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United Arab Emirates national football team

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This article is about the men's team. For the women's team, see United Arab Emirates women's national football team.

United Arab Emirates
Shirt badge/Association crest
Nickname(s)Al Abyad (The Whites)
Eyal Zayed (Sons of Zayed)
AssociationUnited Arab Emirates Football Association (UAE FA)
ConfederationAFC (Asia)
Sub-confederationWAFF (West Asia)
Head coachCosmin Olăroiu
CaptainKhalid Eisa
Most capsAdnan Al Talyani (161)
Top scorerAli Mabkhout (85)
Home stadiumVarious
FIFA codeUAE
First colours
Second colours
FIFA ranking
Current 65 Decrease 2 (3 April 2025)[1]
Highest40 (November – December 1998)
Lowest138 (January 2012)
First international
 United Arab Emirates 1–0 Qatar 
(Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; 17 March 1972)
Biggest win
 Brunei 0–12 United Arab Emirates 
(Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei; 14 April 2001)
Biggest defeat
 United Arab Emirates 0–8 Brazil 
(Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates; 12 November 2005)
World Cup
Appearances1 (first in 1990)
Best resultGroup stage (1990)
Asian Cup
Appearances12 (first in 1980)
Best resultRunners-up (1996)
Arab Cup
Appearances2 (first in 1998)
Best resultFourth place (1998)
Arabian Gulf Cup
Appearances24 (first in 1972)
Best resultChampions (2007, 2013)
Confederations Cup
Appearances1 (first in 1997)
Best resultGroup stage (1997)
Medal record
Men's football
AFC Asian Cup
Silver medal – second place 1996 UAE Team
Bronze medal – third place 2015 Australia Team
Asian Games
Silver medal – second place 2010 Guangzhou Team
Bronze medal – third place 2018 Jakarta Team
Arabian Gulf Cup
Gold medal – first place 2007 UAE Team
Gold medal – first place 2013 Bahrain Team
Silver medal – second place 1986 Bahrain Team
Silver medal – second place 1988 Saudi Arabia Team
Silver medal – second place 1994 UAE Team
Silver medal – second place 2017 Kuwait Team

The United Arab Emirates national football team (Arabic: منتخب الإمَارَاتُ الْعَرَبِيَّةُ الْمُتَّحِدَة لِكُرَّةُ الْقَدَم) represents United Arab Emirates in men's international football and serves under the auspices of the country's Football Association.

It has made one World Cup appearance in 1990 in Italy and lost all three of its games. United Arab Emirates took fourth place in the 1992 AFC Asian Cup and runner-up in 1996 as host. It won the Arabian Gulf Cup in 2007 and 2013. It finished third in the 2015 AFC Asian Cup and hosted the 2019 edition in which it was eliminated in the semi-finals.

History

[edit]

The first match of the team was played on 17 March 1972 against Qatar at Prince Faisal bin Fahd Stadium and won with the only goal scored by Ahmed Chowbi. Then, the team faced three other Arabian countries, losing 4–0 and 7–0 to Saudi Arabia and Kuwait respectively and beating Bahrain 3 to nothing. After participating in four Gulf Cup tournaments since 1972, United Arab Emirates (UAE) hosted the 1982 edition. It again finished third as did in the two previous tournaments.

In 1980, United Arab Emirates first-time qualified for the AFC Asian Cup which was held in Kuwait and were drawn with eventual winners, Kuwait, runner-up South Korea, Malaysia and Qatar in Group B. It drew 1–1 with Kuwait and lost the three other matches and finished in fifth place in the group and ninth (out of ten teams) overall. It also qualified for the next two tournaments, 1984 in Singapore and 1988 in Qatar and was again eliminated in the group stages in both. Its first victory of the tournament occurred against India on 7 December 1984, under manager Heshmat Mohajerani.

In 1984, Mohajerani resigned and was replaced with Carlos Alberto Parreira. Parreira led the team at the 1988 Asian Cup and left his position after the tournament. He was succeeded by Mário Zagallo. Zagallo led the team to the qualification for the 1990 FIFA World Cup in Italy. However, Zagallo resigned before the tournament and Parreira returned. The team finished fourth at the 1990 World Cup's final tournament with no points, scoring two goals and conceding 11 goals. The journey was put into a 2016 documentary titled Lights of Rome.[3] After the tournament, Parreira was sacked.

At the 1992 and 1996 AFC Asian Cups, United Arab Emirates finished fourth and second respectively for the first times. United Arab Emirates appeared in the 1997 FIFA Confederations Cup after being awarded a spot because Saudi Arabia was hosting the games.

United Arab Emirates missed the qualification for the 2000 AFC Asian Cup in Lebanon and finished in last place at the 2002 Arabian Gulf Cup in Saudi Arabia. It was eliminated in the next three Asian Cup tournaments at the group stage. In 2004 and 2007 editions, UAE was all eliminated by the hand to debutants Jordan and Vietnam. In 2011, it finished the tournament goalless. At this time, United Arab Emirates appointed world class coaches like Carlos Queiroz, Roy Hodgson and Dick Advocaat. In 2006, UAE appointed Bruno Metsu as the new manager. He led the Emirates to carry the 2007 Arabian Gulf Cup title.

After hiring foreign coaches, in 2012, United Arab Emirates appointed the Olympic team coach Mahdi Ali as the manager of the senior team. Ali began creating a squad inviting players that he had worked with at the youth level. He led the Emirates to their second Arabian Gulf Cup title in 2013. At the 2015 AFC Asian Cup, United Arab Emirates defeated Qatar 4–1 and Bahrain 2–1 and lost to Iran by a goal. As group runner-up, it faced the defending champions Japan in the quarter-final and earned a victory on penalties to advance to the last four. In the semi-finals, it lost 2–0 to the host Australia. In the third-place play-off, it beat Iraq 3–2. United Arab Emirates qualified through the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification where it finished fourth in Group B thus failing to qualify for the 2018 FIFA World Cup. Ahmed Khalil was a top scorer in the qualification. Around this time Mahdi Ali resigned from his position.[4]

United Arab Emirates then hosted the 2019 AFC Asian Cup, this marked the second time they hosted an AFC Asian Cup. The team had Italian Alberto Zaccheroni as their coach. In the AFC Asian Cup tournament, UAE proceeded to the quarter-finals where it scored its first-ever goal against Australia to gain its first-ever win against this opponent.[5] The semi-finals was between the host and Qatar.[6] Some audiences threw footwear in the pitch after Qatar scored its second goal. UAE lost 0–4 marking its first defeat to Qatar since 2001.

