United Arab Emirates national football team

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 men's international football and serves under the auspices of the country's Football Association.

United Arab Emirates

Nickname(s)	Al Abyad (The Whites) Eyal Zayed (Sons of Zayed)
Association	UAE Football Association
Confederation	AFC (Asia)
Sub-confederation	WAFF (West Asia)
Head coach	Cosmin Olăroiu
Captain	Khalid Eisa
Most caps	Adnan Al Talyani (161)
Top scorer	Ali Mabkhout (85)
Home stadium	Various
FIFA code	UAE
First colours Second colours
FIFA ranking
Current	65 2 (3 April 2025)[1]
Highest	40 (November – December 1998)
Lowest	138 (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
Appearances	1 (first in 1990)
Best result	Group stage (1990)
Asian Cup
Appearances	12 (first in 1980)
Best result	Runners-up (1996)
Arab Cup
Appearances	2 (first in 1998)
Best result	Fourth place (1998)
Arabian Gulf Cup
Appearances	24 (first in 1972)
Best result	Champions (2007, 2013)
Confederations Cup
Appearances	1 (first in 1997)
Best result	Group stage (1997)
Medal record Men's football AFC Asian Cup 1996 UAE Team 2015 Australia Team Asian Games 2010 Guangzhou Team 2018 Jakarta Team Arabian Gulf Cup 2007 UAE Team 2013 Bahrain Team 1986 Bahrain Team 1988 Saudi Arabia Team 1994 UAE Team 2017 Kuwait Team

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,^[8][9] 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.^[10] 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.^[11][12][13] 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.^[14] 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.^[15]

Rivalries

UAE's common rivals are Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman, and Iran.^[16]

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.^[17] 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.^[18]

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.^[19]

Team image

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.

Manufacturer	Period
Umbro	1979–1985[20]
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

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.^[21]

Home stadium

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

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

Nepal    v  United Arab Emirates

6 June 2024 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification	Nepal	0–4	United Arab Emirates	Dammam, Saudi Arabia
19:00 UTC+3		Report	Abdalla 12', 14' Saleh 53' Mohammed 75'	Stadium: Prince Mohamed bin Fahd Stadium Attendance: 2,450 Referee: Payam Heydari (Iran)

United Arab Emirates  v  Bahrain

11 June 2024 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification	United Arab Emirates	1–1	Bahrain	Dubai, United Arab Emirates
21:00 UTC+4	Adil 10'	Report	Abduljabbar 4'	Stadium: Zabeel Stadium Attendance: 953 Referee: Ma Ning (China)

Qatar  v  United Arab Emirates

5 September 2024 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification	Qatar	1–3	United Arab Emirates	Al Rayyan, Qatar
19:00 UTC+3	Al-Hassan 38'	Report	Abdalla 68' Ibrahim 80' Ali Saleh 90+4'	Stadium: Ahmad bin Ali Stadium Attendance: 33,952 Referee: Shaun Evans (Australia)

United Arab Emirates  v  Iran

10 September 2024 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification	United Arab Emirates	0–1	Iran	Al Ain, United Arab Emirates
20:00 UTC+4		Report	Ghayedi 45+3'	Stadium: Hazza bin Zayed Stadium Attendance: 17,826 Referee: Kim Jong-hyeok (South Korea)

United Arab Emirates  v  North 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	Al-Ghassani 66'	Report	Jong Il-gwan 86'	Stadium: Hazza bin Zayed Stadium Attendance: 8,536 Referee: Adham Makhadmeh (Jordan)

Uzbekistan  v  United Arab Emirates

15 October 2024 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification	Uzbekistan	1–0	United Arab Emirates	Tashkent, Uzbekistan
19:00 UTC+5	Shukurov 76' (pen.)	Report		Stadium: Milliy Stadium Referee: Ma Ning (China)

United Arab Emirates  v  Kyrgyzstan

14 November 2024 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification	United Arab Emirates	3–0	Kyrgyzstan	Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
20:15 UTC+4	Abdalla 15', 89' Meloni 35'	Report		Stadium: Mohammed bin Zayed Stadium Attendance: 6,238 Referee: Ahmed Al-Kaf (Oman)

