United Arab Emirates national football team

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

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)
AssociationUAE Football Association
ConfederationAFC (Asia)
Sub-confederationWAFF (West Asia)
Head coachPaulo Bento
CaptainWalid Abbas
Most capsAdnan Al Talyani (161)
Top scorerAli Mabkhout (88)
Home stadiumVarious
FIFA codeUAE
First colours
Second colours
FIFA ranking
Current 70 Increase 2 (21 September 2023)[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
Appearances10 (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)
FIFA Confederations Cup
Appearances1 (first in 1997)
Best resultGroup stage (1997)
Medal record
Men's football
AFC Asian Cup
Silver medal – second place1996 UAETeam
Bronze medal – third place2015 AustraliaTeam
Asian Games
Silver medal – second place2010 GuangzhouTeam
Bronze medal – third place2018 JakartaTeam
Arabian Gulf Cup
Gold medal – first place2007 UAETeam
Gold medal – first place2013 BahrainTeam
Silver medal – second place1986 BahrainTeam
Silver medal – second place1988 Saudi ArabiaTeam
Silver medal – second place1994 UAETeam
Silver medal – second place2017 KuwaitTeam

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

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.[2] 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.[3]

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.[4] The semi-finals was between the host and Qatar.[5] 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.[6] 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.[7] 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, and the United Arab Emirates were able to utilise the 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.[8] 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.[9][10][11] 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.[12] 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.[13]

World class coaches that have managed UAE in the past
Carlos Queiroz(1998–1999) Roy Hodgson(2002–2004) Dick Advocaat(2005) Bert van Marwijk

(2019, 2020–2022)

Rivalries

UAE's common rivals are Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman, and Iran.[14]

Qatar
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.[15] 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.[16]

Saudi Arabia

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.[17]

Team image

Kit
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[18]
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

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.[19]

Home stadium

As of 2022, UAE has played in 11 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   Argentina
(16 November 2022; Friendly)
Al Nahyan Stadium 12,201 Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi v   Thailand
(28 March 2023; Friendly)
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   Gambia
(29 May 2022; Friendly)
Maktoum bin Rashid Al Maktoum Stadium 12,000 Dubai, Dubai v   Bolivia
(16 November 2018; Friendly)
Al Maktoum Stadium 15,058 Dubai, Dubai v   Lebanon
(17 October 2023; Friendly)
Rashid Stadium 12,000 Dubai, Dubai v   Jordan
(24 May 2021; Friendly)
Sharjah Stadium 18,000 Sharjah, Sharjah v   Uzbekistan
(28 January 2009; 2011 AFC Asian Cup qualification)

Results and fixtures
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

2022
16 November 2022 (2022-11-16) Friendly United Arab Emirates  0–5  Argentina Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
19:30 UTC+4 Report
Stadium: Mohammed bin Zayed Stadium
Referee: Ibrahim Nour El Din (Egypt)
19 November 2022 (2022-11-19) Friendly United Arab Emirates  2–1  Kazakhstan Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
19:30 UTC+4
Report
Stadium: Al Nahyan Stadium
Referee: Mahmoud El Banna (Egypt)
30 December 2022 Friendly United Arab Emirates  1–0  Lebanon Dubai, United Arab Emirates
19:30 UTC+4
Report Stadium: Al Maktoum Stadium
Referee: Qasim Matar Al Hatmi (Oman)