United Arab Emirates joined the second round of 2022 World Cup qualifiers and was placed with all-out Southeast Asian opponents. The team had already appointed the Dutch guider Bert van Marwijk. Bert was sacked after his start undergoing two away losses to Thailand and Vietnam in the qualifiers along his group stage exit in the 24th Arabian Gulf Cup.[7] After this, the Emirates decided to naturalize Argentine Sebastián Tagliabúe, Brazilian Caio Canedo Corrêa and Fábio Virginio de Lima, the three South American players, having never done so since the foundation of the national team.[8] The team then experienced a period of coaching instabilities, with three different coaches, before van Marwijk resumed his duty due to crisis in option. With the COVID-19 pandemic however, the AFC decided the remaining games of the second round would be played in one country,[9][10] and with the UAE chosen to host Group G, they were able to utilize the home-field advantage as the host nation, ultimately u-turned the earlier misery into four consecutive wins to break through into the third round, where they faced its neighbours and the powerhouses Iran and South Korea.[11] In the third round, the UAE failed to produce a promising performance after winning just one out of six first games, a 1–0 away win over Lebanon, drew three and lost two, adding with the UAE's below average performance in the 2021 FIFA Arab Cup despite reaching the quarter-finals, that was enough to sack the Dutch manager van Marwijk yet again.[12][13][14] After inconsistency in performance, the UAE appointed Argentine manager Rodolfo Arruabarrena as coach, and the team's result improved, winning two out of four games, notably an impressive 1–0 home win over already-qualified South Korea, to reach the fourth round, increased hope for the country to qualify for the first-ever World Cup since 1990, where they would face the old foe Australia, whom the UAE defeated in the latest meeting.[15] However, the UAE was unable to utilise their geographical advantage in the playoff in neighbouring Qatar, losing 1–2 to Australia by a thunderous strike at 84' by Ajdin Hrustic to deny the UAE's its potential second appearance; they later stunned South America's rising power Peru to qualify for the edition.[16]

Rivalries

[edit]

UAE's common rivals are Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman, and Iran.[17]

Qatar

[edit]
Main article: Qatar–United Arab Emirates football rivalry

The rivalry with Qatar is a competitive one in the Arabian Gulf Cup meeting in multiple occasions, due to Qatar diplomatic crisis, increasing tensions had been witnessed, with the captain of UAE under-19 youth team refused to shake hands with Qatar's youth captain in 2018 AFC U-19 Championship held in Indonesia; in this tournament, the UAE beat Qatar 2–1 but still crashed out from the group stage while Qatar would recover to qualify for the 2019 FIFA U-20 World Cup.[18] As of 2020, Qatar and UAE have played 31 official matches, most of which was held competitively in the Arabian Gulf Cup, it started off with the United Arab Emirates beating Qatar 1–0. They only played 2 friendly games and the last friendly was held in 2011 which ended with an Emirati victory. In the 2019 AFC Asian Cup, hosted by the UAE, Qatar overran the UAE for the first time since 2001 with the result 4–0, with heavy tensions and violence occurred between two and Emirati supporters cheering anti-Qatari chants.[19]

Saudi Arabia

[edit]

Another major rival the UAE takes on Arabian Gulf Cup many times, the two teams have met in the AFC Asian Cup twice, first in the semi-finals of the 1992 edition which ended in a Saudi victory and second in the final of the 1996 edition in which UAE hosted, the game ended in a goalless draw which meant the game had to be decided in penalties, the game ended with Saudi Arabia taking home their 3rd title with the penalty scoreline being 4–2, this remains the only time the Emirates qualified for the final meanwhile this would also be the last time the Saudis would win an Asian Cup as they would lose the next two finals they qualified for in 2000 and 2007. When the countries meet in qualifier matches, the matchup has been nicknamed "clash of titans" as both countries have been some of the more successful teams in the Arabian Peninsula.[20]

Team image

[edit]

Kit

[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to United Arab Emirates national football team kits.

The UAE's traditional home kit is all-white with some red trim while their away kit is all-red with some white trim, in 2019, the away colors were black for the first time in addition, there were some green trim.

Manufacturer Period
United Kingdom Umbro 1979–1985[21]
United Kingdom Admiral 1986–1989
Germany Adidas 1990–1994
Germany Puma 1995–1996
Spain Kelme 1997–1999
Germany Adidas 2000–2001
United Kingdom Umbro 2002–2005
Germany Adidas 2006–2008
Italy Erreà 2009–2013
Germany Adidas 2014–present

Nickname

[edit]

The United Arab Emirates is known by supporters and the media as Al-Abyad, meaning The Whites which reference to their white jersey and also Eyal Zayed which means Zayed's sons.

In October 2012, the Asian Football Confederation official website published an article about the UAE national team's campaign to qualify for the 2015 AFC Asian Cup, in which the team was referred to using the racial slur "sand monkey". This was the indirect result of vandalism of the Wikipedia article on the team, and the AFC was forced to apologise.[22]

Home stadium

[edit]

As of 2022, UAE has played in 12 home stadiums. Most games have taken place at Zayed Sports City Stadium in Abu Dhabi with Abu Dhabi's Al Jazira Stadium and Hazza Bin Zayed Stadium in Al Ain as other venues.

