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United Arab Emirates national football team facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts
This page is about the men's team. For the women's team, see United Arab Emirates women's national football team.
Quick facts for kids
United Arab Emirates
Shirt badge/Association crest
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 Paulo Bento
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 67 Increase 12 (7 February 2019)
Highest 40 (November – December 1998)
Lowest 138 (January 2012)
Elo ranking
Current 87 Decrease 16 (3 March 2019)
Highest 24 (15 January 2015)
Lowest 140 (September 1981)
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
Silver 1996 UAE Team
Bronze 2015 Australia Team
Asian Games
Silver 2010 Guangzhou Team
Bronze 2018 Jakarta Team
Arabian Gulf Cup
Gold 2007 UAE Team
Gold 2013 Bahrain Team
Silver 1986 Bahrain Team
Silver 1988 Saudi Arabia Team
Silver 1994 UAE Team
Silver 2017 Kuwait 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.

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. 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.

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. The semi-finals was between the host and Qatar. 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. 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. 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 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. 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. 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. 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.

Rivalries

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

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. 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.

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.

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
United Kingdom Umbro 1979–1985
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.

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
Abu Dhabi Zayed Sports City Stadium 3.jpg Zayed Sports City Stadium 43,206 Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi v   Kyrgyzstan
(21 January 2019; 2019 AFC Asian Cup)
IRN-YMN 20190107 Asian Cup 4.jpg Mohammed bin Zayed Stadium 42,056 Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi v   Kyrgyzstan
(14 November 2024; 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification)
Al-Nahyan Stadium.jpg Al Nahyan Stadium 12,201 Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi v   Qatar

(19 November 2024; 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification)
بانوراما-ملعب-هزاع-بن-زايد-بالداخل.jpg Hazza bin Zayed Stadium 25,053 Al Ain, Abu Dhabi v   Australia
(25 January 2019; 2019 AFC Asian Cup)
Al Ain Club By Eng. Fadi Fayyadh Al Toubeh - panoramio.jpg Tahnoun bin Mohammed Stadium 15,000 Al Ain, Abu Dhabi v   Kuwait
(2 September 2011; 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification)
Sheikh Khalifa International Stadium.jpg Sheikh Khalifa International Stadium 12,000 Al Ain, Abu Dhabi v   Australia
(5 January 2011; Friendly)
Campo de juego del estadio Zabeel..jpg Zabeel Stadium 8,439 Dubai, Dubai v   Bahrain
(11 June 2024; 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification)
Dubai Maktoum Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Stadium 2.jpg Maktoum bin Rashid Al Maktoum Stadium 12,000 Dubai, Dubai v   Bolivia
(16 November 2018; Friendly)
THA-BHR 20190110 Asian Cup 4.jpg Al Maktoum Stadium 15,058 Dubai, Dubai v     Nepal
(16 November 2023; 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification)
TUR-UZB 20190113 Asian Cup 12.jpg Rashid Stadium 12,000 Dubai, Dubai v   Jordan
(24 May 2021; Friendly)
No image available.svg Al Awir Stadium 10,000 Al Awir, Dubai v   Uzbekistan
(14 October 2014; Friendly)
No image available.svg 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

2023

2024

2025

Current staff

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

Last Update: November 2023

Position Name
Head coach Portugal Paulo Bento
Assistant coach Portugal Sérgio Costa
Portugal Filipe Coelho
United Arab Emirates Yaser Al Saedi
United Arab Emirates Mohamed Al Balooshi
United Arab Emirates Rizwan Chaudhry
Goalkeeping coach United Arab Emirates Tareq Al Suwaidi
Fitness coach United Arab Emirates Junaid Shaikh
Doctor United Arab Emirates Yasin Al Mansoori
Sport Scientist United Arab Emirates Shehzad Naeem
Match Analyst United Arab Emirates Obaid Al Muhairi

Players

Current squad

The following players were called up for the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification games against  Kyrgyzstan &  Qatar on 14 and 19 November 2024, respectively.