2023
7 January 2023 (2023-01-07) 25th Arabian Gulf Cup Bahrain  2–1  United Arab Emirates Basra, Iraq
16:15 UTC+3
Report
Stadium: Al-Minaa Olympic Stadium
Referee: Ahmed Al-Kaf (Oman)
10 January 2023 (2023-01-10) 25th Arabian Gulf Cup United Arab Emirates  0–1  Kuwait Basra, Iraq
16:15 UTC+3 Report
Stadium: Al-Minaa Olympic Stadium
Referee: Shukri Al-Hanfoush (Saudi Arabia)
13 January 2023 (2023-01-13) 25th Arabian Gulf Cup Qatar  1–1  United Arab Emirates Basra, Iraq
18:00 UTC+3
Report
Stadium: Al-Minaa Olympic Stadium
Referee: Ali Sabah (Iraq)
25 March 2023 Friendly United Arab Emirates  0–0  Tajikistan Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
22:00 UTC+4 Report Stadium: Al Nahyan Stadium
Referee: Ammar Ashkanani (Kuwait)
28 March 2023 Friendly United Arab Emirates  2–0  Thailand Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
22:00 UTC+4
Report Stadium: Al Nahyan Stadium
Referee: Saud Al Samhan (Kuwait)
12 September 2023 Friendly Costa Rica  1–4  United Arab Emirates Zagreb, Croatia
17:00 UTC+2
Report
Stadium: Maksimir Stadium
Referee: Ante Čulina (Croatia)
12 October 2023 Friendly United Arab Emirates  1–0  Kuwait Dubai, United Arab Emirates
21:00 UTC+4
  • Al-Zaabi 27'
 Report Stadium: Al Maktoum Stadium
Referee: Ibrahim Nour (Egypt)
17 October 2023 Friendly United Arab Emirates  2–1  Lebanon Dubai, United Arab Emirates
20:00 UTC+4
Report
Stadium: Al Maktoum Stadium
Referee: Mohamed Adel (Egypt)
16 November 2023 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification United Arab Emirates  v    Nepal Dubai, United Arab Emirates
19:45 UTC+4 Report Stadium: Al Maktoum Stadium
21 November 2023 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification Bahrain  v  United Arab Emirates Riffa, Bahrain
19:45 UTC+3 Report Stadium: Bahrain National Stadium

2024
14 January 2024 Asian Cup United Arab Emirates  v  Hong Kong Al Rayyan, Qatar
17:30 UTC+3 Stadium: Khalifa International Stadium
18 January 2024 Asian Cup Palestine  v  United Arab Emirates Al Wakrah, Qatar
20:30 UTC+3 Stadium: Al Janoub Stadium
23 January 2024 Asian Cup Iran  v  United Arab Emirates Al Rayyan, Qatar
18:00 UTC+3 Stadium: Education City Stadium
21 March 2024 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification United Arab Emirates  v  Yemen United Arab Emirates
TBD
26 March 2024 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification Yemen  v  United Arab Emirates TBD
TBD
6 June 2024 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification Nepal    v  United Arab Emirates Nepal
TBD
11 June 2024 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification United Arab Emirates  v  Bahrain United Arab Emirates
TBD

Current staff
Main article: List of United Arab Emirates national football team managers

Last Update: July 2023

Position Name
Head coach Portugal Paulo Bento
Assistant coach United Arab Emirates Saleem Abdulrahman
Portugal Sergio Costa
Portugal Filipe Coelho
Goalkeeping coach Portugal Vitor Silvestre
Fitness coach Portugal Pedro Pereira
Interpreter Morocco Anass Elmakhtoum
Doctor Croatia Zoran Stankovic
Mental coach Belgium Guy Kiala
Physiotherapist Brazil Leandro Suzuki
Brazil Bruno Gilberto Melo
Match Analyst Canada Karim Tayara

