United Arab Emirates at the AFC Asian Cup

The United Arab Emirates is one of the more successful teams in the Asian Cup qualifying for ten editions from 1980 to 2019. They have qualified for the semi-finals on four occasions, as well as the final in 1996, however they have never won an Asian Cup.

## Overall record

[edit]

AFC Asian Cup record |  | Qualification record

|
|

Year  | Result  | Position  | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | Pld | 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 | Group stage | 6th | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 8  | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 24 | 2
1988 | Group stage | 8th | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 4  | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 12 | 1
1992 | Fourth place | 4th | 5 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 3
1996 | Runners-up | 2nd | 6 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 8 | 3 | 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 | Group stage | 12th | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 6  | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 11 | 6
2011 | Group stage | 13th | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 4  | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 1
2015 | Third place | 3rd | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 10 | 8 | 6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 18 | 3
2019 | Semi-finals | 4th | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 8 | 8 | Qualified as hosts
2023 | Round of 16 | 12th | 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  | 13  | 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

## 1980 AFC Asian Cup

[edit]

Main article: 1980 AFC Asian Cup

The UAE would make their first appearance in the 1980 AFC Asian Cup. This was seen as a historic achievement as it would serve the first stepping stone for UAE's golden era. They would draw to the eventual champions Kuwait, but lose their remaining games and finish bottom of the group.

* v
* t
* e

United Arab Emirates squad – 1980 AFC Asian Cup

* 1 Salbukh
* 2 Ali
* 3 Y Mohammed
* 4 Saleh
* 5 Khammas
* 6 J Mohammed
* 7 Hamdoun
* 8 Saeed
* 9 Chombi
* 10 Khalifa
* 11 Hadeed
* 12 Al-Hajri
* Coach: Mohajerani

### Group stage

[edit]

Pos | Team

* v
* t
* e

| Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

1  |  South Korea | 4  | 3  | 1  | 0  | 10  | 2  | +8  | 7  | Advance to knockout stage
2  |  Kuwait (H) | 4  | 2  | 1  | 1  | 8  | 5  | +3  | 5
3  |  Malaysia | 4  | 1  | 2  | 1  | 5  | 5  | 0  | 4  |
4  |  Qatar | 4  | 1  | 1  | 2  | 3  | 8  | −5  | 3
5  |  United Arab Emirates | 4  | 0  | 1  | 3  | 3  | 9  | −6  | 1

Source: RSSSF
(H) Hosts

15 September 1980

United Arab Emirates | 1–1|  Kuwait

|
|

Chombi 35' |  | Al-Houti 19'

Sabah Al-Salem Stadium, Kuwait City

Attendance: 20,000

* * *

17 September 1980

Qatar | 2–1|  United Arab Emirates

|
|

Muftah 50', 60' |  | Al-Hajri 58'

Sabah Al-Salem Stadium, Kuwait City

* * *

20 September 1980

Malaysia | 2–0|  United Arab Emirates

|
|

Abdah 32'
Tukamin 89' |  |

Sabah Al-Salem Stadium, Kuwait City

* * *

24 September 1980

18:30

South Korea | 4–1|  United Arab Emirates

|
|

Choi Soon-ho 26', 53', 78' (pen.)
Chung Hae-won 84' |  | Chombi 79'

Sabah Al-Salem Stadium, Kuwait City

Referee: Melvyn Victor D’Souza (India)

## 1984 AFC Asian Cup

[edit]

Main article: 1984 AFC Asian Cup

In the 1984 edition, the UAE would see an improvement as they collected their first two victories against India and Singapore but took two devastating defeats against Iran and China which resulted in another group stage exit.

