United Arab Emirates national football team

In 1980, the United Arab Emirates first-time qualified for the AFC Asian Cup, which was held in Kuwait. They were drawn with eventual winners, Kuwait, runner-up South Korea, Malaysia and Qatar in Group B. They drew 1–1 with Kuwait but lost the three other matches and finished in fifth place in the group and ninth (out of ten teams) overall.

They also qualified for next two tournaments, 1984 in Singapore and 1988 in Qatar and were again eliminated in the group stages in both. Their first victory of the tournament occurred against India on 7 December 1984 under manager Heshmat Mohajerani.

In 1984, Mohajerani resigned as UAE head coach and was replaced with former Brazil manager Carlos Alberto Parreira. Parreira led the country at the 1988 AFC Asian Cup and left his position after the tournament. He was succeeded by Brazilian World Cup winning coach Mário Zagallo. Zagallo led the country to the qualification for the 1990 FIFA World Cup in Italy. However, Zagallo resigned before the tournament and Parreira returned as head coach to lead the United Arab Emirates at the tournament.

Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
South Korea	5	3	2	0	5	1	+4	8
United Arab Emirates	5	1	4	0	4	3	+1	6
Qatar	5	1	3	1	4	5	−1	5
China	5	2	0	3	5	6	−1	4
Saudi Arabia	5	1	2	2	4	5	−1	4
North Korea	5	1	1	3	2	4	−2	3

They were drawn at Group D along with eventual winner West Germany, Colombia and Yugoslavia. They lost 2–0 to Colombia, 5–1 to West Germany and 4–1 to Yugoslavia. They finished fourth with no points, scoring two goals and conceding eleven goals. UAE's first goal at the tournament was scored by Khalid Ismaïl against West Germany. The tournament was later put into a 2016 documentary titled 'Lights of Rome'.[3] After the tournament, Parreira was sacked. Two years later, at the 1992 AFC Asian Cup, the United Arab Emirates finished in fourth place, their best finish up to that date.

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification
1	West Germany	3	2	1	0	10	3	+7	5	Advance to knockout stage
2	Yugoslavia	3	2	0	1	6	5	+1	4
3	Colombia	3	1	1	1	3	2	+1	3
4	United Arab Emirates	3	0	0	3	2	11	−9	0

The United Arab Emirates hosted the 1996 AFC Asian Cup. They hired Croatian coach Tomislav Ivić one year before the tournament and were drawn in Group A along with Kuwait, South Korea and Indonesia. They drew with South Korea then defeated Kuwait and Indonesia to advance as group winners. In the quarter-finals, they beat Iraq 1–0 with a golden goal scored by Abdulrahman Ibrahim in the 103rd minute in extra time. They again faced Kuwait, this time at the semi-finals and won 1–0 to qualify to the final for the first time. After a goalless draw, they lost to Saudi Arabia 2–4 in a penalty shoot-out and finished the tournament as runner-up, which is still their best in the AFC Asian Cup.

The United Arab Emirates also appeared in the 1997 FIFA Confederations Cup after being awarded a spot because Asian winners Saudi Arabia was hosting the games. They lost the first match 2–0 to Uruguay. Then, they defeated South Africa 1–0. In their final match, they were defeated 6–1 by Czech Republic and missed their chance to qualify for the next round finishing third in their group.

Fahad Khamees captained UAE in the 1990 FIFA World Cup

The United Arab Emirates missed the qualification for the 2000 AFC Asian Cup in Lebanon. They also finished in last place at the 2002 Gulf Cup in Saudi Arabia.

They were eliminated in the next three AFC Asian Cup tournaments at the group stage. In 2004 and 2007 editions, the UAE were all eliminated by surprise to the hand to debutants Jordan and Vietnam. Their worst performance was in 2011 when they finished the tournament goalless. At this time, many notable coaches managed the Emirates, including Carlos Queiroz, Roy Hodgson and Dick Advocaat. In 2006, the UAE appointed Senegal's 2002 FIFA World Cup head coach, Bruno Metsu as their new manager. He led the Emirates to the 2007 Gulf Cup title, the country's first major achievement.

After hiring many European coaches, in 2012, United Arab Emirates appointed the Olympic team coach Mahdi Ali as the new manager of the national team. Ali began creating a young squad for the United Arab Emirates, inviting many players that he had worked with at youth level. He led the Emirates to their second Gulf Cup title in 2013.

United Arab Emirates's form at the 2015 AFC Asian Cup was a surprise to some. Drawn in Group C, they defeated Qatar 4–1 and Bahrain 2–1 and lost to Iran only by a controversial goal that appeared to be offside. As group runner-up, they faced the defending champions Japan in the quarter-final and earned a victory on penalties to advance to the last four. They lost 2–0 to the host Australia in the semi-finals. In the third place play-off, they beat Iraq 3–2.