Players

Current squad
  • The following players were called up for the friendly matches.
  • Match dates: 12 – 17 October 2023
  • Opposition:  Kuwait &  Lebanon
  • Caps and goals correct as of: 17 October 2023, after the match against  Lebanon
No. Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club
1 1GK Ali Khasif (1987-06-09) 9 June 1987 71 0 United Arab Emirates Al Jazira
17 1GK Khalid Eisa (1989-09-15) 15 September 1989 68 0 United Arab Emirates Al Ain
22 1GK Khaled Tawhid (2004-02-16) 16 February 2004 0 0 United Arab Emirates Sharjah
2 2DF Abdulla Idrees (1999-08-16) 16 August 1999 5 0 United Arab Emirates Al Jazira
3 2DF Abdullah Al-Hashmi (2001-01-19) 19 January 2001 0 0 United Arab Emirates Al Jazira
4 2DF Khalid Al-Hashemi (1997-03-18) 18 March 1997 7 0 United Arab Emirates Al Ain
12 2DF Khalifa Al Hammadi (1998-11-07) 7 November 1998 35 0 United Arab Emirates Al Jazira
15 2DF Yahia Nader (1998-09-11) 11 September 1998 4 0 United Arab Emirates Al Ain
19 2DF Khaled Ibrahim (1997-01-17) 17 January 1997 11 0 United Arab Emirates Sharjah
24 2DF Zayed Sultan (2001-04-11) 11 April 2001 1 0 United Arab Emirates Al Jazira
25 2DF Abdulrahman Saleh (2002-10-13) 13 October 2002 0 0 United Arab Emirates Al Wasl
3 3MF Ahmed Mahmoud (2001-01-06) 6 January 2001 0 0 United Arab Emirates Al Jazira
5 3MF Ali Salmeen (1995-04-02) 2 April 1995 55 3 United Arab Emirates Al Wasl
6 3MF Majid Rashid (2000-05-16) 16 May 2000 12 0 United Arab Emirates Sharjah
8 3MF Tahnoon Al-Zaabi (1999-04-10) 10 April 1999 21 1 United Arab Emirates Al Wahda
10 3MF Fábio Lima (1993-06-30) 30 June 1993 22 9 United Arab Emirates Al Wasl
18 3MF Abdullah Ramadan (1998-03-07) 7 March 1998 40 0 United Arab Emirates Al Jazira
27 3MF Hazim Abbas (2005-03-18) 18 March 2005 2 0 United Arab Emirates Al Ain
7 4FW Ali Mabkhout (1990-10-05) 5 October 1990 111 88 United Arab Emirates Al Jazira
9 4FW Ali Saleh (2000-01-22) 22 January 2000 30 3 United Arab Emirates Al Wasl
11 4FW Caio Canedo (1990-08-09) 9 August 1990 34 9 United Arab Emirates Al Wasl
14 4FW Mohammed Jumaa (1997-01-28) 28 January 1997 9 1 United Arab Emirates Shabab Al Ahli
16 4FW Eisa Khalfan (2003-03-12) 12 March 2003 0 0 United Arab Emirates Al Ain
20 4FW Yahya Al Ghassani (1998-04-18) 18 April 1998 11 3 United Arab Emirates Shabab Al Ahli
23 4FW Sultan Adil (2004-05-04) 4 May 2004 4 1 United Arab Emirates Kalba