* v
* t
* e

United Arab Emirates squad – 1984 AFC Asian Cup

* 1 Abdullah
* 2 KG Mubarak
* 3 H Mohamed
* 4 MG Mubarak
* 5 Sultan
* 6 Al-Qadhi
* 7 FK Mubarak
* 8 S Mohamed
* 9 Obeid
* 10 Al Talyani
* 11 Naseeb
* 12 Othman
* 15 Abdulrahman
* 16 Obaid
* 18 MS Mubarak
* 20 Saleh
* 22 Hassan
* Coach: Parreira

### Group stage

[edit]

Pos | Team

* v
* t
* e

| Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

1  |  China | 4  | 3  | 0  | 1  | 10  | 2  | +8  | 6  | Advance to knockout stage
2  |  Iran | 4  | 2  | 2  | 0  | 6  | 1  | +5  | 6
3  |  United Arab Emirates | 4  | 2  | 0  | 2  | 3  | 8  | −5  | 4  |
4  |  Singapore (H) | 4  | 1  | 1  | 2  | 3  | 4  | −1  | 3
5  |  India | 4  | 0  | 1  | 3  | 0  | 7  | −7  | 1

Source: RSSSF
(H) Hosts

1 December 1984

21:00

Iran | 3–0|  United Arab Emirates

|
|

Alidousti 27'
Shahrokh Bayani 85' (pen.)
Mohammadkhani 87' |  |

National Stadium, Singapore

Attendance: 8,000

Referee: Toshikazu Sano (Japan)

* * *

4 December 1984

19:00

United Arab Emirates | 2–0|  India

|
|

Al-Talyani 81'
Khamees 88' |  |

National Stadium, Singapore

Attendance: 2,000

Referee: Abu Wahid Shanbe (Oman)

* * *

8 December 1984

21:00

Singapore | 0–1|  United Arab Emirates

|
|

|  | Abdulrahman  62'

National Stadium, Singapore

Attendance: 15,000

Referee: Jassim Mandi (Bahrain)

* * *

11 December 1984

19:00

China | 5–0|  United Arab Emirates

|
|

Yang Zhaohui 12'
Jia Xiuquan 20'
Zuo Shusheng 36'
Zhao Dayu 52'
Gu Guangming 67' |  |

National Stadium, Singapore

Attendance: 5,000

Referee: Shizuo Takada (Japan)

## 1988 AFC Asian Cup

[edit]

Main article: 1988 AFC Asian Cup

During the 1988 AFC Asian Cup, the UAE would again lose in the group stages, only winning once against Japan. Despite this devastating campaign, the UAE would qualify for the 1990 FIFA World Cup a year later.

* v
* t
* e

United Arab Emirates squad – 1988 AFC Asian Cup

* 2 K. Ghanim
* 3 Jumaa
* 4 M. Ghanim
* 5 Sultan
* 6 Abdulrahman
* 7 Khamees
* 8 Ismaïl
* 9 Abdulaziz
* 10 Al Talyani
* 11 Bakheet
* 12 Ghuloum
* 13 Hassan
* 15 I. Meer
* 16 Salim
* 17 Musabah
* 19 E. Meer
* 20 Obaid
* Coach: Zagallo

### Group stage

[edit]

Pos | Team

* v
* t
* e

| Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

1  |  South Korea | 4  | 4  | 0  | 0  | 9  | 2  | +7  | 8  | Advance to knockout stage
2  |  Iran | 4  | 2  | 1  | 1  | 3  | 3  | 0  | 5
3  |  Qatar (H) | 4  | 2  | 0  | 2  | 7  | 6  | +1  | 4  |
4  |  United Arab Emirates | 4  | 1  | 0  | 3  | 2  | 4  | −2  | 2
5  |  Japan | 4  | 0  | 1  | 3  | 0  | 6  | −6  | 1

Source: RSSSF
(H) Hosts

3 December 1988

15:00

United Arab Emirates | 0–1|  South Korea

|
|

| Report | Lee Tae-ho 8' (pen.)