United Arab Emirates  v  Qatar

19 November 2024 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification	United Arab Emirates	5–0	Qatar	Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
20:00 UTC+4	Fábio Lima 4', 45' (pen.), 45+5', 56' (pen.) Al-Ghassani 73'	Report		Stadium: Al Nahyan Stadium Attendance: 13,825 Referee: Khalid Saleh Al-Turais (Saudi Arabia)

Qatar  v  United Arab Emirates

21 December 2024 26th Arabian Gulf Cup	Qatar	1–1	United Arab Emirates	Kuwait City, Kuwait
--:-- UTC+3	Afif 17' (pen.)		Al-Ghassani 45+1'	Stadium: Sulaibikhat Stadium Attendance: 5,007 Referee: István Kovács (Romania)

United Arab Emirates  v  Kuwait

24 December 2024 26th Arabian Gulf Cup	United Arab Emirates	1–2	Kuwait	Kuwait City, Kuwait
20:30 UTC+3	Caio 5'		Daham 16' M. Al-Enezi 89'	Stadium: Jaber Al-Ahmad International Stadium Attendance: 48,621 Referee: Dahane Beida (Mauritania)

United Arab Emirates  v  Oman

27 December 2024 26th Arabian Gulf Cup	United Arab Emirates	1–1	Oman	Kuwait City, Kuwait
17:30 UTC+3	Al-Ghassani 20'		Al-Mushaifri 79'	Stadium: Sulaibikhat Stadium Referee: Ammar Mahfoodh (Bahrain)

2025

Iran  v  United Arab Emirates

20 March 2025 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification	Iran	2–0	United Arab Emirates	Tehran, Iran
19:30 UTC+3:30	Azmoun 45+27' Mohebi 70'	Report		Stadium: Azadi Stadium Attendance: 20,469 Referee: Ko Hyung-jin (South Korea)

North Korea  v  United Arab Emirates

25 March 2025 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification	North Korea	1–2	United Arab Emirates	Riyadh, Saudi Arabia[note 1]
21:15 UTC+3	Yu-song 43'	Report	Lima 5' Adil 90+8'	Stadium: Prince Faisal bin Fahd Sports City Stadium Attendance: 223 Referee: Mohammed Al Hoish (Saudi Arabia)

United Arab Emirates  v  Uzbekistan

5 June 2025 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification	United Arab Emirates	v	Uzbekistan	United Arab Emirates
--:-- UTC+4

Kyrgyzstan  v  United Arab Emirates

10 June 2025 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification	Kyrgyzstan	v	United Arab Emirates	Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan
--:-- UTC+6				Stadium: Dolen Omurzakov Stadium

Current staff

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

Last Update: April 2025^[23]

Position	Name
Head coach	Cosmin Olăroiu
Assistant coach	Cătălin Necula
	Gabriel Caramarin
	Yaser Al Saedi
	Mohamed Al Balooshi
	Rizwan Chaudhry
Goalkeeping coach	Eugen Nae
Fitness coach	Leandro
Scouting
Team administrator	Mohamed Albalooshi
Doctor	Flavio Cruz
Sport Scientist
Match Analyst	Karim Tayara Rareş Ene

Players

Current squad

The following players were called up for the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification games against  Iran and  North Korea on 20 and 25 March 2025.^[24]

Caps and goals correct as of 25 March 2025, after the match against  North Korea.