Recent call-ups

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 Adel Al-Hosani (1989-08-23) 23 August 1989 1 0 United Arab Emirates Sharjah v.  Costa Rica, 12 September 2023
GK Khaled Al-Senani (1989-10-04) 4 October 1989 1 0 United Arab Emirates Al Wasl v.  Thailand, 28 March 2023
GK Mohamed Al-Shamsi (1997-01-04) 4 January 1997 5 0 United Arab Emirates Al Wahda v.  Argentina, 16 November 2022
DF Ali Al-Dhanhani (1991-06-01) 1 June 1991 0 0 United Arab Emirates Al Bataeh v.  Kuwait, 17 October 2023
DF Mohammed Al-Attas (1997-08-05) 5 August 1997 25 1 United Arab Emirates Al Jazira v.  Kuwait, 17 October 2023
DF Omar Haikal (2002-11-19) 19 November 2002 0 0 United Arab Emirates Al Wasl v.  Kuwait, 17 October 2023
DF Ahmed Jamil (1999-01-16) 16 January 1999 8 0 United Arab Emirates Shabab Al Ahli v.  Kuwait, 17 October 2023
DF Al Hassan Saleh (1991-06-25) 25 June 1991 12 0 United Arab Emirates Sharjah v.  Costa Rica, 12 September 2023
DF Ahmed Barman (1994-02-05) 5 February 1994 19 1 United Arab Emirates Al Ain v.  Costa Rica, 12 September 2023
DF Bandar Al-Ahbabi (1990-07-09) 9 July 1990 45 2 United Arab Emirates Al Ain v.  Costa Rica, 12 September 2023
DF Walid Abbas (1985-06-11) 11 June 1985 112 6 United Arab Emirates Shabab Al Ahli v.  Costa Rica, 12 September 2023
DF Abdusalam Mohammed (1992-06-19) 19 June 1992 4 1 United Arab Emirates Kalba v.  Thailand, 28 March 2023
DF Abdullah Al Karbi (1998-08-26) 26 August 1998 2 0 United Arab Emirates Al Wahda v.  Thailand, 28 March 2023
DF Abdulaziz Haikal (1990-09-10) 10 September 1990 47 1 United Arab Emirates Shabab Al Ahli v.  Thailand, 28 March 2023
DF Khaled Ibrahim (1997-01-17) 17 January 1997 9 0 United Arab Emirates Sharjah v.  Qatar, 13 January 2023 PRE
DF Falah Waleed (1998-09-13) 13 September 1998 2 0 United Arab Emirates Al Ain v.  Qatar, 13 January 2023
DF Bader Nasser (2001-09-16) 16 September 2001 4 0 United Arab Emirates Shabab Al Ahli v.  Qatar, 13 January 2023
DF Shahin Abdulrahman (1992-11-16) 16 November 1992 15 0 United Arab Emirates Sharjah v.  Kazakhstan, 19 November 2022 PRE
MF Mubarak Zamah (2003-11-29) 29 November 2003 1 0 United Arab Emirates Al Jazira v.  Costa Rica, 12 September 2023
MF Mohammed Abdulbasit (1995-10-19) 19 October 1995 5 0 United Arab Emirates Sharjah v.  Costa Rica, 12 September 2023
MF Abdulla Hamad (2001-09-18) 18 September 2001 8 0 United Arab Emirates Al Wahda v.  Thailand, 28 March 2023
MF Khalid Al-Balochi (1999-03-22) 22 March 1999 2 0 United Arab Emirates Al Ain v.  Thailand, 28 March 2023
MF Bilal Yousif (1995-05-25) 25 May 1995 2 0 United Arab Emirates Ajman v.  Thailand, 28 March 2023
MF Hussain Mahdi (2000-07-24) 24 July 2000 0 0 United Arab Emirates Al Nasr v.  Tajikistan, 25 March 2023
MF Majed Hassan (1992-08-01) 1 August 1992 68 1 United Arab Emirates Sharjah v.  Qatar, 13 January 2023
FW Ahmed Al-Attas (1995-09-28) 28 September 1995 11 1 United Arab Emirates Al Jazira v.  Kuwait, 12 October 2023
FW Harib Abdalla (2002-11-26) 26 November 2002 19 2 United Arab Emirates Shabab Al Ahli v.  Thailand, 28 March 2023
FW Ahmed Amer (2001-07-09) 9 July 2001 1 0 United Arab Emirates Al Dhafra v.  Thailand, 28 March 2023
FW Abdulla Anwar (1999-06-02) 2 June 1999 0 0 United Arab Emirates Al Nasr v.  Thailand, 28 March 2023
FW Sebastián Tagliabúe (1985-02-22) 22 February 1985 19 5 United Arab Emirates Sharjah v.  Qatar, 13 January 2023 RET

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

List of UAE squads

Player records
As of 17 October 2023[20]
Players in bold are still active with United Arab Emirates.