Al-Ahly Stadium, Doha

Referee: George Courtney (England)

* * *

5 December 1988

17:00

Qatar | 2–1|  United Arab Emirates

|
|

Muftah 17'
Musabah 26' (o.g.) | Report | H. Mohamed 35'

Qatar SC Stadium, Doha

Referee: Erik Fredriksson (Sweden)

* * *

8 December 1988

15:00

Iran | 1–0|  United Arab Emirates

|
|

Pious 27' | Report |

Qatar SC Stadium, Doha

Attendance: 4,000

Referee: Steven Ovinis (Malaysia)

* * *

10 December 1988

15:00

United Arab Emirates | 1–0|  Japan

|
|

A.A. Mohamed 86' | Report |

Al-Ahly Stadium, Doha

Referee: Ahmad Bash (Jordan)

## 1992 AFC Asian Cup

[edit]

Main article: 1992 AFC Asian Cup

In the 1992 AFC Asian Cup, the United Arab Emirates would qualify for the semi-finals for the first time after winning against North Korea and drawing against Japan and Iran. They would find themselves losing to neighbouring rivals Saudi Arabia and finish fourth after losing a penalty shoot out against China.

* v
* t
* e

United Arab Emirates squad – 1992 AFC Asian Cup fourth place

* 1 Aleed
* 2 E. Meer
* 3 I. Meer
* 4 Al-Haddad
* 5 Mohamed
* 6 I.R. Ismail
* 7 B.S. Mubarak
* 8 K. Ismail
* 9 Khamees
* 10 Al Talyani
* 11 Bakheet
* 12 Ghuloum
* 14 K.S. Mubarak
* 15 Salmeen
* 16 Ibrahim
* 17 Musabah
* 18 Salem
* 19 A.G. Mubarak
* 20 Madani
* 22 Hassan
* Coach: Lobanovskyi

### Group stage

[edit]

Pos | Team

* v
* t
* e

| Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

1  |  Japan (H) | 3  | 1  | 2  | 0  | 2  | 1  | +1  | 4  | Advance to knockout stage
2  |  United Arab Emirates | 3  | 1  | 2  | 0  | 2  | 1  | +1  | 4
3  |  Iran | 3  | 1  | 1  | 1  | 2  | 1  | +1  | 3  |
4  |  North Korea | 3  | 0  | 1  | 2  | 2  | 5  | −3  | 1

Source: WorldFootball.net
(H) Hosts

30 October 1992

19:00

Japan | 0–0|  United Arab Emirates

|
|

| Report |

Bingo Sports Park, Onomichi

Attendance: 10,000

Referee: Wei Jihong (China)

* * *

1 November 1992

12:00

Iran | 0–0|  United Arab Emirates

|
|

| Report |

Hiroshima Big Arch, Hiroshima

Attendance: 25,000

Referee: Jamal Al Sharif (Syria)

* * *

3 November 1992

12:00

United Arab Emirates | 2–1|  North Korea

|
|

K. Mubarak 81'
Bakhit 85' | Report | Kim Kwang-min 69'

Hiroshima Big Arch, Hiroshima

Attendance: 33,000

Referee: Neji Jouini (Tunisia)

* * *

### Semi-final

[edit]

6 November 1992

19:00

Saudi Arabia | 2–0|  United Arab Emirates

|
|

Al-Owairan 77'
Al-Bishi 80' | Report |

Hiroshima Stadium, Hiroshima

Attendance: 12,000

Referee: Rasheed Al-Jassas (Kuwait)

* * *

### Third place play-off

[edit]

8 November 1992

12:00

China | 1–1|  United Arab Emirates

|
|

Hao Haidong 15' | Report | Ismail 10'
Penalties
Fan Zhiyi
Cai Sheng
Wu Qunli
Peng Weiguo
Fu Yubin | 4–3 |  Al-Talyani

Ismaïl

Hiroshima Big Arch, Hiroshima

Attendance: 40,000

Referee: Neji Jouini (Tunisia)

## 1996 AFC Asian Cup

[edit]

Main article: 1996 AFC Asian Cup

The 1996 Asian Cup would mark as the first time the UAE won the hosting rights and qualified automatically. The UAE would play its opening game to South Korea where they drew 1–1. They would later beat Kuwait and Indonesia and finish at the top of their group with seven points. They would face Iraq in the quarter-finals which ended with the Emirates winning 1–0 during golden goal time which meant the UAE would qualify for the semi-finals for the second consecutive time. They would once again beat Kuwait and qualify for their first final against the Saudis. Unfortunately for the UAE, they would once again find themselves losing to Saudi Arabia after a penalty shootout that resulted in 2–4.