No.	Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club
1	1GK	Ali Khasif	(1987-06-09) 9 June 1987 (age 37)	72	0	Al Jazira
17	1GK	Khalid Eisa (captain)	(1989-09-15) 15 September 1989 (age 35)	88	0	Al Ain
22	1GK	Hamad Al-Meqebaali	(2003-07-13) 13 July 2003 (age 21)	0	0	Shabab Al Ahli
3	2DF	Lucas Pimenta	(2000-07-17) 17 July 2000 (age 24)	2	0	Al Wahda
4	2DF	Kouame Autonne	(2000-09-22) 22 September 2000 (age 24)	9	0	Al Ain
5	2DF	Marcus Meloni	(2000-06-25) 25 June 2000 (age 24)	8	1	Sharjah
12	2DF	Khalifa Al Hammadi	(1998-11-07) 7 November 1998 (age 26)	53	2	Al Jazira
13	2DF	Mohammed Al-Attas	(1997-08-05) 5 August 1997 (age 27)	33	1	Al Jazira
19	2DF	Khaled Ibrahim	(1997-01-17) 17 January 1997 (age 28)	23	1	Sharjah
2	3MF	Isam Faiz	(2000-03-06) 6 March 2000 (age 25)	9	0	Ajman
6	3MF	Abdullah Ramadan	(1998-03-07) 7 March 1998 (age 27)	48	1	Al Jazira
8	3MF	Tahnoon Al-Zaabi	(1999-04-10) 10 April 1999 (age 26)	37	1	Al Wahda
9	3MF	Harib Abdalla	(2002-11-26) 26 November 2002 (age 22)	37	7	Shabab Al Ahli
10	3MF	Fábio Lima	(1993-06-30) 30 June 1993 (age 31)	39	17	Al Wasl
15	3MF	Yahia Nader	(1998-09-11) 11 September 1998 (age 26)	19	0	Al Ain
16	3MF	Jonatas	(2001-12-16) 16 December 2001 (age 23)	2	0	Al Wasl
18	3MF	Mackenzie Hunt	(2001-11-14) 14 November 2001 (age 23)	9	0	Fleetwood Town
20	3MF	Yahya Al-Ghassani	(1998-04-18) 18 April 1998 (age 27)	30	9	Shabab Al Ahli
21	3MF	Luanzinho	(2000-04-21) 21 April 2000 (age 25)	1	0	Sharjah
7	4FW	Bruno	(2001-06-10) 10 June 2001 (age 23)	8	0	Al Jazira
11	4FW	Caio Canedo	(1990-08-09) 9 August 1990 (age 34)	54	10	Al Wasl
14	4FW	Caio Lucas	(1994-04-19) 19 April 1994 (age 31)	2	0	Sharjah
23	4FW	Sultan Adil	(2004-05-04) 4 May 2004 (age 21)	13	7	Shabab Al Ahli

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	Khaled Tawhid	(2004-02-16) 16 February 2004 (age 21)	1	0	Sharjah	v.  Iran, 20 March 2025
GK	Adli Mohamed	(2004-09-14) 14 September 2004 (age 20)	0	0	Southampton	v.  Qatar, 19 November 2024 PRE
DF	Zayed Sultan	(2001-04-11) 11 April 2001 (age 24)	14	1	Al Jazira	v.  Iran, 20 March 2025
DF	Alaeddine Zouhir	(2000-03-07) 7 March 2000 (age 25)	0	0	Al Wahda	v.  Iran, 20 March 2025
DF	Abdulla Idrees	(1999-08-16) 16 August 1999 (age 25)	19	0	Al Nasr	v.  Iran, 20 March 2025
DF	Khamis Al-Mansoori	(2004-01-15) 15 January 2004 (age 21)	0	0	Baniyas	26th Arabian Gulf Cup
DF	Faris Khalil	(2000-10-08) 8 October 2000 (age 24)	0	0	Al Wasl	26th Arabian Gulf Cup
DF	Khalid Al-Hashemi	(1997-03-18) 18 March 1997 (age 28)	16	0	Al Ain	v.  Qatar, 19 November 2024
DF	Abdulrahman Saleh	(2002-10-13) 13 October 2002 (age 22)	2	0	Al Wasl	v.  North Korea, 10 October 2024
DF	Bader Nasser	(2001-09-16) 16 September 2001 (age 23)	13	0	Shabab Al Ahli	v.  Bahrain, 11 June 2024
MF	Majid Rashid	(2000-05-16) 16 May 2000 (age 25)	20	0	Sharjah	26th Arabian Gulf Cup
MF	Mohammed Abbas	(2002-09-30) 30 September 2002 (age 22)	9	0	Al Ain	26th Arabian Gulf Cup
MF	Solomon Sosu	(2005-03-05) 5 March 2005 (age 20)	0	0	Al Ain	26th Arabian Gulf Cup
MF	Ali Salmeen	(1995-04-02) 2 April 1995 (age 30)	63	3	Al Wasl	v.  Uzbekistan, 15 October 2024
MF	Abdulla Hamad	(2001-09-18) 18 September 2001 (age 23)	20	0	Al Wahda	v.  Uzbekistan, 15 October 2024
MF	Hazem Mohammad	(2005-03-18) 18 March 2005 (age 20)	4	1	Al Ain	v.  Bahrain, 11 June 2024
MF	Mubarak Beni Zamah	(2003-11-29) 29 November 2003 (age 21)	3	0	Al Jazira	v.  Bahrain, 11 June 2024
FW	Fahad Badr	(2001-03-09) 9 March 2001 (age 24)	4	0	Baniyas	26th Arabian Gulf Cup
FW	Junior Ndiaye	(2005-03-29) 29 March 2005 (age 20)	0	0	Montpellier	v.  Qatar, 19 November 2024
FW	Ali Saleh	(2000-01-22) 22 January 2000 (age 25)	42	6	Al Wasl	v.  Kyrgyzstan, 14 November 2024 INJ
FW	Mohammed Jumaa	(1997-01-28) 28 January 1997 (age 28)	10	1	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

