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United Arab Emirates national football team

January 26, 2023

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

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

United Arab Emirates
Nickname(s)Al Abyad (The White One)
Eyal Zayed (Sons of Zayed)
AssociationUAE Football Association
ConfederationAFC (Asia)
Sub-confederationWAFF (West Asia)
Head coach Rodolfo Arruabarrena
CaptainWalid Abbas
Most capsAdnan Al Talyani (161)
Top scorerAli Mabkhout (80)
Home stadiumVarious
FIFA codeUAE
First colours
Second colours
FIFA ranking
Current 70 (22 December 2022)[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 1970)
Best resultChampions (2007, 2013)
FIFA Confederations Cup
Appearances1 (first in 1997)
Best resultGroup stage (1997)
Medal record
Websiteuaefa.ae

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 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 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 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 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, coaches that managed the Emirates included Carlos Queiroz, Roy Hodgson and Dick Advocaat. In 2006, UAE appointed Bruno Metsu as the new manager. He led the Emirates to the 2007 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 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 AFC 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]

The Emirates hosted the 2019 Asian Cup, this marked the second time they hosted an AFC Asian Cup. The team had Alberto Zaccheroni as a coach. In the 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, 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.[9] 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.[10][11][12] 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.[13] 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.[14]

Rivalries

UAE's common rivals are Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman, and Iran.[15]

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.[16] 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.[17]

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.[18]

Nicknames

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][20]

Stadium

As of 2022, UAE has played in 11 home stadiums. Most games have taken place at Sheikh Zayed 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    Kazakhstan
(19 November 2022; 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    South Korea
(29 March 2022; 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification)
  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)

Kit

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.

 
Wikimedia Commons has media related to United Arab Emirates national football team kits.
Manufacturer Period
  Umbro 1979–1985[21]
  Admiral 1986–1989
  Adidas 1990–1994
  Puma 1995–1996
  Kelme 1997–1999
  Adidas 2000–2001
  Umbro 2002–2005
  Adidas 2006–2008
  Erreà 2009–2013
  Adidas 2014–present

Results and fixtures

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

2022

27 January 2022 World Cup qualification United Arab Emirates   2–0   Syria Dubai, United Arab Emirates
19:00 UTC+4
  • Caio   10'
  • Al Ghassani   70'
 Report Stadium: Al Maktoum Stadium
Attendance: 2,450
Referee: Ilgiz Tantashev (Uzbekistan)
1 February 2022 World Cup qualification Iran   0-2   United Arab Emirates Tehran, Iran
18:00 UTC+3:30
Report Stadium: Azadi Stadium
Attendance: 999
Referee: Ahmed Al-Kaf (Oman)
24 March 2022 World Cup qualification Iraq   1–0   United Arab Emirates Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
20:00 UTC+3
Report Stadium: King Fahd Stadium
Attendance: 1,320
Referee: Ma Ning (China)
29 March 2022 World Cup qualification United Arab Emirates   1–0   South Korea Dubai, United Arab Emirates
17:45 UTC+4
Report Stadium: Al Maktoum Stadium
Attendance: 4,223
Referee: Ahmed Al-Kaf (Oman)
29 May 2022 Friendly United Arab Emirates   1–1   Gambia Dubai, United Arab Emirates
19:40 UTC+4
Report
Stadium: Zabeel Stadium
Referee: Omar Al-Yaqoubi (Oman)
7 June 2022 World Cup qualification United Arab Emirates   1-0   Australia Al Rayyan, Qatar
21:00 UTC+3
Report (FIFA)
Stadium: Ahmad bin Ali Stadium
Referee: Ilgiz Tantashev (Uzbekistan)
23 September 2022 Friendly Paraguay   1–0   United Arab Emirates Wiener Neustadt, Austria
 20:00 UTC+3
Report Stadium: Stadion Wiener Neustadt
Referee: Harald Lechner (Austria)
27 September 2022 (2022-09-27) Friendly United Arab Emirates   0–4   Venezuela Wiener Neustadt, Austria
18:00 UTC+3 Report
Stadium: Stadion Wiener Neustadt
Referee: Manuel Schüttengruber (Austria)
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
  • Al-Abdullah   88'
 Report
Stadium: Al-Minaa Olympic Stadium
Referee: Ali Sabah (Iraq)

Current staff

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

Last Update: February 2022[22]

Position Name
Head coach   Rodolfo Arruabarrena
Assistant coach   Saleem Abdulrahman
  Diego Markic
  Juan Agustín Gobet
  Amr Mokhtar
Goalkeeping coach   Welerson Dias
Fitness coach   Gustavo Roberi
Interpreter   Anass Elmakhtoum
Doctor   Zoran Stanković
Physiotherapist   Leandro Suzuki
  Bruno Gilberto Melo
Match Analyst   Karim Tayara

