sheikh Mohammed, the Dubai International Holy Quran Award rewards individuals who have memorized the Quran, giving a chance to faithful across the world.

Since its inception, 7,826 contestants from 123 countries have participated in it, with the award distributing more than Dh67 million in prize money since its first edition. It has also honored 24 individuals and three institutions with the Global Quranic Personality Award in all these years.

"The words of God are light and guidance and mercy.. We have been honouring its memorisers for 29 years and, God willing, we will continue on this path and journey," said Sheikh Mohammed recently, while announcing that winners of this year's prizes will be honoured in Ramadan 2027.

In a historic move in 2025, girls were allowed to participate in the competition for the first time in 27 years, evolving the contest into one of the most prestigious Quranic competitions globally.

Participants must be under 16 years of age at registration and have memorised the Holy Quran with proper recitation and tajweed rules. Those who have reached the finals or been honoured in previous editions are not eligible to compete again.

"Language of the Holy Quran is protected by Allah." This is what Sheikh Mohammed said when he first launched the Mohammed Bin Rashid Award for Arabic Language in 2014.

The contest has attracted more than 163 million students and earned wide recognition across the Arab world.

In 2025, the leader himself was awarded the Sultan Bin Ali Al Owais Cultural Award in its nineteenth cycle, in recognition of his exceptional contributions to culture and knowledge over decades worldwide.

The award aims to highlight modern educational methods, media initiatives, reading promotion, and digital applications that facilitate learning and teaching Arabic.

The UAE government had earlier announced this year it would be rolling out a sweeping set of initiatives between 2026 and 2027, including a dedicated Arabic Language Law, as part of a comprehensive policy to enhance the role and status of the Arabic language across the country.

At a time when the country is pushing to preserve the language among its youth, the award serves as a key initiative in helping uplift its linguistic importance across the region.