FIFA World Cup 1990 World Cup squad FIFA Confederations Cup 1997 Confederations Cup squad

AFC Asian Cup 1980 Asian Cup squad 1984 Asian Cup squad 1988 Asian Cup squad 1992 Asian Cup squad 1996 Asian Cup squad 2004 Asian Cup squad 2007 Asian Cup squad 2011 Asian Cup squad 2015 Asian Cup squad 2019 Asian Cup squad 2023 Asian Cup squad

Player records

As of 20 March 2025^[25]

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	2003–2021
3	Subait Khater	120	11	1999–2011
4	Ismail Al Hammadi	116	13	2007–2019
	Abdulrahim Jumaa	116	13	1998–2009
6	Ali Mabkhout	114	85	2009–present
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

Ali Mabkhout is United Arab Emirates' top scorer with 85 goals.

Rank	Player	Goals	Caps	Ratio	Career
1	Ali Mabkhout (list)	85	114	0.75	2009–present
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	38	0.45	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

  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	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
1974	Not a FIFA member									Not a FIFA member
1978	Withdrew									Withdrew
1982	Did not enter									Did not enter
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										16	7	2	7	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	35	17
2022										19	9	3	7	31	16
2026	TBD									14	9	2	3	32	9
2030										TBD
2034
Total	Group stage	1/12	3	0	0	3	2	11		130	60	25	45	224	136

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

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
1956 to 1972	Protectorate of the  United Kingdom									Protectorate 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	Third place	4th	6	3	2	1	8	8		Qualified as hosts
2023	Round of 16	10th	4	1	2	1	6	5		8	6	0	2	23	7
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

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 5–0 United Arab Emirates  (11 December 1984; Kallang, Singapore)
Best Result	Runners-up in 1996
Worst Result	Group stage in 1980, 1984, 1988, 2004, 2007, 2011

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
1964-1982	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
2003–04	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
2017–18	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
2024–25	Group Stage	3	0	2	1	3	4
2026	Qualified
Total	Champions	117	41	31	42	122	143

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
2025	To be determined
Total	2/10	8	3	0	5	9	15

Arab Games

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 25 March 2025^[26]

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	4	4	0	0	10	2	+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	18	9	4	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	628	259	161	211	894	758	+136

1. Includes matches against  West Germany.
2. Includes matches against  Yugoslavia.
3. Includes matches against  North Yemen.

Honours

Continental

• AFC Asian Cup
  • Runners-up (1): 1996
  • Third place (1): 2015

Regional

• Arabian Gulf Cup
  • Champions (2): 2007, 2013
  • Runners-up (4): 1986, 1988, 1994, 2017–18

Friendly

• Friendship Tournament
  • Winners: 1996, 1998, 2000
• Kirin Cup
  • Winners: 2005
• OSN Cup
  • Winners: 2013
• LG Cup
  • Winners: 2000^[27]
• Oman Cup
  • Winners: 2000^[28]

Summary

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

Senior Competition				Total
AFC Asian Cup	0	1	1	2
Total	0	1	1	2

Notes

1. North Korea chose Riyadh as their home site for their match against the United Arab Emirates due to "security concerns".^[22]