Most appearances
Adnan Al-Talyani is United Arab Emirates' most capped player with 161 appearances.
Rank Player Caps Goals Career
1Adnan Al-Talyani161521983–1997
2Ismail Matar136362003–2021
3Subait Khater120111999–2011
4Ismail Al Hammadi116132007–2019
Abdulrahim Jumaa116131998–2009
6Zuhair Bakheet112271988–2002
Abdulsalam Jumaa11271997–2010
8Ali Mabkhout111812009–present
9Muhsin Musabah10701988–1999
10Walid Abbas10662008–present

Top goalscorers
Ali Mabkhout is United Arab Emirates' top scorer with 81 goals.
Rank Player Goals Caps Ratio Career
1Ali Mabkhout (list)811110.732009–present
2Adnan Al-Talyani521610.321983–1997
3Ahmed Khalil481040.462008–2019
4Ismail Matar361360.262003–2021
5Fahad Khamees28680.411981–1990
Mohammad Omar281020.271996–2009
7Zuhair Bakheet271120.241988–2002
8Saeed Al Kass15600.251998–2013
9Faisal Khalil13610.212001–2010
Ismail Al Hammadi131160.112007–2019
Abdulrahim Jumaa131160.111998–2009

Competitive record

  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
Main article: United Arab Emirates at the FIFA World Cup
FIFA World Cup record Qualification record
YearRoundPositionMWDLGFGAMWDLGFGA
Uruguay 1930 to Mexico 1970Part of the  United Kingdom Part of the  United Kingdom
West Germany 1974 and Spain 1982Did not participate Did not participate
Mexico 1986Did not qualify 421154
Italy 1990Group stage24th3003211 9441167
United States 1994Did not qualify 8611194
France 1998 125431613
South Korea Japan 2002147253120
Germany 2006631266
South Africa 2010164391924
Brazil 201482151416
Russia 2018189363717
Qatar 2022 199373116
Canada Mexico United States 2026TBDTBD
Spain Portugal Morocco Uruguay Paraguay Argentina 2030
Total Group stage 1/22 3 0 0 3 2 11 115 51 23 42 194 127

AFC Asian Cup
Main article: United Arab Emirates at the AFC Asian Cup
AFC Asian Cup Qualification record
YearRoundPositionMWDLGFGAMWDLGFGA
Hong Kong 1956 to Thailand 1972Part of the  United Kingdom Part of the  United Kingdom
Iran 1976Did not enter Did not enter
Kuwait 1980Group stage9th401339 312020
Singapore 19846th420238 4301242
Qatar 19888th410324 5410121
Japan 1992Fourth place4th513134 220063
United Arab Emirates 1996Runners-up2nd642083Qualified as hosts
Lebanon 2000Did not qualify 4301122
China 2004Group stage15th301215 6411135
Indonesia Malaysia Thailand Vietnam 200712th310236 6411116
Qatar 201113th301204 430171
Australia 2015Third place3rd6312108 6510183
United Arab Emirates 2019Semi-finals4th632188Qualified as hosts
Qatar 2023Qualified 8602237
Saudi Arabia 2027To be determined To be determined
Total Runners-up 2nd 44 15 11 18 41 59 48 35 6 7 128 30

FIFA Confederations Cup
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
Asian Games
YearResultMWDLGFGA
1964-1982 Did not enter
South Korea 1986Quarter-finals532074
China 1990Did not enter
Japan 1994Quarter-finals412165
Thailand 1998Group stage4112510
Total Quarter-finals 13 5 5 3 18 19

West Asian Football Federation Championship
WAFF Championship record
Year Round Pld W D L GF GA
Jordan 2000Did not participate
Syria 2002
Iran 2004
Jordan 2007
Iran 2008
Jordan 2010
Kuwait 2012
Qatar 2014
Iraq 2019
United Arab Emirates 2023Qualified as hosts
Total1/10------