Home stadiums list
Image Stadium Capacity Location Last match
Zayed Sports City Stadium 43,206 Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi v   Kyrgyzstan
(21 January 2019; 2019 AFC Asian Cup)
Mohammed bin Zayed Stadium 42,056 Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi v   Kyrgyzstan
(14 November 2024; 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification)
Al Nahyan Stadium 12,201 Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi v   Qatar

(19 November 2024; 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification)
Hazza bin Zayed Stadium 25,053 Al Ain, Abu Dhabi v   Australia
(25 January 2019; 2019 AFC Asian Cup)
Tahnoun bin Mohammed Stadium 15,000 Al Ain, Abu Dhabi v   Kuwait
(2 September 2011; 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification)
Sheikh Khalifa International Stadium 12,000 Al Ain, Abu Dhabi v   Australia
(5 January 2011; Friendly)
Zabeel Stadium 8,439 Dubai, Dubai v   Bahrain
(11 June 2024; 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification)
Maktoum bin Rashid Al Maktoum Stadium 12,000 Dubai, Dubai v   Bolivia
(16 November 2018; Friendly)
Al Maktoum Stadium 15,058 Dubai, Dubai v     Nepal
(16 November 2023; 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification)
Rashid Stadium 12,000 Dubai, Dubai v   Jordan
(24 May 2021; Friendly)
Al Awir Stadium 10,000 Al Awir, Dubai v   Uzbekistan
(14 October 2014; Friendly)
Sharjah Stadium 18,000 Sharjah, Sharjah v   Uzbekistan
(28 January 2009; 2011 AFC Asian Cup qualification)

Results and fixtures

[edit]
Main article: United Arab Emirates national football team results (2020–present)

The following is a list of match results in the last 12 months, as well as any future matches that have been scheduled.

  Win   Draw   Loss   Fixture

2024

[edit]
6 June 2024 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification Nepal    0–4  United Arab Emirates Dammam, Saudi Arabia
19:00 UTC+3 Report
Stadium: Prince Mohamed bin Fahd Stadium
Attendance: 2,450
Referee: Payam Heydari (Iran)
11 June 2024 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification United Arab Emirates  1–1  Bahrain Dubai, United Arab Emirates
21:00 UTC+4
Report
Stadium: Zabeel Stadium
Attendance: 953
Referee: Ma Ning (China)
5 September 2024 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification Qatar  1–3  United Arab Emirates Al Rayyan, Qatar
19:00 UTC+3
Report
Stadium: Ahmad bin Ali Stadium
Attendance: 33,952
Referee: Shaun Evans (Australia)
10 September 2024 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification United Arab Emirates  0–1  Iran Al Ain, United Arab Emirates
20:00 UTC+4 Report
Stadium: Hazza bin Zayed Stadium
Attendance: 17,826
Referee: Kim Jong-hyeok (South Korea)
10 October 2024 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification United Arab Emirates  1–1  North Korea Al Ain, United Arab Emirates
20:00 UTC+4
Report
Stadium: Hazza bin Zayed Stadium
Attendance: 8,536
Referee: Adham Makhadmeh (Jordan)
15 October 2024 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification Uzbekistan  1–0  United Arab Emirates Tashkent, Uzbekistan
19:00 UTC+5
Report Stadium: Milliy Stadium
Referee: Ma Ning (China)
14 November 2024 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification United Arab Emirates  3–0  Kyrgyzstan Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
20:15 UTC+4
Report Stadium: Mohammed bin Zayed Stadium
Attendance: 6,238
Referee: Ahmed Al-Kaf (Oman)
19 November 2024 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification United Arab Emirates  5–0  Qatar Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
20:00 UTC+4
Report Stadium: Al Nahyan Stadium
Attendance: 13,825
Referee: Khalid Saleh Al-Turais (Saudi Arabia)
21 December 2024 26th Arabian Gulf Cup Qatar  1–1  United Arab Emirates Kuwait City, Kuwait
--:-- UTC+3
Stadium: Sulaibikhat Stadium
Attendance: 5,007
Referee: István Kovács (Romania)
24 December 2024 26th Arabian Gulf Cup United Arab Emirates  1–2  Kuwait Kuwait City, Kuwait
20:30 UTC+3
Stadium: Jaber Al-Ahmad International Stadium
Attendance: 48,621
Referee: Dahane Beida (Mauritania)
27 December 2024 26th Arabian Gulf Cup United Arab Emirates  1–1  Oman Kuwait City, Kuwait
17:30 UTC+3
Stadium: Sulaibikhat Stadium
Referee: Ammar Mahfoodh (Bahrain)

2025

[edit]
20 March 2025 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification Iran  2–0  United Arab Emirates Tehran, Iran
19:30 UTC+3:30
Report Stadium: Azadi Stadium
Attendance: 20,469
Referee: Ko Hyung-jin (South Korea)
25 March 2025 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification North Korea  1–2  United Arab Emirates Riyadh, Saudi Arabia[note 1]
21:15 UTC+3
Report
Stadium: Prince Faisal bin Fahd Sports City Stadium
Attendance: 223
Referee: Mohammed Al Hoish (Saudi Arabia)
5 June 2025 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification United Arab Emirates  0–0  Uzbekistan Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
20:00 UTC+4 Report Stadium: Al Nahyan Stadium
Attendance: 9,820
Referee: Shaun Evans (Australia)
10 June 2025 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification Kyrgyzstan  1–1  United Arab Emirates Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan
19:45 UTC+6
Report
Stadium: Dolen Omurzakov Stadium
Attendance: 12,258
Referee: Ahmed Al-Ali (Kuwait
October 2025 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification United Arab Emirates  v TBD Qatar/Saudi Arabia
--:--  Stadium: TBD
October 2025 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification TBD v  United Arab Emirates Qatar/Saudi Arabia
--:--  Stadium: TBD
December 2025 2025 FIFA Arab Cup United Arab Emirates  v  Egypt Qatar
--:-- UTC+3
December 2025 2025 FIFA Arab Cup United Arab Emirates  v  Jordan Qatar
--:-- UTC+3
December 2025 2025 FIFA Arab Cup United Arab Emirates  v  Kuwait/ Mauritania Qatar
--:-- UTC+3

Current staff

[edit]
Main article: List of United Arab Emirates national football team managers

Last Update: April 2025[24]

Position Name
Head coach Romania Cosmin Olăroiu
Assistant coach Romania Cătălin Necula
Romania Gabriel Caramarin
United Arab Emirates Yaser Al Saedi
United Arab Emirates Mohamed Al Balooshi
United Arab Emirates Rizwan Chaudhry
Goalkeeping coach Romania Eugen Nae
Fitness coach Brazil Leandro Alub
Scouting Brazil Ferdinando Montebello
Team administrator United Arab Emirates Mohamed Albalooshi
Media coordinator United Arab Emirates Salim Alnaqbi
Doctor Brazil Flavio Cruz
Interpreter United Arab Emirates Hussein Fakih
Match Analyst Canada Karim Tayara
Romania Rareş Ene

Players

[edit]

Current squad

[edit]

The following 27 players were called up for the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification games against Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan on 5 and 10 June 2025.[25]

Caps and goals correct as of 10 June 2025, after the match against Kyrgyzstan.

No. Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club
1 1GK Ali Khasif (1987-06-09) 9 June 1987 (age 38) 73 0 United Arab Emirates Al Jazira
17 1GK Khalid Eisa (captain) (1989-09-15) 15 September 1989 (age 35) 89 0 United Arab Emirates Al Ain
22 1GK Hamad Al-Meqebaali (2003-07-13) 13 July 2003 (age 21) 0 0 United Arab Emirates Shabab Al Ahli
2 2DF Saša Ivković (1993-05-13) 13 May 1993 (age 32) 1 0 United Arab Emirates Al Wahda
3 2DF Lucas Pimenta (2000-07-17) 17 July 2000 (age 24) 4 0 United Arab Emirates Al Wahda
4 2DF Kouame Autonne (2000-09-22) 22 September 2000 (age 24) 10 0 United Arab Emirates Al Ain
12 2DF Khalifa Al Hammadi (1998-11-07) 7 November 1998 (age 26) 53 2 United Arab Emirates Al Jazira
13 2DF Bader Nasser (2001-09-16) 16 September 2001 (age 23) 14 0 United Arab Emirates Shabab Al Ahli
14 2DF Abdulrahman Saleh (2002-10-13) 13 October 2002 (age 22) 3 0 United Arab Emirates Al Wasl
16 2DF Marcus Meloni (2000-06-25) 25 June 2000 (age 25) 10 1 United Arab Emirates Sharjah
19 2DF Alaeddine Zouhir (2000-03-07) 7 March 2000 (age 25) 1 0 United Arab Emirates Al Wahda
5 3MF Mohammed Abdulbasit (1995-10-19) 19 October 1995 (age 29) 6 0 United Arab Emirates Sharjah
6 3MF Abdullah Ramadan (1998-03-07) 7 March 1998 (age 27) 49 1 United Arab Emirates Al Jazira
7 3MF Ali Saleh (2000-01-22) 22 January 2000 (age 25) 43 6 United Arab Emirates Al Wasl
8 3MF Abdulla Hamad (2001-09-18) 18 September 2001 (age 23) 20 0 United Arab Emirates Al Wahda
9 3MF Harib Abdalla (2002-11-26) 26 November 2002 (age 22) 39 8 United Arab Emirates Shabab Al Ahli
10 3MF Yahya Al-Ghassani (1998-04-18) 18 April 1998 (age 27) 32 9 United Arab Emirates Shabab Al Ahli
15 3MF Yahia Nader (1998-09-11) 11 September 1998 (age 26) 21 0 United Arab Emirates Al Ain
21 3MF Luan Pereira (2000-04-21) 21 April 2000 (age 25) 3 0 United Arab Emirates Sharjah
3MF Fábio Lima (1993-06-30) 30 June 1993 (age 32) 40 17 United Arab Emirates Al Wasl
3MF Majed Hassan (1992-08-01) 1 August 1992 (age 32) 69 1 United Arab Emirates Sharjah
11 4FW Caio Canedo (1990-08-09) 9 August 1990 (age 34) 56 10 United Arab Emirates Al Wasl
18 4FW Lithierry (2001-05-14) 14 May 2001 (age 24) 1 0 United Arab Emirates Ajman
20 4FW Álvaro de Oliveira (2001-05-27) 27 May 2001 (age 24) 1 0 United Arab Emirates Al Bataeh
23 4FW Bruno de Oliveira (2001-06-10) 10 June 2001 (age 24) 10 0 United Arab Emirates Al Jazira
4FW Caio Lucas (1994-04-19) 19 April 1994 (age 31) 3 0 United Arab Emirates Sharjah
4FW Junior Ndiaye (2005-03-29) 29 March 2005 (age 20) 0 0 France Montpellier

Recent call-ups

[edit]

The following players have also been called up to the squad within the last 12 months.

Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club Latest call-up
GK Khaled Tawhid (2004-02-16) 16 February 2004 (age 21) 1 0 United Arab Emirates Sharjah v.  Iran, 20 March 2025
GK Adli Mohamed (2004-09-14) 14 September 2004 (age 20) 0 0 United Arab Emirates Al-Nasr v.  Qatar, 19 November 2024 PRE
DF Khaled Ibrahim (1997-01-17) 17 January 1997 (age 28) 24 1 United Arab Emirates Sharjah v.  Uzbekistan, 5 June 2025 SUS
DF Mohammed Al-Attas (1997-08-05) 5 August 1997 (age 27) 33 1 United Arab Emirates Al Jazira v.  North Korea, 25 March 2025
DF Zayed Sultan (2001-04-11) 11 April 2001 (age 24) 14 1 United Arab Emirates Al Jazira v.  Iran, 20 March 2025
DF Abdulla Idrees (1999-08-16) 16 August 1999 (age 25) 19 0 United Arab Emirates Al Nasr v.  Iran, 20 March 2025
DF Khamis Al-Mansoori (2004-01-15) 15 January 2004 (age 21) 0 0 United Arab Emirates Baniyas 26th Arabian Gulf Cup
DF Faris Khalil (2000-10-08) 8 October 2000 (age 24) 0 0 United Arab Emirates Al Wasl 26th Arabian Gulf Cup
DF Khalid Al-Hashemi (1997-03-18) 18 March 1997 (age 28) 16 0 United Arab Emirates Al Ain v.  Qatar, 19 November 2024
MF Tahnoon Al-Zaabi (1999-04-10) 10 April 1999 (age 26) 37 1 United Arab Emirates Al Wahda v.  North Korea, 25 March 2025
MF Isam Faiz (2000-03-06) 6 March 2000 (age 25) 9 0 United Arab Emirates Ajman v.  North Korea, 25 March 2025
MF Mackenzie Hunt (2001-11-14) 14 November 2001 (age 23) 9 0 England Fleetwood Town v.  North Korea, 25 March 2025
MF Jonatas Santos (2001-12-16) 16 December 2001 (age 23) 2 0 United Arab Emirates Al Wasl v.  North Korea, 25 March 2025
MF Majid Rashid (2000-05-16) 16 May 2000 (age 25) 20 0 United Arab Emirates Sharjah 26th Arabian Gulf Cup
MF Mohammed Abbas (2002-09-30) 30 September 2002 (age 22) 9 0 United Arab Emirates Al Ain 26th Arabian Gulf Cup
MF Solomon Sosu (2005-03-05) 5 March 2005 (age 20) 0 0 United Arab Emirates Al Ain 26th Arabian Gulf Cup
MF Ali Salmeen (1995-04-02) 2 April 1995 (age 30) 63 3 United Arab Emirates Al Wasl v.  Uzbekistan, 15 October 2024
MF Hazem Mohammad (2005-03-18) 18 March 2005 (age 20) 4 1 United Arab Emirates Al Ain v.  Bahrain, 11 June 2024
MF Mubarak Beni Zamah (2003-11-29) 29 November 2003 (age 21) 3 0 United Arab Emirates Al Jazira v.  Bahrain, 11 June 2024
FW Sultan Adil (2004-05-04) 4 May 2004 (age 21) 13 7 United Arab Emirates Shabab Al Ahli v.  Uzbekistan, 5 June 2025 SUS
FW Fahad Badr (2001-03-09) 9 March 2001 (age 24) 4 0 United Arab Emirates Baniyas 26th Arabian Gulf Cup
FW Mohammed Jumaa (1997-01-28) 28 January 1997 (age 28) 10 1 United Arab Emirates Shabab Al Ahli v.  Qatar, 5 September 2024 PRE

SUS Suspended
INJ Withdrew from the squad due to an injury
PRE Preliminary squad
RET Retired from international association football

List of UAE squads

[edit]

Player records

[edit]
As of 5 June 2025[26]
Players in bold are still active with United Arab Emirates.

Most appearances

[edit]
Adnan Al-Talyani is United Arab Emirates' most capped player with 161 appearances.
Rank Player Caps Goals Career
1 Adnan Al-Talyani 161 52 1983–1997
2 Ismail Matar 136 36 2003–2021
3 Subait Khater 120 11 1999–2011
4 Ismail Al Hammadi 116 13 2007–2019
Abdulrahim Jumaa 116 13 1998–2009
6 Ali Mabkhout 115 85 2009–2023
7 Zuhair Bakheet 112 27 1988–2002
Abdulsalam Jumaa 112 7 1997–2010
9 Muhsin Musabah 107 0 1988–1999
10 Walid Abbas 106 6 2008–2023

Top goalscorers

[edit]
Ali Mabkhout is United Arab Emirates' top scorer with 85 goals.
Rank Player Goals Caps Ratio Career
1 Ali Mabkhout (list) 85 115 0.74 2009–2023
2 Adnan Al-Talyani 52 161 0.32 1983–1997
3 Ahmed Khalil 48 104 0.46 2008–2019
4 Ismail Matar 36 136 0.26 2003–2021
5 Fahad Khamees 28 68 0.41 1981–1990
Mohammad Omar 28 102 0.27 1996–2009
7 Zuhair Bakheet 27 112 0.24 1988–2002
8 Fabio Lima 17 40 0.43 2020–present
9 Saeed Al Kass 15 60 0.25 1998–2013
10 Faisal Khalil 13 61 0.21 2001–2010
Ismail Al Hammadi 13 116 0.11 2007–2019
Abdulrahim Jumaa 13 116 0.11 1998–2009

Competitive record

[edit]

  Champion    Runners-up    Third place  

Overview
Event 1st Place 2nd Place 3rd Place
AFC Asian Cup 0 1 1
Arabian Gulf Cup 2 4 4
Asian Games 0 1 1
Total 2 6 6

FIFA World Cup

[edit]
Main article: United Arab Emirates at the FIFA World Cup
FIFA World Cup record Qualification record
Year Round Position Pld W D L GF GA Pld W D L GF GA
1930 to 1970 Protectorate of the  United Kingdom Protectorate of the  United Kingdom
West Germany 1974 Not a FIFA member Not a FIFA member
Argentina 1978 Withdrew Withdrew
Spain 1982 Did not enter Did not enter
Mexico 1986 Did not qualify 4 2 1 1 5 4
Italy 1990 Group stage 24th 3 0 0 3 2 11 9 4 4 1 16 7
United States 1994 Did not qualify 8 6 1 1 19 4
France 1998 12 5 4 3 16 13
South Korea Japan 2002 16 7 2 7 31 20
Germany 2006 6 3 1 2 6 6
South Africa 2010 16 4 3 9 19 24
Brazil 2014 8 2 1 5 14 16
Russia 2018 18 9 3 6 35 17
Qatar 2022 19 9 3 7 31 16
Canada Mexico United States 2026 TBD 14 9 2 3 32 9
Morocco Portugal Spain 2030 TBD
Saudi Arabia 2034
Total Group stage 1/12 3 0 0 3 2 11 130 60 25 45 224 136

