Abu Dhabi, UAE — Abu Dhabi developers are expanding branded residential offerings as off-plan activity regains momentum ahead of 2026, even as supply visibility tightens in key lifestyle districts. Yas Island, which already carries a significant share of upcoming inventory, is emerging as a testing ground for how branded residences perform in a more crowded pipeline.
Ohana Development has signed an agreement with Manchester City F.C. to develop Manchester City Yas Residences by Ohana along Abu Dhabi’s Yas Canal waterfront. The project spans 1.67 million square metres and adds a new sports-branded residential format to the island’s off-plan mix.
According to disclosures, the development will comprise a range of apartments, including one- to three-bedroom units, penthouses, villas and townhouses, positioned within one of Abu Dhabi’s most active residential and leisure corridors. The partnership aligns a globally recognised football brand with a waterfront residential setting that has increasingly attracted both regional and international buyers.
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Husein Salem, CEO of Ohana Development, said the agreement reflects the company’s longer-term commitment to Abu Dhabi, noting that Manchester City’s global stature and modern outlook align with Ohana’s ambition to deliver future-ready residential communities. His comments underscore how developers are increasingly using brand partnerships to differentiate product as competition within prime locations intensifies.
From the club’s perspective, Ferran Soriano, Chief Executive Officer of City Football Group, said the project represents a distinct way of extending Manchester City’s brand into residential real estate. He added that Ohana’s experience working with global brands was a key factor in translating club identity into a design-led residential environment.
Market Context
Abu Dhabi’s off-plan segment is expected to account for the bulk of new residential transactions in 2026, following a softer cycle in 2025. According to Knight Frank, Yas Island alone has more than 8,000 units in the development pipeline, with apartments representing the majority of future deliveries across the capital.
Branded residences have gained traction across the UAE, particularly in Dubai, where transaction volumes rose sharply in late 2024. Abu Dhabi has followed a more measured trajectory, with average residential prices still estimated to be around 30% below comparable Dubai benchmarks, supporting its positioning as a relative value market for international buyers.
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Within this context, the addition of a football-branded residential scheme reflects a broader effort to diversify demand drivers beyond traditional hospitality-linked brands. The key question for investors is whether brand affiliation alone can sustain pricing power as delivery volumes rise.
Investor Lens
For investors, off-plan demand on Yas Island continues to be supported by infrastructure depth, leisure assets and population growth. However, increasing supply concentration introduces execution and absorption considerations, particularly as multiple projects target similar buyer profiles.
Indian and NRI investors, in particular, continue to evaluate Abu Dhabi against Dubai on an entry-price basis. Knight Frank estimates that apartments and villas in Abu Dhabi trade at lower per-square-foot levels than Dubai equivalents, while rupee-dirham stability supports capital planning for overseas buyers.
Rental performance, however, may face pressure as secondary stock expands. Recent market data suggests rental growth is moderating in prime Abu Dhabi locations, with absorption rates remaining healthy but increasingly sensitive to delivery timing and unit differentiation.
Risks and Constraints
Yas Island’s growing concentration of off-plan supply raises absorption risks if broader market momentum softens post-2026. Construction timelines for Manchester City Yas Residences have not yet been disclosed, adding an execution variable at a time when more than 33,000 residential units are expected to be delivered across Abu Dhabi by 2029.
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As with other branded developments, investors will need to assess whether branding translates into sustained rental premiums or resale liquidity once projects enter the secondary market.
What To Watch Next
Market participants will be closely monitoring transaction volumes and pricing performance across Yas Island launches in early 2026, alongside broader off-plan absorption trends in Abu Dhabi. Delivery schedules and construction progress will also be key indicators of how supply pressure evolves over the next cycle.
The Manchester City-branded development reflects Abu Dhabi’s willingness to experiment with non-hospitality branding in residential formats as the market deepens. For investors, the opportunity sits at the intersection of branding appeal and supply discipline. End-users may be drawn to the lifestyle positioning of Yas Island, while Indian and NRI buyers will continue to benchmark value, liquidity and execution certainty against Dubai and other regional markets.
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