Gulf Cup
Gulf Cup
YearResultMWDLGFGA
Saudi Arabia 1972Third place3102111
Kuwait1974Fourth place411259
Qatar 1976Fifth place6024413
Iraq 1979Sixth place6105518
United Arab Emirates 1982Third place530276
Oman 1984Fourth place623154
Bahrain 1986Runners-up6321107
Saudi Arabia 1988Runners-up632174
Kuwait 1990Fifth place402228
Qatar 1992Fourth place530243
United Arab Emirates 1994Runners-up532071
Oman 1996Fourth place513155
Bahrain 1998Third place521257
Saudi Arabia 2002Sixth place510437
Kuwait 2003Fifth place621367
Qatar 2004Group stage302145
United Arab Emirates 2007Champions540181
Oman 2009Group stage311134
Yemen 2010Semi-finals412132
Bahrain 2013Champions5500103
Saudi Arabia 2014Third place522175
Kuwait 2017Runners-up514010
Qatar 2019Group Stage310256
Iraq 2023Group Stage301224
Kuwait 2024Qualified
Oman 2025
Total Champions 114 41 29 41 119 139

FIFA Arab Cup
FIFA Arab Cup
YearRoundMWDLGFGA
Lebanon 1963Did not enter
Kuwait 1964
Iraq 1966
Saudi Arabia 1985
Jordan 1988
Syria 1992
Qatar 1998Fourth place410368
Kuwait 2002Did not enter
2009Cancelled
Saudi Arabia 2012Did not enter
Qatar 2021Quarter-Finals420237
Total 2/10 8 3 0 5 9 15

Arab Games
Arab Games
YearRoundMWDLGFGA
Syria 1976Did not enter
Morocco 1985Group stage310223
Lebanon 1997Group stage310235
Jordan 1999Second round512255
Egypt 2007Fourth place411236
Qatar 2011Did not enter
TotalFourth place 15 4 3 8 13 19

Other Tournaments
Other
Year Round Position GP W D* L GS GA
Libya 1973 Palestine Cup of NationsGroup stage8th402237
Tunisia 1975 Palestine Cup of NationsGroup stage10th200208
Malaysia 1981 Merdeka TournamentFourth place4th5203610
Malaysia 1982 Merdeka TournamentGroup stage5th410358
United Arab Emirates 1994 Friendship TournamentThird place3rd301213
United Arab Emirates 1996 Friendship TournamentChampions1st321042
United Arab Emirates 1998 Friendship TournamentChampions1st330041
United Arab Emirates 1999 Friendship TournamentRunner-ups2nd312075
Oman 2000 Oman CupChampions1st321021
United Arab Emirates 2000 LG CupChampions1st211021
Japan 2005 Kirin CupChampions1st211010
Switzerland 2005 International Arab Friendly TournamentRunner-ups2nd202011
Ghana 2007 Four Nations TournamentFourth place4th200206
United Arab Emirates 2008 Dubai Challenge CupFourth place4th201101
United Arab Emirates 2009 UAE International CupRunner-ups2nd201101
Saudi Arabia 2013 OSN CupChampions1st211053
Thailand 2016 King's CupFourth place4th200214
Thailand 2018 King's CupFourth place4th200213
Total6 titles1st481414204367

Head-to-head record
See also: United Arab Emirates national football team all-time record

As of 17 October 2023[21]