AFC Asian Cup

[edit]
Main article: United Arab Emirates at the AFC Asian Cup
AFC Asian Cup record Qualification record
Year Round Position Pld W D L GF GA Pld W D L GF GA
Hong Kong 1956 to Thailand 1972 Protectorate of the  United Kingdom Protectorate of the  United Kingdom
Iran 1976 Did not enter Did not enter
Kuwait 1980 Group stage 9th 4 0 1 3 3 9 3 1 2 0 2 0
Singapore 1984 6th 4 2 0 2 3 8 4 3 0 1 24 2
Qatar 1988 8th 4 1 0 3 2 4 5 4 1 0 12 1
Japan 1992 Fourth place 4th 5 1 3 1 3 4 2 2 0 0 6 3
United Arab Emirates 1996 Runners-up 2nd 6 4 2 0 8 3 Qualified as hosts
Lebanon 2000 Did not qualify 4 3 0 1 12 2
China 2004 Group stage 15th 3 0 1 2 1 5 6 4 1 1 13 5
Indonesia Malaysia Thailand Vietnam 2007 12th 3 1 0 2 3 6 6 4 1 1 11 6
Qatar 2011 13th 3 0 1 2 0 4 4 3 0 1 7 1
Australia 2015 Third place 3rd 6 3 1 2 10 8 6 5 1 0 18 3
United Arab Emirates 2019 Third place 4th 6 3 2 1 8 8 Qualified as hosts
Qatar 2023 Round of 16 10th 4 1 2 1 6 5 8 6 0 2 23 7
Saudi Arabia 2027 Qualified 6 5 1 0 16 2
Total Runners-up 12/13 48 16 14 19 47 64 54 40 7 7 144 32

FIFA Confederations Cup

[edit]
FIFA Confederations Cup
Year Round Position Pld W D L GF GA
Saudi Arabia 1992 and Saudi Arabia 1995 Did not qualify
Saudi Arabia 1997 Group stage 6th 3 1 0 2 2 8
Mexico 1999 to Russia 2017 Did not qualify
Total Group stage 6th 3 1 0 2 2 8

Asian Games

[edit]
Asian Games
Year Result M W D L GF GA
1964-1982 Did not enter
South Korea 1986 Quarter-finals 5 3 2 0 7 4
China 1990 Did not enter
Japan 1994 Quarter-finals 4 1 2 1 6 5
Thailand 1998 Group stage 4 1 1 2 5 10
Total Quarter-finals 13 5 5 3 18 19

West Asian Football Federation Championship

[edit]
WAFF Championship record
Year Round Pld W D L GF GA
Jordan 2000 Did not participate
Syria 2002
Iran 2004
Jordan 2007
Iran 2008
Jordan 2010
Kuwait 2012
Qatar 2014
Iraq 2019
Kuwait 2026 Qualified
Total 1/10 - - - - - -

Gulf Cup

[edit]
Gulf Cup
Year Result M W D L GF GA
Saudi Arabia 1972 Third place 3 1 0 2 1 11
Kuwait1974 Fourth place 4 1 1 2 5 9
Qatar 1976 Fifth place 6 0 2 4 4 13
Iraq 1979 Sixth place 6 1 0 5 5 18
United Arab Emirates 1982 Third place 5 3 0 2 7 6
Oman 1984 Fourth place 6 2 3 1 5 4
Bahrain 1986 Runners-up 6 3 2 1 10 7
Saudi Arabia 1988 Runners-up 6 3 2 1 7 4
Kuwait 1990 Fifth place 4 0 2 2 2 8
Qatar 1992 Fourth place 5 3 0 2 4 3
United Arab Emirates 1994 Runners-up 5 3 2 0 7 1
Oman 1996 Fourth place 5 1 3 1 5 5
Bahrain 1998 Third place 5 2 1 2 5 7
Saudi Arabia 2002 Sixth place 5 1 0 4 3 7
Kuwait 2003–04 Fifth place 6 2 1 3 6 7
Qatar 2004 Group stage 3 0 2 1 4 5
United Arab Emirates 2007 Champions 5 4 0 1 8 1
Oman 2009 Group stage 3 1 1 1 3 4
Yemen 2010 Semi-finals 4 1 2 1 3 2
Bahrain 2013 Champions 5 5 0 0 10 3
Saudi Arabia 2014 Third place 5 2 2 1 7 5
Kuwait 2017–18 Runners-up 5 1 4 0 1 0
Qatar 2019 Group Stage 3 1 0 2 5 6
Iraq 2023 Group Stage 3 0 1 2 2 4
Kuwait 2024–25 Group Stage 3 0 2 1 3 4
Saudi Arabia 2026 Qualified
Total Champions 117 41 31 42 122 143

FIFA Arab Cup

[edit]
FIFA Arab Cup
Year Round M W D L GF GA
Lebanon 1963 Did not enter
Kuwait 1964
Iraq 1966
Saudi Arabia 1985
Jordan 1988
Syria 1992
Qatar 1998 Fourth place 4 1 0 3 6 8
Kuwait 2002 Did not enter
2009 Cancelled
Saudi Arabia 2012 Did not enter
Qatar 2021 Quarter-Finals 4 2 0 2 3 7
Qatar 2025 To be determined
Total 2/10 8 3 0 5 9 15

Arab Games

[edit]
Arab Games
Year Round M W D L GF GA
Syria 1976 Did not enter
Morocco 1985 Group stage 3 1 0 2 2 3
Lebanon 1997 Group stage 3 1 0 2 3 5
Jordan 1999 Second round 5 1 2 2 5 5
Egypt 2007 Fourth place 4 1 1 2 3 6
Qatar 2011 Did not enter
Total Fourth place 15 4 3 8 13 19