The United Arab Emirates qualified for the Second Round of the AFC qualification, where they finished second in Group A behind Saudi Arabia and qualified for the Third Round. In this round, they finished fourth in Group B, thus failing to qualify for the 2018 FIFA World Cup. Despite this, one of United Arab Emirates players Ahmed Khalil manage to be the top scorer in the qualification along with two other players. Around this time Mahdi Ali (one of the most successful UAE managers) resigned from his position.[4]

In 2015, it was announced that the Emirates will host the 2019 AFC Asian Cup, this marks the 2nd time they hosts an AFC Asian Cup. With its desire to win the trophy for the first time, the team had a new coach, the former Asian Cup winning manager Alberto Zaccheroni.

The openning 1–1 draw to neighbor Bahrain was seen as disappointing.[5] However, they salvaged three points against India before drawing Thailand to secure top spot and progress to the round of sixteen.[6] UAE had a tight-fought match against Kyrgyzstan, and had been equalized twice after 90', but a penalty from Ali Mabkhout ensured his team to enter the quarter-finals against then-defending champions Australia.[7] In the quarter-finals, UAE scored its first ever goal against Australia to gain its first ever win against this opponent and eliminated them in process.[8] The semi-finals was seen as a rivalry between the host and Qatar.[9] Some Emirati supporters booed Qatari anthem, and threw footwear in the pitch after Qatar scored their second goal. UAE lost 0–4 marking its first defeat to Qatar since 2001 and ending the chance of seeking entry to the final.[10]

The United Arab Emirates joined the second round of 2022 World Cup qualifiers and was placed with all-out Southeast Asian opponents: Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia and Malaysia. The team had already appointed the Dutch guider Bert van Marwijk. Thing didn't come as planned and Bert was sacked due to his poor start suffering two away losses to Thailand and Vietnam in the qualifiers along his early group stage exist in the 24th Arabian Gulf Cup. By the time of his sacking, UAE was 4th in the group but still has the chance to advance.[11]

Previous Al Nasr manager Ivan Jovanović was hired so as to change fortune. Furthermore, 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.[12]

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.[14] 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.[15] UAE was fined $150,000 US dollars for the incident and had to play their first 2022 and 2023 qualification game in closed doors.[16] However, on 21 September, AFC has lifted the ban just a few weeks before the match has begun.[17]

Another major rival the UAE took 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 two countries meet in the World Cup or Asian Cup qualifiers, it's generally been nicknamed "Clash of Titans" as the two countries, alongside Kuwait and Qatar, are seen as the titans of the Gulf states.[18]

• The following players were called up for 24th Arabian Gulf Cup
• Match date: 26 November 2019 — 2 December 2019

No.	Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club
1	1GK	Ali Khasif	(1987-06-09) 9 June 1987	45	0	Al Jazira
17	1GK	Khalid Eisa	(1989-09-15) 15 September 1989	45	0	Al Ain
22	1GK	Adel Al-Hosani	(1989-08-23) 23 August 1989	0	0	Sharjah
24	1GK	Mohammed Al-Shamsi	(1997-01-04) 4 January 1997	0	0	Al Wahda
3	2DF	Mohammed Marzooq	(1989-01-23) 23 January 1989	0	0	Shabab Al Ahli
5	2DF	Mohammed Al Attas	(1997-08-05) 5 August 1997	1	1	Al Jazira
6	2DF	Yousif Jaber	(1985-02-25) 25 February 1985	39	2	Shabab Al Ahli
8	2DF	Hamdan Al-Kamali	(1989-05-02) 2 May 1989	52	5	Al Wahda
12	2DF	Khalifa Al Hammadi	(1998-11-06) 6 November 1998	0	0	Al Jazira
16	2DF	Al Hassan Saleh	(1991-06-25) 25 June 1991	5	0	Sharjah
26	2DF	Majed Suroor	(1997-10-14) 14 October 1997	0	0	Sharjah
27	2DF	Shahin Abdulrahman	(1992-11-16) 16 November 1992	0	0	Sharjah
2	3MF	Khalil Ibrahim	(1993-05-04) 4 May 1993	2	3	Al Wahda
4	3MF	Waleed Hussain	(1992-05-27) 27 May 1992	0	0	Shabab Al Ahli
25	3MF	Abdullah Ramadan	(1998-03-07) 7 March 1998	0	0	Al Jazira
9	3MF	Bandar Al-Ahbabi	(1990-07-09) 9 July 1990	15	2	Al Ain
10	3MF	Omar Abdulrahman	(1991-09-20) 20 September 1991	74	11	Al Jazira
15	3MF	Ismail Al Hammadi (Captain)	(1988-07-01) 1 July 1988	114	13	Shabab Al Ahli
18	3MF	Tareq Ahmed	(1988-03-12) 12 March 1988	6	1	Al Nasr
19	3MF	Ahmed Barman	(1994-02-05) 5 February 1994	4	0	Al Ain
23	3MF	Salem Rashid	(1993-12-21) 21 December 1993	0	0	Al Jazira
11	4FW	Ahmed Khalil	(1991-06-08) 8 June 1991	104	48	Shabab Al Ahli
13	4FW	Jassem Yaqoub	(1997-03-16) 16 March 1997	0	0	Al Nasr
14	4FW	Zaid Al-Ameri	(1997-01-14) 14 January 1997	0	0	Al Jazira
20	4FW	Ali Saleh	(2000-01-22) 22 January 2000	0	0	Al Wasl
21	4FW	Khalfan Mubarak	(1995-05-09) 9 May 1995	12	1	Al Jazira
7	4FW	Ali Mabkhout	(1990-10-05) 5 October 1990	83	60	Al Jazira

