United Arab Emirates national football team facts for kids

The United Arab Emirates national football team (often called Al Abyad, meaning The Whites) represents the United Arab Emirates in men's international football. It is managed by the United Arab Emirates Football Association.

The team played in one World Cup in 1990 in Italy. They lost all three of their games there. The UAE team also achieved great results in the AFC Asian Cup, finishing fourth in 1992 and runners-up in 1996 when they hosted the tournament. They won the Arabian Gulf Cup twice, in 2007 and 2013. In the 2015 AFC Asian Cup, they came in third place. They also hosted the 2019 tournament, reaching the semi-finals.

Quick facts for kids
United Arab Emirates

Nickname(s)	Al Abyad (The Whites) Eyal Zayed (Sons of Zayed)
Association	United Arab Emirates Football Association (UAE FA)
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	67 12 (7 February 2019)
Highest	40 (November – December 1998)
Lowest	138 (January 2012)
Elo ranking
Current	87 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

Team History and Achievements

The UAE national football team played its first match on March 17, 1972. They won 1–0 against Qatar. After that, they played against other Arabian countries. They lost to Saudi Arabia and Kuwait but beat Bahrain.

Early Asian Cup Appearances

In 1980, the United Arab Emirates qualified for the AFC Asian Cup for the first time. The tournament was held in Kuwait. They drew one match and lost three, finishing ninth overall. They also qualified for the next two tournaments in 1984 and 1988. They were eliminated in the group stages both times. Their first win in the tournament was against India in 1984.

Reaching the World Cup

In 1990, the UAE team qualified for the 1990 FIFA World Cup in Italy. This was a huge achievement! However, they lost all three of their games in the tournament. Their journey to the World Cup was even made into a documentary called Lights of Rome.

Success in the 1990s and 2000s

The team continued to improve. In the 1992 and 1996 tournaments, they finished fourth and second, respectively. They also played in the 1997 FIFA Confederations Cup.

After a few tough years, the UAE team appointed Bruno Metsu as their new manager in 2006. He led them to win the 2007 Arabian Gulf Cup title.

Recent Achievements and Challenges

In 2012, Mahdi Ali, who had coached the Olympic team, became the manager of the senior team. He brought in many young players he had worked with before. Under his leadership, the UAE won their second Arabian Gulf Cup title in 2013.

At the 2015 AFC Asian Cup, the UAE had a great run. They beat Qatar and Bahrain in the group stage. In the quarter-finals, they defeated defending champions Japan in a penalty shootout. They lost to Australia in the semi-finals but won the third-place play-off against Iraq.

The UAE hosted the 2019 AFC Asian Cup again. They reached the semi-finals, where they lost to Qatar. In the 2022 World Cup qualifiers, the team faced some challenges. They brought in new players and coaches. They managed to reach the final playoff round but lost to Australia, missing out on the World Cup.

Team Rivalries

The UAE team has strong rivalries with other teams in the region. Their main rivals are Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman, and Iran.

Rivalry with Qatar

The matches against Qatar are always very competitive, especially in the Arabian Gulf Cup. These games have become even more intense over time. For example, in the 2019 AFC Asian Cup, Qatar beat the UAE 4–0. This was a big moment as Qatar had not beaten the UAE by such a large margin since 2001.

Rivalry with Saudi Arabia

Another big rival is Saudi Arabia. They have met many times in the Arabian Gulf Cup. They also played in two AFC Asian Cup matches. Saudi Arabia won in the semi-finals of the 1992 Asian Cup. In the 1996 final, which the UAE hosted, the game ended in a draw. Saudi Arabia won the trophy after a penalty shootout. When these two teams play in World Cup qualifiers, their matches are often called "clashes of titans."

Team Identity

Team Kit

The UAE's home kit is usually all white with some red details. Their away kit is all red with white details. In 2019, they also used black for their away kit for the first time, with some green details.

Manufacturer	Period
Umbro	1979–1985
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

Team Nicknames

The team is known as Al-Abyad, which means "The Whites." This name comes from their white home jersey. They are also called Eyal Zayed, meaning "Zayed's sons," honoring the founder of the UAE.

Home Stadiums

The UAE national team plays its home games at various stadiums across the country. The most common venue is Zayed Sports City Stadium in Abu Dhabi. Other important stadiums include Al Jazira Stadium and Hazza Bin Zayed Stadium in Al Ain.

Recent Matches and Upcoming Games

Here are some of the recent match results and future games for the UAE national football team.

      Win       Draw       Loss       Fixture

Matches in 2024

• June 6, 2024:    Nepal 0–4  United Arab Emirates (Win)
• June 11, 2024:  United Arab Emirates 1–1  Bahrain (Draw)
• September 5, 2024:  Qatar 1–3  United Arab Emirates (Win)
• September 10, 2024:  United Arab Emirates 0–1  Iran (Loss)
• October 10, 2024:  United Arab Emirates 1–1  North Korea (Draw)
• October 15, 2024:  Uzbekistan 1–0  United Arab Emirates (Loss)
• November 14, 2024:  United Arab Emirates 3–0  Kyrgyzstan (Win)
• November 19, 2024:  United Arab Emirates 5–0  Qatar (Win)
• December 21, 2024:  Qatar 1–1  United Arab Emirates (Draw)
• December 24, 2024:  United Arab Emirates 1–2  Kuwait (Loss)
• December 27, 2024:  United Arab Emirates 1–1  Oman (Draw)

Matches in 2025

• March 20, 2025:  Iran 2–0  United Arab Emirates (Loss)
• March 25, 2025:  North Korea 1–2  United Arab Emirates (Win)
• June 5, 2025:  United Arab Emirates 0–0  Uzbekistan (Draw)
• June 10, 2025:  Kyrgyzstan 1–1  United Arab Emirates (Draw)
• October 11, 2025:  United Arab Emirates vs  Oman (Upcoming)
• October 14, 2025:  Qatar vs  United Arab Emirates (Upcoming)
• December 2025:  United Arab Emirates vs  Egypt (Upcoming)
• December 2025:  United Arab Emirates vs  Jordan (Upcoming)
• December 2025:  United Arab Emirates vs  Kuwait/ Mauritania (Upcoming)

Team Staff

The team has a dedicated staff to help them perform their best.