Caps and goals correct as of 19 November 2024, 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 37) 72 0 United Arab Emirates Al Jazira
17 1GK Khalid Eisa (captain) (1989-09-15) 15 September 1989 (age 35) 83 0 United Arab Emirates Al Ain
22 1GK Hamad Al-Meqebaali (2003-07-13) 13 July 2003 (age 21) 0 0 United Arab Emirates Shabab Al Ahli
3 2DF Zayed Sultan (2001-04-11) 11 April 2001 (age 23) 13 1 United Arab Emirates Al Jazira
4 2DF Khalid Al-Hashemi (1997-03-18) 18 March 1997 (age 27) 16 0 United Arab Emirates Al Ain
5 2DF Kouame Autonne (2000-09-22) 22 September 2000 (age 24) 5 0 United Arab Emirates Al Ain
12 2DF Khalifa Al Hammadi (1998-11-07) 7 November 1998 (age 26) 49 2 United Arab Emirates Al Jazira
13 2DF Mohammed Al-Attas (1997-08-05) 5 August 1997 (age 27) 31 1 United Arab Emirates Al Jazira
19 2DF Khaled Ibrahim (1997-01-17) 17 January 1997 (age 27) 20 1 United Arab Emirates Sharjah
6 3MF Majid Rashid (2000-05-16) 16 May 2000 (age 24) 19 0 United Arab Emirates Sharjah
8 3MF Tahnoon Al-Zaabi (1999-04-10) 10 April 1999 (age 25) 35 1 United Arab Emirates Al Wahda
14 3MF Marcus Meloni (2000-06-25) 25 June 2000 (age 24) 4 1 United Arab Emirates Sharjah
15 3MF Yahia Nader (1998-09-11) 11 September 1998 (age 26) 14 0 United Arab Emirates Al Ain
16 3MF Mohammed Abbas (2002-09-30) 30 September 2002 (age 22) 7 0 United Arab Emirates Al Ain
18 3MF Mackenzie Hunt (2001-11-14) 14 November 2001 (age 23) 4 0 England Fleetwood Town
21 3MF Isam Faiz (2000-03-06) 6 March 2000 (age 24) 7 0 United Arab Emirates Ajman
2 4FW Fahad Badr (2001-03-09) 9 March 2001 (age 23) 3 0 United Arab Emirates Baniyas
7 4FW Junior Ndiaye (2005-03-29) 29 March 2005 (age 19) 0 0 France Montpellier
9 4FW Harib Abdalla (2002-11-26) 26 November 2002 (age 22) 32 7 United Arab Emirates Shabab Al Ahli
10 4FW Fábio Lima (1993-06-30) 30 June 1993 (age 31) 33 16 United Arab Emirates Al Wasl
11 4FW Caio Canedo (1990-08-09) 9 August 1990 (age 34) 49 9 United Arab Emirates Al Wasl
20 4FW Yahya Al Ghassani (1998-04-18) 18 April 1998 (age 26) 25 7 United Arab Emirates Shabab Al Ahli
23 4FW Bruno (2001-06-10) 10 June 2001 (age 23) 4 0 United Arab Emirates Al Jazira