Players

Current squad

  • The following players were called up for the 25th Arabian Gulf Cup matches.[23]
  • Match dates: 6 – 19 January 2023
  • Opposition:   Bahrain,   Kuwait and   Qatar
  • Caps and goals correct as of: 13 January 2023, after the match against   Qatar
No. Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club
1 1GK Ali Khasif (1987-06-09) 9 June 1987 (age 35) 69 0   Al Jazira
17 1GK Khalid Eisa (1989-09-15) 15 September 1989 (age 33) 65 0   Al Ain
22 1GK Khaled Al-Senani (1989-10-04) 4 October 1989 (age 33) 0 0   Al Wasl
2 2DF Abdusalam Mohammed (1992-06-19) 19 June 1992 (age 30) 2 0   Kalba
3 2DF Walid Abbas (1985-06-11) 11 June 1985 (age 37) 112 6   Shabab Al Ahli
4 2DF Khalid Al-Hashemi (1997-03-18) 18 March 1997 (age 25) 4 0   Baniyas
12 2DF Khalifa Al Hammadi (1998-11-07) 7 November 1998 (age 24) 27 0   Al Jazira
13 2DF Falah Waleed (1998-09-13) 13 September 1998 (age 24) 2 0   Al Ain
16 2DF Bader Nasser (2001-09-16) 16 September 2001 (age 21) 4 0   Shabab Al Ahli
19 2DF Khaled Ibrahim (1997-01-17) 17 January 1997 (age 26) 9 0   Sharjah
20 2DF Ahmed Jamil (1999-01-16) 16 January 1999 (age 24) 8 0   Shabab Al Ahli
23 2DF Abdulaziz Haikal (1990-09-10) 10 September 1990 (age 32) 47 1   Shabab Al Ahli
5 3MF Mohammed Abdulbasit (1995-10-19) 19 October 1995 (age 27) 4 0   Sharjah
6 3MF Majid Rashid (2000-05-16) 16 May 2000 (age 22) 8 0   Sharjah
8 3MF Majed Hassan (1992-08-01) 1 August 1992 (age 30) 68 1   Sharjah
10 3MF Fábio Lima (1993-06-30) 30 June 1993 (age 29) 18 9   Al Wasl
18 3MF Abullah Ramadan (1998-03-07) 7 March 1998 (age 24) 35 0   Al Jazira
21 3MF Khalid Al-Balochi (1999-03-22) 22 March 1999 (age 23) 2 0   Al Ain
7 4FW Ali Saleh (2000-01-22) 22 January 2000 (age 23) 28 3   Al Wasl
9 4FW Harib Abdalla (2002-11-26) 26 November 2002 (age 20) 17 1   Shabab Al Ahli
11 4FW Caio Canedo (1990-08-09) 9 August 1990 (age 32) 30 7   Al Ain
14 4FW Yahya Al Ghassani (1998-04-18) 18 April 1998 (age 24) 8 1   Shabab Al Ahli
15 4FW Sebastián Tagliabúe (1985-02-22) 22 February 1985 (age 37) 19 5   Al Wahda

