A UAE fan cheers on her team during the 2007 Gulf Cup

Abu Dhabi, capital of the UAE, is hosting the tournament from December 9-19.

The competition will pit continental champions against each other, including Barcelona and local team Al Ahli.

Buoyed by a six-year oil boom, rich Gulf states have ramped up efforts to attract international sport events and have bought into major soccer clubs, as they look to build a global profile and diversify their economies away from oil or tourism.

Conservative social mores, however, reinforced by religious strictures, have kept women's participation in sports lower than in other regions in the world.

Extra efforts

"We are making extra efforts to attract the local women to attend the matches," Mohammed Ibrahim al-Mahmood, secretary general of the Abu Dhabi Sports Council (ADSC), said.

"We experienced from local matches that there is this interest from the ladies but we also have to look at the traditional aspects."

Organisers have introduced family packages and tickets for as little as 10 dirhams ($2.72) to attract as many fans as possible, and boost the region's credentials as a potential host for bigger global events in future.

Earlier this year Dubai, one of the UAE's seven states, said it was studying a possible bid for the 2020 Olympics.

Abu Dhabi's Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed al Nahyan has pumped millions of dollars into Manchester City since buying the English Premier League club in 2008, while Sulaiman al-Fahim, another UAE investor, completed a takeover of Portsmouth last week.

Qatar launched its bid for the 2022 World Cup finals in May, saying that its vision of the tournament would help bring together the West and the Middle East.

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