Mr. Rana Vig reports

META CRITICAL MINERALS RECEIVES DRILL PERMIT FOR ADVANCED ARCADIA CRITICAL MINERALS PROJECT IN WYOMING

Meta Critical Minerals Inc. has received approval to proceed with a 10,500-foot (3,200-metre) drill program at the Dugout Creek deposit, part of the company's advanced-stage Arcadia project in Washakie county, Wyoming.

The Dugout Creek deposit is in the southeastern Bighorn basin, where it crops out along a series of dissected mesas. In both areal extent and tonnage, Dugout Creek is the largest known Cretaceous heavy-mineral sandstone in Wyoming (Lichtner et al., 2023, pages 59 to 60).

Previous drilling and groundwork have identified the outcropping mineralization strike length of over two miles on the property. The basal contact of this deposit is gradational, making the actual thickness difficult to determine. In some places, the heavy-mineral-bearing interval is over seven metres thick. Houston and Murphy (1962) estimated a range of thickness of between 3.0 and 4.6 metres (between 10 and 15 feet) (Houston and Murphy, 1962, pages 82 to 88).

Access to the property is an easy drive to all proposed drill sites from the state highway.

Highlights:

• Drilling plan: A 10,500-foot drill program of approximately 53 air rotary holes and 19 diamond core holes is planned in a grid-based program at Dugout Creek.
• Permitted and bonded: BLM (Bureau of Land Management) approval has been received, and a $52,800 (U.S.) reclamation bond has been posted with the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality (WDEQ) covering the planned surface disturbance.
• Fully financed: Meta has the funds in treasury to execute the planned 2026 Dugout Creek drill program without requiring additional financing.
• Clear resource definition objective: Drilling is designed to provide the technical data required to support a maiden mineral resource estimate in accordance with National Instrument 43-101, with the objective of defining resources in the indicated category, where drill density, continuity, data quality and results support such classification.
• BRS Engineering appointed: The Wyoming-based engineering and geological firm will manage the drill program and co-ordinate the technical work required to advance Arcadia through resource definition and toward economic evaluation.
• Substantial historical foundation: More than 60 historical drill holes totalling over 7,000 feet (2,134 metres), together with metallurgical testing, mineralogical studies, geophysical work, environmental baseline studies and preliminary mine planning, have previously been completed at Arcadia.
• Metallurgical advancement: The program is also designed to collect sufficient material for further bulk metallurgical testing.
• Near-term results: Initial assay results are expected during the fourth quarter of 2026.

The U.S. Department of the Interior (Bureau of Land Management) has approved the company's notice to conduct exploratory drilling for heavy minerals within unpatented mining claims on BLM-administered public lands.

Meta has engaged Wyoming-based BRS Engineering to design and manage the next phase of technical work at Arcadia. The planned drilling program is intended to confirm and expand upon the substantial body of historical work already completed at Dugout Creek and generate the geological, density, metallurgical and other technical data required to support the preparation of a maiden mineral resource estimate in accordance with NI 43-101, with the objective of subsequently advancing the project toward a preliminary economic assessment.

The planned 2026 drill program is fully financed from the company's existing treasury. The selected drilling contractor is expected to mobilize to site shortly, with the first hole currently scheduled to be collared during the third week of October, 2026.

Rana Vig, chief executive officer of Meta Critical Minerals, commented: "Receipt of the drill permit marks an important milestone for Arcadia and allows us to begin the next phase of advancing what is already a well-developed critical minerals project. With more than 60 historical drill holes, metallurgical testing, mineralogical studies and preliminary mine planning already completed, we are not starting from the beginning. This 10,500-foot program is designed to build upon that extensive body of historical work, confirm and expand our understanding of Dugout Creek, and provide the modern technical data required to support a maiden mineral resource estimate. Our objective is very clear: systematically advance Arcadia through resource definition and into economic evaluation through a preliminary economic assessment.