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 Adli Mohamed (2004-09-14) 14 September 2004 (age 20) 0 0 England Southampton v.  Qatar, 19 November 2024 PRE
GK Khaled Tawhid (2004-02-16) 16 February 2004 (age 20) 1 0 United Arab Emirates Sharjah v.  Uzbekistan, 15 October 2024
GK Hassan Hamza (1994-11-10) 10 November 1994 (age 30) 0 0 United Arab Emirates Shabab Al Ahli v.  Tajikistan, 28 January 2024
DF Faris Khalil (2000-10-08) 8 October 2000 (age 24) 0 0 United Arab Emirates Al Wasl v.  Qatar, 19 November 2024 PRE
DF Abdulla Idrees (1999-08-16) 16 August 1999 (age 25) 19 0 United Arab Emirates Al Jazira v.  Kyrgyzstan, 14 November 2024 PRE
DF Abdulrahman Saleh (2002-10-13) 13 October 2002 (age 22) 2 0 United Arab Emirates Al Wasl v.  North Korea, 10 October 2024
DF Khamis Al-Mansoori (2004-01-15) 15 January 2004 (age 20) 0 0 United Arab Emirates Baniyas v.  Iran, 10 September 2024 PRE
DF Bader Nasser (2001-09-16) 16 September 2001 (age 23) 13 0 United Arab Emirates Shabab Al Ahli v.  Bahrain, 11 June 2024
DF Ahmad Jamil (1999-01-16) 16 January 1999 (age 25) 10 0 United Arab Emirates Shabab Al Ahli v.  Yemen, 26 March 2024
DF Yousif Al-Mheiri (1999-11-30) 30 November 1999 (age 25) 0 0 United Arab Emirates Al Wasl v.  Kyrgyzstan, 30 December 2023
DF Omar Haikal (2002-11-19) 19 November 2002 (age 22) 0 0 United Arab Emirates Al Wasl v.  Kyrgyzstan, 30 December 2023
MF Ali Salmeen (1995-04-02) 2 April 1995 (age 29) 63 3 United Arab Emirates Al Wasl v.  Uzbekistan, 15 October 2024
MF Abdulla Hamad (2001-09-18) 18 September 2001 (age 23) 20 0 United Arab Emirates Al Wahda v.  Uzbekistan, 15 October 2024
MF Hazem Mohammad (2005-03-18) 18 March 2005 (age 19) 4 1 United Arab Emirates Al Ain v.  Bahrain, 11 June 2024
MF Mubarak Beni Zamah (2003-11-29) 29 November 2003 (age 21) 3 0 United Arab Emirates Al Jazira v.  Bahrain, 11 June 2024
MF Abdullah Ramadan (1998-03-07) 7 March 1998 (age 26) 46 1 United Arab Emirates Al Jazira v.  Tajikistan, 28 January 2024
FW Ali Saleh (2000-01-22) 22 January 2000 (age 24) 42 6 United Arab Emirates Al Wasl v.  Kyrgyzstan, 14 November 2024 INJ
FW Sultan Adil (2004-05-04) 4 May 2004 (age 20) 11 6 United Arab Emirates Shabab Al Ahli v.  Qatar, 5 September 2024 PRE
FW Mohammed Jumaa (1997-01-28) 28 January 1997 (age 27) 10 1 United Arab Emirates Shabab Al Ahli v.  Qatar, 5 September 2024 PRE
FW Ali Mabkhout (1990-10-05) 5 October 1990 (age 34) 114 85 United Arab Emirates Al Nasr v.  [[Palestinian National Authority {{{altlink}}}|Palestinian National Authority]], 18 January 2024
FW Eisa Khalfan (2003-03-12) 12 March 2003 (age 21) 0 0 United Arab Emirates Al Ain v.  Kyrgyzstan, 30 December 2023

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

Players in bold are still active with United Arab Emirates.

Most appearances

عدنان الطلياني2011
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, UAE&AUS 20190125 Asian Cup
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 16 34 0.47 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
West Germany 1974 Not a FIFA member Not a FIFA member
Argentina 1978 Withdrew Withdrew
Spain 1982 Did not enter Did not enter
Mexico 1986 Did not qualify 4 2 1 1 5 4
Italy 1990 Group stage 24th 3 0 0 3 2 11 9 4 4 1 16 7
United States 1994 Did not qualify 8 6 1 1 19 4
France 1998 12 5 4 3 16 13
South Korea Japan 2002 14 7 2 5 31 20
Germany 2006 6 3 1 2 6 6
South Africa 2010 16 4 3 9 19 24
Brazil 2014 8 2 1 5 14 16
Russia 2018 18 9 3 6 37 17
Qatar 2022 19 9 3 7 31 16
Canada Mexico United States 2026 TBD 11 7 2 2 25 6
Morocco Portugal Spain 2030 TBD
Saudi Arabia 2034
Total Group stage 1/12 3 0 0 3 2 11 125 58 25 44 219 133