Other Tournaments

[edit]
Other
Year Round Position GP W D* L GS GA
Libya 1973 Palestine Cup of Nations Group stage 8th 4 0 2 2 3 7
Tunisia 1975 Palestine Cup of Nations Group stage 10th 2 0 0 2 0 8
Malaysia 1981 Merdeka Tournament Fourth place 4th 5 2 0 3 6 10
Malaysia 1982 Merdeka Tournament Group stage 5th 4 1 0 3 5 8
United Arab Emirates 1994 Friendship Tournament Third place 3rd 3 0 1 2 1 3
United Arab Emirates 1996 Friendship Tournament Champions 1st 3 2 1 0 4 2
United Arab Emirates 1998 Friendship Tournament Champions 1st 3 3 0 0 4 1
United Arab Emirates 1999 Friendship Tournament Runner-ups 2nd 3 1 2 0 7 5
Oman 2000 Oman Cup Champions 1st 3 2 1 0 2 1
United Arab Emirates 2000 LG Cup Champions 1st 2 1 1 0 2 1
Japan 2005 Kirin Cup Champions 1st 2 1 1 0 1 0
Switzerland 2005 International Arab Friendly Tournament Runner-ups 2nd 2 0 2 0 1 1
Ghana 2007 Four Nations Tournament Fourth place 4th 2 0 0 2 0 6
United Arab Emirates 2008 Dubai Challenge Cup Fourth place 4th 2 0 1 1 0 1
United Arab Emirates 2009 UAE International Cup Runner-ups 2nd 2 0 1 1 0 1
Saudi Arabia 2013 OSN Cup Champions 1st 2 1 1 0 5 3
Thailand 2016 King's Cup Fourth place 4th 2 0 0 2 1 4
Thailand 2018 King's Cup Fourth place 4th 2 0 0 2 1 3
Total 6 titles 1st 48 14 14 20 43 67

Head-to-head record

[edit]
See also: United Arab Emirates national football team all-time record

As of 10 June 2025[27]

Opponent
 Pld
 W
 D
 L
 GF
 GA
 GD
 Algeria 7 2 2 3 5 5 0
 Andorra 1 0 1 0 0 0 0
 Angola 1 0 0 1 0 2 −2
 Argentina 1 0 0 1 0 5 –5
 Armenia 1 0 0 1 3 4 −1
 Australia 7 1 2 4 2 7 −5
 Azerbaijan 1 0 1 0 3 3 0
 Bahrain 32 14 7 12 53 46 +7
 Bangladesh 5 5 0 0 21 1 +20
 Belarus 2 1 0 1 3 3 0
 Benin 2 0 1 1 0 1 −1
 Bolivia 1 0 1 0 0 0 0
 Brazil 1 0 0 1 0 8 −8
 Brunei 2 2 0 0 16 0 +16
 Bulgaria 6 1 0 5 4 14 −10
 Chile 1 0 0 1 0 2 −2
 China 11 2 5 4 7 17 −10
 Colombia 1 0 0 1 0 2 −2
 Costa Rica 1 1 0 0 4 1 +3
 Czech Republic 2 0 1 1 1 6 −5
 Denmark 1 0 1 0 1 1 0
 Dominican Republic 1 1 0 0 4 0 +4
 Egypt 9 1 4 4 6 10 −4
 Estonia 2 1 1 0 4 3 +1
 Finland 1 0 1 0 1 1 0
 Gabon 1 0 0 1 0 1 −1
 Gambia 1 0 1 0 1 1 0
 Georgia 1 1 0 0 1 0 +1
 Germany[a] 3 0 0 3 3 14 −11
 Haiti 1 0 0 1 0 1 −1
 Honduras 3 0 2 1 1 2 −1
 Hong Kong 4 3 1 0 12 2 +10
 Hungary 2 0 0 2 1 6 −5
 Iceland 3 1 0 2 2 3 −1
 India 14 10 2 2 32 7 +25
 Indonesia 6 4 1 1 18 8 +10
 Iran 21 1 3 17 5 31 −27
 Iraq 30 7 12 11 29 43 −14
 Japan 20 6 8 6 18 22 −4
 Jordan 18 11 4 3 30 15 +15
 Kazakhstan 4 3 0 1 11 6 +5
 Kenya 1 0 1 0 2 2 0
 Kuwait 43 17 8 18 50 75 −25
 Kyrgyzstan 5 4 1 0 11 3 +8
 Laos 3 3 0 0 9 0 +9
 Lebanon 15 10 4 1 27 14 +12
 Libya 4 1 2 1 8 5 +3
 Lithuania 1 0 1 0 1 1 0
 Malaysia 12 10 0 2 32 7 +25
 Mauritania 1 1 0 0 1 0 +1
 Mali 1 0 1 0 0 0 0
 Malta 2 0 2 0 1 1 0
 Mexico 1 0 1 0 2 2 0
 Moldova 1 1 0 0 3 2 +1
 Morocco 4 1 3 0 4 3 +1
 Myanmar 2 2 0 0 3 0 +3
   Nepal 3 3 0 0 19 0 +19
 New Zealand 2 2 0 0 3 0 +3
 Niger 1 1 0 0 4 0 +4
 North Korea 13 4 5 4 11 13 −2
 Norway 3 0 2 1 2 5 −3
 Oman 33 15 12 6 45 24 +21
 Pakistan 5 5 0 0 17 4 +13
 Palestine 6 2 3 1 7 3 +4
 Paraguay 2 0 1 1 0 1 –1
 Peru 1 0 1 0 0 0 0
 Philippines 1 1 0 0 4 0 +4
 Poland 3 0 0 3 2 10 −8
 Qatar 35 12 9 14 44 47 −3
 Romania 1 1 0 0 2 1 +1
 Russia 1 0 0 1 0 1 −1
 Saudi Arabia 36 8 8 20 27 51 −24
 Serbia[b] 1 0 0 1 1 4 −3
 Senegal 4 1 2 1 7 8 −1
 Singapore 6 5 1 0 16 5 +11
 Slovakia 3 0 0 3 2 5 −3
 Slovenia 2 0 2 0 3 3 0
 South Africa 1 1 0 0 1 0 +1
 South Korea 23 3 6 14 17 42 −25
 Sri Lanka 8 8 0 0 35 3 +32
 Sudan 2 2 0 0 6 2 +4
 Sweden 2 1 0 1 2 3 −1
  Switzerland 4 2 0 2 3 4 −1
 Syria 24 13 8 3 37 18 +19
 Tajikistan 3 1 2 0 4 3 +1
 Thailand 13 8 3 2 21 12 +9
 Timor-Leste 2 2 0 0 9 0 +9
 Togo 2 1 0 1 3 5 −2
 Trinidad and Tobago 2 0 1 1 3 5 −2
 Tunisia 5 0 0 5 2 10 −8
 Turkmenistan 4 2 1 1 9 4 +5
 Ukraine 1 0 1 0 1 1 0
 Uruguay 1 0 0 1 0 2 −2
 Uzbekistan 19 9 5 5 25 20 +5
 Venezuela 2 0 0 2 0 6 −6
 Vietnam 7 5 0 2 16 6 +10
 Yemen[c] 15 12 0 3 34 14 +20
Total 630 259 163 211 895 759 +136
  1. ^ Includes matches against West Germany.
  2. ^ Includes matches against Yugoslavia.
  3. ^ Includes matches against North Yemen.