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 Mohamed Al-Shamsi (1997-01-04) 4 January 1997 (age 26) 7 0   Al Wahda v.   Argentina, 16 November 2022
GK Majed Naser (1984-04-01) 1 April 1984 (age 38) 72 0   Shabab Al-Ahli v.   Australia, 7 June 2022
GK Fahad Al-Dhanhani (1991-09-03) 3 September 1991 (age 31) 2 0   Baniyas v.   Gambia, 29 May 2022
GK Adel Al-Hosani (1989-08-23) 23 August 1989 (age 33) 1 0   Sharjah v.   South Korea, 29 March 2022
DF Al Hassan Saleh (1991-06-25) 25 June 1991 (age 31) 12 0   Sharjah v.   Lebanon, 30 December 2022
DF Shahin Abdulrahman (1992-11-16) 16 November 1992 (age 30) 15 0   Sharjah v.   Kazakhstan, 19 November 2022 INJ
DF Mohammed Al-Attas (1997-08-05) 5 August 1997 (age 25) 25 1   Al Jazira v.   Argentina, 16 November 2022
DF Salem Sultan (1993-05-09) 9 May 1993 (age 29) 4 1   Sharjah v.   Venezuela, 27 September 2022
DF Saeed Juma (1998-08-07) 7 August 1998 (age 24) 3 0   Al Ain v.   Venezuela, 27 September 2022
DF Bandar Al-Ahbabi (1990-07-09) 9 July 1990 (age 32) 45 2   Al Ain v.   Venezuela, 27 September 2022
DF Mohammed Marzooq (1989-01-23) 23 January 1989 (age 34) 10 0   Shabab Al Ahli v.   Gambia, 29 May 2022
DF Mahmoud Khamees (1987-10-28) 28 October 1987 (age 35) 47 2   Al Wahda v.   South Korea, 29 March 2022
DF Abdulla Idrees (1999-08-16) 16 August 1999 (age 23) 1 0   Al Jazira v.   Iran, 1 February 2022
MF Tahnoon Al-Zaabi (1999-04-10) 10 April 1999 (age 23) 17 0   Al Wahda v.   Kazakhstan, 19 November 2022 INJ
MF Ali Salmeen (1995-04-02) 2 April 1995 (age 27) 52 2   Al Wasl v.   Kazakhstan, 19 November 2022
MF Abdulla Hamad (2001-09-18) 18 September 2001 (age 21) 6 0   Al Wahda v.   Argentina, 16 November 2022
MF Jassim Yaqoob (1997-03-16) 16 March 1997 (age 25) 6 0   Al Nasr v.   Venezuela, 27 September 2022
MF Yahia Nader (1998-09-11) 11 September 1998 (age 24) 1 0   Al Ain v.   Australia, 7 June 2022
MF Omar Abdulrahman (1991-09-20) 20 September 1991 (age 31) 75 11   Al Wasl v.   Australia, 7 June 2022
MF Khalil Ibrahim (1993-05-04) 4 May 1993 (age 29) 22 6   Al Wahda v.   Gambia, 29 May 2022
MF Abdullah Al-Naqbi (1993-04-28) 28 April 1993 (age 29) 3 0   Shabab Al Ahli v.   Gambia, 29 May 2022
MF Suhail Al-Noubi (1996-01-09) 9 January 1996 (age 27) 2 0   Baniyas v.   Syria, 27 January 2022
FW Ali Mabkhout (1990-10-05) 5 October 1990 (age 32) 109 80   Al Jazira v.   Argentina, 16 November 2022
FW Sultan Adil (2004-05-04) 4 May 2004 (age 18) 1 0   Kalba v.   Gambia, 29 May 2022
FW Zayed Al-Ameri (1997-01-14) 14 January 1997 (age 26) 4 0   Al Jazira v.   Iran, 1 February 2022
FW Ahmed Al-Attas (1995-09-28) 28 September 1995 (age 27) 11 0   Al Jazira v.   Syria, 27 January 2022

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 13 November 2023[24]
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
1 Adnan Al Talyani 161 52 1983–1997
2 Ismail Matar 136 36 2003–present
3 Subait Khater 120 12 1999–2011
4 Abdulrahim Jumaa 116 13 1998–2009
5 Ismail Al Hammadi 115 13 2007–present
6 Zuhair Bakheet 112 27 1988–2002
Abdulsalam Jumaa 112 7 1997–2010
Walid Abbas 112 6 2008–present
9 Ali Mabkhout 109 80 2009–present
10 Muhsin Musabah 107 0 1988–1999

Top goalscorers

 
Ali Mabkhout is United Arab Emirates' top scorer with 80 goals.
Rank Player Goals Caps Ratio Career
1 Ali Mabkhout (list) 80 109 0.73 2009–present
2 Adnan Al Talyani 52 161 0.32 1983–1997
3 Ahmed Khalil 48 105 0.46 2008–present
4 Ismail Matar 36 136 0.26 2003–2021
5 Mohammad Omar 28 102 0.27 1996–2009
6 Zuhair Bakheet 27 112 0.24 1988–2002
7 Saeed Al Kass 15 60 0.25 1998–2013
8 Faisal Khalil 13 61 0.21 2001–2010
Ismail Al Hammadi 13 115 0.11 2007–present
Abdulrahim Jumaa 13 116 0.11 1998–2009

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
Year Round Position M W D L GF GA M W D L GF GA
  1930 to   1970 Part of the   United Kingdom Part of the   United Kingdom
  1974 and   1982 Did not participate Did not participate
  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 19 9 3 7 31 16
    2026 TBD TBD
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
Year Round Position M W D L GF GA M W D L GF GA
  1956 to   1972 Part of the   United Kingdom Part of the   United Kingdom
  1976 Did not enter Did not enter
  1980 Group stage 9th 4 0 1 3 3 9 3 1 2 0 2 0
  1984 6th 4 2 0 2 3 8 4 3 0 1 24 2
  1988 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 Qualified 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 12th 3 1 0 2 3 6 6 4 1 1 11 6
  2011 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 Semi-finals 4th 6 3 2 1 8 8 Qualified as hosts
  2023 Qualified 8 6 0 2 23 7
  2027 To 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
  1992 and   1995 Did not qualify
  1997 Group stage 6th 3 1 0 2 2 8
  1999 to   2017 Did not qualify
Total Group stage 6th 3 1 0 2 2 8