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

Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club	Latest call-up
DF	Mohammed Barqesh	(1990-10-27) 27 October 1990	0	0	Al Wahda	v.  Vietnam, 14 November 2019
DF	Mohammed Ali Shaker	(1997-04-27) 27 April 1997	0	0	Al Ain	v.  Vietnam, 14 November 2019
DF	Walid Abbas	(1985-06-11) 11 June 1985	64	0	Shabab Al Ahli	v.  Vietnam, 14 November 2019
DF	Hassan Al-Moharrami	(1996-06-06) 6 June 1996	0	0	Baniyas	v.  Malaysia, 10 September 2019
MF	Ali Salmeen	(1995-02-04) 4 February 1995	8	1	Al Wasl	v.  Vietnam, 14 November 2019
MF	Habib Al Fardan	(1990-11-11) 11 November 1990	12	6	Al Nasr	v.  Vietnam, 14 November 2019
FW	Mohamed Al-Akbari	(1996-03-15) 15 March 1996	6	1	Al Nasr	v.  Dominican Republic, 30 August 2019

The United Arab Emirates only appearance at the World Cup was in 1990 FIFA World Cup in Italy where they would lose all three of their matches to Yugoslavia, Colombia and West Germany. This lone appearance was put into a 2016 documentary titled 'Lights of Rome'.[3]

FIFA World Cup record										FIFA World Cup qualification record
Year	Round	Position	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA		GP	W	D	L	GF	GA
1930 to 1974	Not eligible to enter									Not eligible to enter
1978	Did not participate									Did not participate
1982
1986	Did not qualify									4	2	1	1	5	4
1990	Group stage	24th	3	0	0	3	2	11		9	4	4	1	16	7
1994	Did not qualify									8	6	1	1	19	4
1998										12	5	4	3	16	13
2002										14	7	2	5	31	20
2006										6	3	1	2	6	6
2010										16	4	3	9	19	24
2014										8	2	1	5	14	16
2018										18	9	3	6	37	17
2022	To be determined									4	2	0	2	8	4
2026										0	0	0	0	0	0
Total	Group stage	1/23	3	0	0	3	2	11		100	44	20	37	171	115

United Arab Emirates's World Cup record
First Match	United Arab Emirates 0–2 Colombia  (9 June 1990; Bologna, Italy)
Biggest Win	—
Biggest Defeat	West Germany 5–1 United Arab Emirates  (15 June 1990; Milan, Italy)
Best Result	Group Stage in 1990
Worst Result	Group stage in 1990

AFC Asian Cup record										AFC Asian Cup qualifications record
Year	Result	Position	GP	W	D	L	GF	GA		GP	W	D	L	GF	GA
1956 to 1976	Did not enter									Did not enter
1980	Group stage	9th	4	0	1	3	3	9		3	1	2	0	2	0
1984	Group stage	6th	4	2	0	2	3	8		4	3	0	1	24	2
1988	Group stage	8th	4	1	0	3	2	4		5	4	1	0	12	1
1992	Fourth place	4th	5	1	3	1	3	4		2	2	0	0	6	3
1996	Runners-up	2nd	6	4	2	0	8	3		Automatic qualification as hosts
2000	Did not qualify									4	3	0	1	12	2
2004	Group stage	15th	3	0	1	2	1	5		6	4	1	1	13	5
2007	Group stage	12th	3	1	0	2	3	6		6	4	1	1	11	6
2011	Group stage	13th	3	0	1	2	0	4		4	3	0	1	7	1
2015	Third place	3rd	6	3	1	2	10	8		6	5	1	0	18	3
2019	Semifinals	4th	6	3	2	1	8	8		8*	5	2	1	27	4
2023	TBD	–	0	0	0	0	0	0		4	2	0	2	8	4
Total	Runners-up	10/17	44	15	11	18	40	56		52	36	8	8	140	31

^* automatic qualification as hosts; but competed in qualification process because of 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification.

United Arab Emirates's Asian Cup record
First Match	United Arab Emirates 1–1 Kuwait  (15 September 1980; Kuwait City, Kuwait)
Biggest Win	United Arab Emirates 4–1 Qatar  (11 January 2015; Canberra, Australia)
Biggest Defeat	China PR 5–0 United Arab Emirates  (11 December 1984; Kallang, Singapore)
Best Result	Second Place in 1996
Worst Result	Group stage in 1980, 1984, 1988, 2004, 2007, 2011