Opponent
 Pld
 W
 D
 L
 GF
 GA
 GD
 Algeria7223550
 Andorra1010000
 Angola100102−2
 Argentina100105–5
 Armenia100134−1
 Australia712427−5
 Azerbaijan1010330
 Bahrain30136125045+5
 Bangladesh5500211+20
 Belarus2101330
 Benin201101−1
 Bolivia1010000
 Brazil100108−8
 Brunei2200160+16
 Bulgaria6105414−10
 Chile100102−2
 China11254717−10
 Colombia100102−2
 Costa Rica110041+3
 Czech Republic201116−5
 Denmark1010110
 Dominican Republic110040+4
 Egypt9144610−4
 Estonia211043+1
 Finland1010110
 Gabon100101−1
 Gambia1010110
 Georgia110010+1
 Germany[lower-alpha 1]3003314−11
 Haiti100101−1
 Honduras302112−1
 Hong Kong321091+8
 Hungary200216−5
 Iceland310223−1
 India141022327+25
 Indonesia6411188+10
 Iran181314426−22
 Iraq30712112943−14
 Japan205961822−4
 Jordan1811433015+15
 Kazakhstan4301116+5
 Kenya1010220
 Kuwait43178185075−25
 Kyrgyzstan110032+1
 Laos330090+9
 Lebanon1510412714+12
 Libya412185+3
 Lithuania1010110
 Malaysia121002327+25
 Mauritania110010+1
 Mali1010000
 Malta2020110
 Mexico1010220
 Moldova110032+1
 Morocco413043+1
 Myanmar220030+3
   Nepal1100110+11
 New Zealand220030+3
 Niger110040+4
 North Korea11344811−3
 Norway302125−3
 Oman33151264524+21
 Pakistan5500174+13
 Palestine522162+4
 Paraguay201101–1
 Peru1010000
 Philippines110040+4
 Poland3003210−8
 Qatar33109143646−10
 Romania110021+1
 Russia100101−1
 Saudi Arabia3688202751−24
 Serbia[lower-alpha 2]100114−3
 Senegal412178−1
 Singapore6510165+11
 Slovakia300325−3
 Slovenia2020330
 South Africa110010+1
 South Korea2336141742−25
 Sri Lanka8800353+32
 Sudan220062+4
 Sweden210123−1
  Switzerland420234−1
 Syria2413833718+19
 Tajikistan211032+1
 Thailand138322112+9
 Timor-Leste220090+9
 Togo210135−2
 Trinidad and Tobago201135−2
 Tunisia5005210−8
 Turkmenistan421194+5
 Ukraine1010110
 Uruguay100102−2
 Uzbekistan179442519+6
 Venezuela200206−6
 Vietnam7502166+10
 Yemen[lower-alpha 3]1310032913+16
Total608246158207859745+114
  1. Includes matches against  West Germany.
  2. Includes matches against  Yugoslavia.
  3. Includes matches against  North Yemen.

Honours
Continental Competitions

Regional Competitions

Fourth place (1): 1998

Minor Competitions

  • OSN Cup
  • Oman Cup
    • Winners (1): 2000[23]

Notes

    References
    1. "The FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking". FIFA. 21 September 2023. Retrieved 21 September 2023.
    2. "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.
    3. "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.
    4. "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.
    5. "AFC Asian Cup: UAE-Qatar match tickets sell like hot cakes". Archived from the original on 12 February 2019. Retrieved 10 February 2019.
    6. "UAE fires coach Van Marwijk after Qatar defeat". euronews. 5 December 2019. Archived from the original on 26 February 2021. Retrieved 5 December 2019.
    7. "Why foreign footballers are getting UAE passports". gulfnews. Archived from the original on 15 June 2020. Retrieved 27 January 2020.
    8. "UAE advance to 2022 World Cup qualification third round after crucial win over Vietnam". 15 June 2021. Archived from the original on 16 August 2021. Retrieved 31 August 2021.
    9. "Group A: UAE beat Lebanon for first win". Archived from the original on 13 November 2022. Retrieved 20 June 2022.
    10. "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.
    11. "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.
    12. "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.
    13. "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.
    14. 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.
    15. "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.
    16. "UAE fans throw shoes and bottles at "Qatari" players". 27 January 2019. Archived from the original on 30 July 2021. Retrieved 4 March 2019.
    17. 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.
    18. "old united arab emirates football shirts". oldfootballshirts. Archived from the original on 16 January 2021. Retrieved 27 December 2020.
    19. 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.
    20. 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)
    21. "World Football Elo Ratings: United Arab Emirates". Eloratings.net. 5 January 2019. Archived from the original on 27 March 2019. Retrieved 5 January 2019.
    22. "Friendship Tournament 2000 (UAE)". Archived from the original on 3 February 2023. Retrieved 3 February 2023.
    23. "Oman International Tournament 2000". Archived from the original on 8 February 2023. Retrieved 3 February 2023.
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