Last Update: April 2025

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 Alub
Scouting	Ferdinando Montebello
Team administrator	Mohamed Albalooshi
Media coordinator	Salim Alnaqbi
Doctor	Flavio Cruz
Interpreter	Hussein Fakih
Match Analyst	Karim Tayara Rareş Ene

Current Players

Here are the players who were recently called up for the team.

Caps (games played) and goals are correct as of June 10, 2025.

No.	Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club
1	1GK	Ali Khasif	(1987-06-09) 9 June 1987 (age 38)	73	0	Al Jazira
17	1GK	Khalid Eisa (captain)	(1989-09-15) 15 September 1989 (age 35)	89	0	Al Ain
22	1GK	Hamad Al-Meqebaali	(2003-07-13) 13 July 2003 (age 22)	0	0	Shabab Al Ahli
2	2DF	Saša Ivković	(1993-05-13) 13 May 1993 (age 32)	1	0	Al Wahda
3	2DF	Lucas Pimenta	(2000-07-17) 17 July 2000 (age 25)	4	0	Al Wahda
4	2DF	Kouame Autonne	(2000-09-22) 22 September 2000 (age 24)	10	0	Al Ain
12	2DF	Khalifa Al Hammadi	(1998-11-07) 7 November 1998 (age 26)	53	2	Al Jazira
13	2DF	Bader Nasser	(2001-09-16) 16 September 2001 (age 23)	14	0	Shabab Al Ahli
14	2DF	Abdulrahman Saleh	(2002-10-13) 13 October 2002 (age 22)	3	0	Al Wasl
16	2DF	Marcus Meloni	(2000-06-25) 25 June 2000 (age 25)	10	1	Sharjah
19	2DF	Alaeddine Zouhir	(2000-03-07) 7 March 2000 (age 25)	1	0	Al Wahda
5	3MF	Mohammed Abdulbasit	(1995-10-19) 19 October 1995 (age 29)	6	0	Sharjah
6	3MF	Abdullah Ramadan	(1998-03-07) 7 March 1998 (age 27)	49	1	Al Jazira
7	3MF	Ali Saleh	(2000-01-22) 22 January 2000 (age 25)	43	6	Al Wasl
8	3MF	Abdulla Hamad	(2001-09-18) 18 September 2001 (age 23)	20	0	Al Wahda
9	3MF	Harib Abdalla	(2002-11-26) 26 November 2002 (age 22)	39	8	Shabab Al Ahli
10	3MF	Yahya Al-Ghassani	(1998-04-18) 18 April 1998 (age 27)	32	9	Shabab Al Ahli
15	3MF	Yahia Nader	(1998-09-11) 11 September 1998 (age 26)	21	0	Al Ain
21	3MF	Luan Pereira	(2000-04-21) 21 April 2000 (age 25)	3	0	Sharjah
	3MF	Fábio Lima	(1993-06-30) 30 June 1993 (age 32)	40	17	Al Wasl
	3MF	Majed Hassan	(1992-08-01) 1 August 1992 (age 32)	69	1	Sharjah
11	4FW	Caio Canedo	(1990-08-09) 9 August 1990 (age 34)	56	10	Al Wasl
18	4FW	Lithierry	(2001-05-14) 14 May 2001 (age 24)	1	0	Ajman
20	4FW	Álvaro de Oliveira	(2001-05-27) 27 May 2001 (age 24)	1	0	Al Bataeh
23	4FW	Bruno de Oliveira	(2001-06-10) 10 June 2001 (age 24)	10	0	Al Jazira
	4FW	Caio Lucas	(1994-04-19) 19 April 1994 (age 31)	3	0	Sharjah
	4FW	Junior Ndiaye	(2005-03-29) 29 March 2005 (age 20)	0	0	Montpellier

Player Records

These are some of the top players in the history of the UAE national team.

Players in bold are still active with United Arab Emirates.

Most Games Played

Adnan Al-Talyani has played the most games for the UAE, with 161 appearances.

Top Goal Scorers

Ali Mabkhout is the UAE's top scorer with 85 goals.

Team Honours

The UAE national football team has won several awards and titles.

Summary of Official Honours

These are the main official awards the team has won.

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

Images for kids

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  Zayed Sports City Stadium in Abu Dhabi

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  Mohammed bin Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi

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  Al Nahyan Stadium in Abu Dhabi

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  Hazza bin Zayed Stadium in Al Ain

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  Tahnoun bin Mohammed Stadium in Al Ain

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  Sheikh Khalifa International Stadium in Al Ain

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  Zabeel Stadium in Dubai

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  Maktoum bin Rashid Al Maktoum Stadium in Dubai

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  Al Maktoum Stadium in Dubai

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  Rashid Stadium in Dubai

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  Al Awir Stadium in Dubai

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  Sharjah Stadium in Sharjah

See also

In Spanish: Selección de fútbol de los Emiratos Árabes Unidos para niños