* v
* t
* e

United Arab Emirates squad – 1996 AFC Asian Cup runners-up

* 1 Rashed
* 2 Ibrahim
* 3 Abdullah
* 4 Al-Haddad
* 5 Saleh
* 6 Ismail
* 7 B. S. Mubarak
* 10 Al-Talyani
* 11 Bakheet
* 12 H. Mubarak
* 13 Abdulaziz .M
* 14 K. S. Mubarak
* 15 M. Ali
* 16 H. Ahmed
* 17 Musabah
* 18 A. I. Ali
* 19 G. Ali
* 20 Al-Kabbani
* 21 M. Ahmed
* 23 A. Ahmed
* Coach: Ivić

### Group stage

[edit]

Pos | Team

* v
* t
* e

| Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

1  |  United Arab Emirates (H) | 3  | 2  | 1  | 0  | 6  | 3  | +3  | 7  | Advance to knockout stage
2  |  Kuwait | 3  | 1  | 1  | 1  | 6  | 5  | +1  | 4
3  |  South Korea | 3  | 1  | 1  | 1  | 5  | 5  | 0  | 4
4  |  Indonesia | 3  | 0  | 1  | 2  | 4  | 8  | −4  | 1  |

Source: RSSSF
(H) Hosts

4 December 1996

16:45

United Arab Emirates | 1–1|  South Korea

|
|

K. Saad 40' | Report | Hwang Sun-Hong 9'

Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi

Attendance: 35,000

Referee: Pirom Un-Prasert (Thailand)

* * *

7 December 1996

16:45

United Arab Emirates | 3–2|  Kuwait

|
|

Saeed 53'
Al-Talyani 55'
B. Saad 80' | Report | Al-Huwaidi 9', 44'

Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi

Attendance: 15,000

Referee: Charles Massembe (Uganda)

* * *

10 December 1996

16:45

United Arab Emirates | 2–0|  Indonesia

|
|

Saeed 15'
Al-Talyani 64' | Report |

Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi

Attendance: 10,000

Referee: Lu Jun (China)

* * *

### Quarter-final

[edit]

15 December 1996

16:45

United Arab Emirates | 1–0 (a.e.t.)|  Iraq

|
|

Ab. Ibrahim 103' | Report |

Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi

Attendance: 50,000

Referee: Gamal Al-Ghandour (Egypt)

* * *

### Semi-final

[edit]

19 December 1996

16:45

United Arab Emirates | 1–0|  Kuwait

|
|

Saeed 69' | Report |

Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi

Attendance: 55,000

Referee: Masayoshi Okada (Japan)

* * *

### Final

[edit]

21 December 1996

19:30

United Arab Emirates | 0–0 (a.e.t.)|  Saudi Arabia

|
|

| Report |
Penalties
M. Ali
Saleh
K. Saad
Saeed | 2–4 |  Al-Thunayan
Zubromawi
Al-Harbi
Al-Temawi
Al-Muwallid

Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi

Attendance: 60,000

Referee: Mohd Nazri Abdullah (Malaysia)

## 2004 AFC Asian Cup

[edit]

Main article: 2004 AFC Asian Cup

Even though they were successful in their last run, the UAE would fail to qualify for the 2000 Asian Cup which meant they needed to compensate in this edition. However they would lose two games and draw once, finishing at the bottom of the group with 1 point for the first time since 1980.

* v
* t
* e

United Arab Emirates squad – 2004 AFC Asian Cup

* 1 Rashed
* 2 Abdul Razzaq
* 4 Jesmi
* 5 A. Jumaa
* 6 Abdul Rahman
* 8 Al-Anbari
* 9 Saad
* 10 Srour
* 12 Yaslam
* 13 Ahmed
* 14 B. Saeed
* 16 S. Rashed
* 17 Salem
* 18 Matar
* 19 Ali
* 21 Fakher
* 23 Mubarak
* 24 Khater
* 25 Qassim
* 26 Faraj
* 28 Malallah
* 29 Abdulla
* Coach: De Mos

### Group stage

[edit]