Honours

[edit]

Continental

[edit]

Regional

[edit]

Friendly

[edit]

Summary

[edit]

Only official honours are included, according to FIFA statutes (competitions organized/recognized by FIFA or an affiliated confederation).

Senior Competition 1st place, gold medalist(s) 2nd place, silver medalist(s) 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) Total
AFC Asian Cup 0 1 1 2
Total 0 1 1 2

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ North Korea chose Riyadh as their home site for their match against the United Arab Emirates due to "security concerns".[23]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "The FIFA/Coca-Cola Men's World Ranking". FIFA. 3 April 2025. Retrieved 3 April 2025.
  2. ^ Elo rankings change compared to one year ago. "World Football Elo Ratings". eloratings.net. 6 July 2025. Retrieved 6 July 2025.
  3. ^ "UAE's 1990 World Cup journey now a documentary". Gulf News. 30 November 2016. Archived from the original on 28 April 2019. Retrieved 11 February 2019.
  4. ^ "Mahdi Ali resigns as UAE's World Cup ends with a defeat". The National. 28 March 2018. Archived from the original on 22 March 2019. Retrieved 22 March 2019.
  5. ^ "Australia out of Asian Cup as UAE pounce on Milos Degenek error". TheGuardian.com. 25 January 2019. Archived from the original on 3 February 2019. Retrieved 10 February 2019.
  6. ^ "AFC Asian Cup: UAE-Qatar match tickets sell like hot cakes". Archived from the original on 12 February 2019. Retrieved 10 February 2019.
  7. ^ "UAE fires coach Van Marwijk after Qatar defeat". euronews. 5 December 2019. Archived from the original on 26 February 2021. Retrieved 5 December 2019.
  8. ^ "Why foreign footballers are getting UAE passports". gulfnews. Archived from the original on 15 June 2020. Retrieved 27 January 2020.
  9. ^ "AFC confirm hub venues for 2022 World Cup qualifiers". ESPN.com. 12 March 2021. Retrieved 21 December 2023.
  10. ^ "AFC announces centralized World Cup and Asian Cup qualifiers with Arab nations hosting five groups". Arab News PK. 12 March 2021. Retrieved 21 December 2023.
  11. ^ McAuley, John (15 June 2021). "UAE advance to 2022 World Cup qualification third round after crucial win over Vietnam". The National. Retrieved 21 December 2023.
  12. ^ "Group A: UAE beat Lebanon for first win". Archived from the original on 13 November 2022. Retrieved 20 June 2022.
  13. ^ "UAE crash out of Fifa Arab Cup with 5-0 quarter-final defeat in Qatar". 11 December 2021. Archived from the original on 29 May 2022. Retrieved 20 June 2022.
  14. ^ "Dutchman van Marwijk fired as UAE coach for second time". Reuters. 12 February 2022. Archived from the original on 21 May 2022. Retrieved 20 June 2022.
  15. ^ "Football: UAE stun South Korea to earn World Cup playoff with Australia | the Straits Times". 30 March 2022. Archived from the original on 20 June 2022. Retrieved 20 June 2022.
  16. ^ "United Arab Emirates 1-2 Australia: World Cup 2022 qualifying playoff – as it happened". TheGuardian.com. 7 June 2022. Archived from the original on 20 June 2022. Retrieved 20 June 2022.
  17. ^ Dorsey, James M. (29 July 2013). "Gulf rivalry between Iran, UAE transferred to the football pitch". Hurriyet Daily. Archived from the original on 11 April 2021. Retrieved 10 September 2019.
  18. ^ "Political tension spills on the pitch between UAE and Qatar in AFC U19". foxnews. 18 October 2018. Archived from the original on 9 April 2019. Retrieved 3 November 2018.
  19. ^ "UAE fans throw shoes and bottles at "Qatari" players". 27 January 2019. Archived from the original on 30 July 2021. Retrieved 4 March 2019.
  20. ^ Prashant, N. D. "UAE take on Saudi Arabia in clash of titans". gulfnews.com. Archived from the original on 31 August 2021. Retrieved 17 June 2021.
  21. ^ "old united arab emirates football shirts". oldfootballshirts. Archived from the original on 16 January 2021. Retrieved 27 December 2020.
  22. ^ Bailey, Ryan (15 October 2012). "Asian Football Confederation apologize for calling UAE national team 'Sand Monkeys'". Yahoo Sports. Archived from the original on 25 March 2014. Retrieved 21 June 2020.
  23. ^ "North Korea v UAE to be held in Riyadh". Gulf News. 6 March 2025. Retrieved 13 March 2025.
  24. ^ Officials
  25. ^ "Cosmin Olaroiu selects 27 players in his UAE squad ahead of June's FIFA World Cup 2026 Qualifiers against Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan" (Tweet). Twitter.com. UAE NT. Retrieved 26 May 2025.
  26. ^ Roberto Mamrud; Karel Stokkermans. "United Arab Emirates – Record International Players". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 9 July 2022. Retrieved 5 April 2012.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  27. ^ "World Football Elo Ratings: United Arab Emirates". Eloratings.net. 5 January 2019. Archived from the original on 27 March 2019. Retrieved 5 January 2019.
  28. ^ "Friendship Tournament 2000 (UAE)". Archived from the original on 3 February 2023. Retrieved 3 February 2023.
  29. ^ "Oman International Tournament 2000". Archived from the original on 8 February 2023. Retrieved 3 February 2023.
[edit]
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