Asian Games

Asian Games
Year Result M W D L GF GA
  1974 to   1982 Did not enter
  1986 Quarter-finals 5 3 2 0 7 4
  1990 Did not enter
  1994 Quarter-finals 4 1 2 1 6 5
  1998 Group stage 4 1 1 2 5 10
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
  2000 Did not participate
  2002
  2004
  2007
  2008
  2010
  2012
  2014
  2019
  2023 Qualified as hosts
Total 1/10 - - - - - -

Gulf Cup

Gulf Cup
Year Result M W D L GF GA
  1972 Third place 3 1 0 2 1 11
 1974 Fourth place 4 1 1 2 5 9
  1976 Fifth place 6 0 2 4 4 13
  1979 Sixth place 6 1 0 5 5 18
  1982 Third place 5 3 0 2 7 6
  1984 Fourth place 6 2 3 1 5 4
  1986 Runners-up 6 3 2 1 10 7
  1988 Runners-up 6 3 2 1 7 4
  1990 Fifth place 4 0 2 2 2 8
  1992 Fourth place 5 3 0 2 4 3
  1994 Runners-up 5 3 2 0 7 1
  1996 Fourth place 5 1 3 1 5 5
  1998 Third place 5 2 1 2 5 7
  2002 Sixth place 5 1 0 4 3 7
  2003 Fifth place 6 2 1 3 6 7
  2004 Group stage 3 0 2 1 4 5
  2007 Champions 5 4 0 1 8 1
  2009 Group stage 3 1 1 1 3 4
  2010 Semi-finals 4 1 2 1 3 2
  2013 Champions 5 5 0 0 10 3
  2014 Third place 5 2 2 1 7 5
  2017 Runners-up 5 1 4 0 1 0
  2019 Group Stage 3 1 0 2 5 6
  2023 Group Stage 3 0 1 2 2 4
Total Champions 114 41 29 41 119 139

FIFA Arab Cup

FIFA Arab Cup
Year Round M W D L GF GA
  1963 Did not enter
  1964
  1966
  1985
  1988
  1992
  1998 Fourth place 4 1 0 3 6 8
  2002 Did not enter
2009 Cancelled
  2012 Did not enter
  2021 Quarter-Finals 4 2 0 2 3 7
Total 2/10 8 3 0 5 9 15

Pan Arab Games

Pan Arab Games
Year Round M W D L GF GA
  1976 Did not enter
  1985 Group stage 3 1 0 2 2 3
  1997 Group stage 3 1 0 2 3 5
  1999 Second round 5 1 2 2 5 5
  2007 Fourth place 4 1 1 2 3 6
  2011 Did not enter
Total Fourth place 15 4 3 8 13 19

Other Tournaments

Other
Year Round Position GP W D* L GS GA
  1973 Palestine Cup of Nations Group stage 8th 4 0 2 2 3 7
  1975 Palestine Cup of Nations Group stage 10th 2 0 0 2 0 8
  1981 Merdeka Tournament Fourth place 4th 5 2 0 3 6 10
  1982 Merdeka Tournament Group stage 5th 4 1 0 3 5 8
  1994 Friendship Tournament Third place 3rd 3 0 1 2 1 3
  1996 Friendship Tournament Champions 1st 3 2 1 0 4 2
  1998 Friendship Tournament Champions 1st 3 3 0 0 4 1
  1999 Friendship Tournament Runner-ups 2nd 3 1 2 0 7 5
  2000 Oman Cup Champions 1st 3 2 1 0 2 1
  2000 LG Cup Champions 1st 2 1 1 0 2 1
  2005 Kirin Cup Champions 1st 2 1 1 0 1 0
  2005 International Arab Friendly Tournament Runner-ups 2nd 2 0 2 0 1 1
  2007 Four Nations Tournament Fourth place 4th 2 0 0 2 0 6
  2008 Dubai Challenge Cup Fourth place 4th 2 0 1 1 0 1
  2009 UAE International Cup Runner-ups 2nd 2 0 1 1 0 1
  2013 OSN Cup Champions 1st 2 1 1 0 5 3
  2016 King's Cup Fourth place 4th 2 0 0 2 1 4
  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

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

As of 13 January 2023[25]

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 30 13 6 12 50 45 +5
  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
  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 3 2 1 0 9 1 +8
  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 18 1 3 14 4 26 −22
  Iraq 30 7 12 11 29 43 −14
  Japan 20 5 9 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 42 16 8 18 49 75 −26
  Kyrgyzstan 1 1 0 0 3 2 +1
  Laos 3 3 0 0 9 0 +9
  Lebanon 14 9 4 1 25 13 +11
  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 1 1 0 0 11 0 +11
  New Zealand 2 2 0 0 3 0 +3
  Niger 1 1 0 0 4 0 +4
  North Korea 11 3 4 4 8 11 −3
  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 5 2 2 1 6 2 +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 33 10 9 14 36 46 −10
  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