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

FIFA Confederations Cup

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

West Asian Football Federation Championship

WAFF Championship record
Year Round Pld W D L GF GA
Jordan 2000 Did not participate
Syria 2002
Iran 2004
Jordan 2007
Iran 2008
Jordan 2010
Kuwait 2012
Qatar 2014
Iraq 2019
United Arab Emirates 2023 Qualified as hosts
Total 1/10 - - - - - -

Gulf Cup

Gulf Cup
Year Result M W D L GF GA
Saudi Arabia 1972 Third place 3 1 0 2 1 11
Kuwait1974 Fourth place 4 1 1 2 5 9
Qatar 1976 Fifth place 6 0 2 4 4 13
Iraq 1979 Sixth place 6 1 0 5 5 18
United Arab Emirates 1982 Third place 5 3 0 2 7 6
Oman 1984 Fourth place 6 2 3 1 5 4
Bahrain 1986 Runners-up 6 3 2 1 10 7
Saudi Arabia 1988 Runners-up 6 3 2 1 7 4
Kuwait 1990 Fifth place 4 0 2 2 2 8
Qatar 1992 Fourth place 5 3 0 2 4 3
United Arab Emirates 1994 Runners-up 5 3 2 0 7 1
Oman 1996 Fourth place 5 1 3 1 5 5
Bahrain 1998 Third place 5 2 1 2 5 7
Saudi Arabia 2002 Sixth place 5 1 0 4 3 7
Kuwait 2003 Fifth place 6 2 1 3 6 7
Qatar 2004 Group stage 3 0 2 1 4 5
United Arab Emirates 2007 Champions 5 4 0 1 8 1
Oman 2009 Group stage 3 1 1 1 3 4
Yemen 2010 Semi-finals 4 1 2 1 3 2
Bahrain 2013 Champions 5 5 0 0 10 3
Saudi Arabia 2014 Third place 5 2 2 1 7 5
Kuwait 2017 Runners-up 5 1 4 0 1 0
Qatar 2019 Group Stage 3 1 0 2 5 6
Iraq 2023 Group Stage 3 0 1 2 2 4
Kuwait 2024 Qualified
Oman 2025
Total Champions 114 41 29 41 119 139

FIFA Arab Cup

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

Arab Games

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

Other Tournaments

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

Head-to-head record

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

As of 19 November 2024

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 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 20 1 3 16 5 29 −24
 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 12 3 5 4 9 12 −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
 [[Palestinian National Authority {{{altlink}}}|Palestinian National Authority]] 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 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
 East Timor 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 15 12 0 3 34 14 +20
Total 626 258 161 210 892 755 +137

Honours

Continental

Regional

  • Arabian Gulf Cup
    • Med 1.png Champions (2): 2007, 2013
    • Med 2.png Runner-up (4): 1986, 1988, 1994, 2017

Friendly

  • Friendship Tournament
    • Med 1.png Champions (3): 1996, 1998, 2000
  • Kirin Cup
    • Med 1.png Champions (1): 2005
  • OSN Cup
    • Med 1.png Champions (1): 2013
  • LG Cup
    • Med 1.png Champions (1): 2000
  • Oman Cup
    • Med 1.png Champions (1): 2000

Summary

Competition 1 2 3 Total
AFC Asian Cup 0 0 1 2
Arabian Gulf Cup 2 4 0 6
Total 2 4 1 8

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Selección de fútbol de los Emiratos Árabes Unidos para niños

kids search engine
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United Arab Emirates national football team Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.