The DP World Tour play-offs will get underway at Yas Links for the 2026 Abu Dhabi Championship.The leading players on the Race to Dubai will head to the UAE for the season-ending events, starting next week.McIlroy and Rahm will face off at Yas LinksGettyRory McIlroy and Jon Rahm will be involved as both look to win this prestigious title for the first time.Aaron Rai won the tournament last year, beating fellow Englishman Tommy Fleetwood in a playoff.McIlroy will be hoping for a big week as the Race to Dubai heats up.The Grand Slam champion needs a successful end to the year if he is to leapfrog his rivals and claim a record-equaling eighth Order of Merit title.There have been rumours that the DP World Tour play-offs could be moved due to the political tensions in the Middle East but the Abu Dhabi Championship is set to go ahead as planned.Abu Dhabi Championship: Dates and how to followThe 2026 Abu Dhabi Championship is taking place from Thursday, November 5 to Sunday, November 8.It is being held at Yas Links Golf Club – the course is a par 72 and has a modest yardage of 7,425 yards.The action will get up and running at around 4am UK time each day.Sky Sports Golf will broadcast the action throughout the week with their coverage starting at 4am each day.Fans can also keep across the action with live updates on talkSPORT during all four days.Rai won the Abu Dhabi Championship last yearAFPAbu Dhabi Championship: Field and leaderboardMcIlroy and Rahm have confirmed their places in the field and will headline the action.Also teeing it up is current PGA Championship winner Rai and Race to Dubai leader Eugenio Chacarra.Patrick Reed and Casey Jarvis, who are also high up in the Order of Merit standings, will be in action again too.The top 75 in the R2D rankings will earn a place in the field.That currently includes the likes of Fleetwood, Ryan Fox, Matt Fitzpatrick, Shane Lowry, Min Woo Lee, Adam Scott, Tyrrell Hatton, Robert MacIntyre and Justin Rose.Other star names set to be involved are Si Woo Kim, Ryan Gerard, Ludvig Aberg and Alex Fitzpatrick.The full field, tee times and groupings can be found here while the latest leaderboard will follow.This event has a total purse of $9million with $1.5m going to the champion.The top 50 in the Race to Dubai standings after the Yas Links action is done will earn a place in the season-ending DP World Tour Championship at Jumeirah Golf Estates the following week.McIlroy has always enjoyed playing in the UAEGettyAbu Dhabi Championship: What has been said?McIlroy and Rahm both have brilliant records in the Middle East and are excited to fight for both titles this November.McIlroy said: “The Abu Dhabi Championship is always one of the tournaments I look forward to.“Abu Dhabi is a fantastic place to visit, Yas Links is always in immaculate condition, and the atmosphere throughout the week makes it a special event.“I’ve finished runner-up here four times, so I’d obviously love to go one better and finally win it. I really enjoy finishing my season in the UAE, and hopefully I can have a strong week and put myself in a position to win another Race to Dubai title.”Rahm added: “I’ve had some of the best weeks of my career in the UAE, so I’m really looking forward to playing in Abu Dhabi for the first time.“I’ve heard great things about Yas Links, and I’m looking forward to playing there. It’ll be great to get started in Abu Dhabi before heading to Dubai the following week.”