"We are also very pleased to have the highly experienced team at BRS Engineering managing this work. Their extensive experience in Wyoming, together with their capabilities in resource estimation, mine planning, permitting and economic studies, provides Meta with a highly qualified technical team to advance Arcadia through its next stages."

Arcadia project -- Wyoming, United States: zirconium/titanium/rare earth elements

Arcadia is an advanced-stage critical minerals project comprising approximately 4,480 acres of land claims and state leases in Wyoming and hosts two principal near-surface, heavy-mineral sand deposits known as Grass Creek (1,380 acres) and Dugout Creek (3,100 acres). The deposits contain zircon, titanium-bearing ilmenite and rare-earth-element-bearing monazite. The Grass Creek deposit is among the largest high-grade Cretaceous paleoplacers known in Wyoming (Lichtner et al., 2023, pages 59 to 60). Historical work at Grass Creek has reported average zircon grades of approximately 2.2 per cent ZrSiO4 (zirconium silicate). Dow and Batty (1961) analyzed a composite of nine samples, which contained 21.5 per cent TiO2 (titanium dioxide), 20.9 per cent iron, 3.0 per cent ZrO2 (zirconium dioxide) and 0.09 per cent equivalent ThO2 (thorium dioxide) at Grass Creek. The deposits also contain monazite, a source of rare earth elements used in applications including permanent magnets, defence systems and nuclear energy. Substantial historical technical work has been completed at Arcadia, including more than 7,000 feet (2,134 metres) of drilling across more than 60 holes (including 30 holes drilled at Grass Creek), together with metallurgical testing, mineralogical studies, geophysical surveys, environmental baseline work and preliminary open-pit production modelling.

The company believes this extensive body of historical information provides a strong technical foundation from which to undertake the confirmatory and infill work required to advance Arcadia toward a maiden mineral resource estimate in accordance with NI 43-101and subsequent economic evaluation.

Historical information

Certain drilling, grade, metallurgical and other technical information relating to Arcadia contained in this news release is historical in nature. No mineral resource or mineral reserve is currently being reported by the company for the Arcadia project. A qualified person has not completed sufficient work to independently verify all historical drilling, assay, metallurgical and other technical information described in this news release.

The planned confirmatory and infill drilling program is intended, in part, to verify and supplement the historical data and provide information suitable for use in the preparation of a maiden mineral resource estimate and related technical disclosure in accordance with NI 43-101.

Sampling and quality assurance/quality control

Detailed sampling, analytical and quality assurance/quality control procedures for the 2026 drilling program will be established in consultation with BRS Engineering and the company's qualified person. The company will provide additional details regarding the analytical laboratory, sampling intervals, analytical methods and QA/QC protocols as the drilling program progresses.

The company also announces that it has granted an aggregate of 5.7 million stock options to certain advisers and consultants of the company pursuant to the company's omnibus equity incentive plan. The stock options vest immediately and are exercisable at a price of 15 cents per share and will expire five years from the date of grant. The grant of the stock options is subject to acceptance by the Canadian Securities Exchange.

Qualified person

The scientific and technical information contained in this news release has been reviewed and approved by Ted Vander Wart, PGeo, a consultant to the company and a qualified person as defined under NI 43-101, Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects.

About Meta Critical Minerals Inc.

Meta Critical Minerals is a well-financed, publicly listed mining company focused on building shareholder value through the acquisition, exploration and development of strategically located critical-mineral assets. The company is advancing a portfolio of projects targeting silica (silicon), zircon (zirconium), titanium, scandium, vanadium and rare earth elements, commodities that are essential to advanced manufacturing, defence systems, green power generation and electrification, and emerging technologies. Meta's assets are located in jurisdictions characterized by strong and growing demand for critical minerals, spanning Canada, the United States and central-east Asia. The company's strategy emphasizes near-term production potential, disciplined capital allocation and the development of assets capable of supporting a transition to cash-flow-generating operations, with the objective of delivering sustainable long-term value to shareholders, host communities and regional stakeholders.

We seek Safe Harbor.