Pos | Team

* v
* t
* e

| Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

1  |  South Korea | 3  | 2  | 1  | 0  | 6  | 0  | +6  | 7  | Advance to knockout stage
2  |  Jordan | 3  | 1  | 2  | 0  | 2  | 0  | +2  | 5
3  |  Kuwait | 3  | 1  | 0  | 2  | 3  | 7  | −4  | 3  |
4  |  United Arab Emirates | 3  | 0  | 1  | 2  | 1  | 5  | −4  | 1

Source: RSSSF

19 July 2004

21:00

Kuwait | 3–1|  United Arab Emirates

|
|

B. Abdullah 24'
Al-Mutawa 39' (pen.)
Saeed 45' (o.g.) | Report | Rashid 47'

Shandong Sports Center, Jinan

Attendance: 31,250

Referee: Naser Al-Hamdan (Saudi Arabia)

* * *

23 July 2004

21:00

United Arab Emirates | 0–2|  South Korea

|
|

| Report | Lee Dong-gook 41'
Ahn Jung-hwan 90+1'

Shandong Sports Center, Jinan

Attendance: 30,000

Referee: Ravshan Irmatov (Uzbekistan)

* * *

27 July 2004

19:00

Jordan | 0–0|  United Arab Emirates

|
|

| Report |

Workers Stadium, Beijing

Attendance: 25,000

Referee: Talaat Najm (Lebanon)

## 2007 AFC Asian Cup

[edit]

Main article: 2007 AFC Asian Cup

Entering this tournament would mark as their seventh appearance and the Emiratis were a contender to make it past the group stage. However the first game resulted in a 0–2 upsetting defeat to Vietnam in which the game would be titled as the Disaster of Hanoi.[1] They would lose to Japan, thus confirming that the UAE would once again get another early group exit but they would leave with a victory against Qatar and finish third with three points.

* v
* t
* e

United Arab Emirates squad – 2007 AFC Asian Cup

* 1 Naser
* 2 Jumaa (c)
* 3 Khamis
* 4 Msarri
* 5 I. Ali
* 6 Al-Hawsani
* 7 Darwish
* 8 H. Ali
* 9 Mubarak
* 10 Matar
* 11 Khalil
* 12 Salem
* 13 Dada
* 14 B. Saeed
* 15 Al-Shehhi
* 17 Jaber
* 18 Mubarak
* 19 Al-Kass
* 20 H. Saeed
* 21 Fakher
* 22 Qassim
* 23 Saif
* 28 Rabee
* Coach: Metsu

### Group stage

[edit]

Pos | Team

* v
* t
* e

| Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

1  |  Japan | 3  | 2  | 1  | 0  | 8  | 3  | +5  | 7  | Advance to knockout stage
2  |  Vietnam (H) | 3  | 1  | 1  | 1  | 4  | 5  | −1  | 4
3  |  United Arab Emirates | 3  | 1  | 0  | 2  | 3  | 6  | −3  | 3  |
4  |  Qatar | 3  | 0  | 2  | 1  | 3  | 4  | −1  | 2

Source: AFC
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers
(H) Hosts

8 July 2007

19:30 UTC+7

Vietnam | 2–0|  United Arab Emirates

|
|

Huỳnh Quang Thanh 64'
Lê Công Vinh 73' | Report |

Mỹ Đình Stadium, Hanoi

Attendance: 39,450

Referee: Talaat Najm (Lebanon)

* * *

13 July 2007

20:30 UTC+7

United Arab Emirates | 1–3|  Japan

|
|

Al-Kass 66' | Report | Takahara 22', 27'
S. Nakamura 42' (pen.)

Mỹ Đình Stadium, Hanoi

Attendance: 5,000

Referee: Satop Tongkhan (Thailand)

* * *

16 July 2007

17:15 UTC+7

Qatar | 1–2|  United Arab Emirates

|
|

Soria 42' (pen.) | Report | Al-Kass 60'
Khalil 90+4'

Army Stadium, Ho Chi Minh City

Attendance: 3,000

Referee: Masoud Moradi (Iran)

## 2011 AFC Asian Cup

[edit]

Main article: 2011 AFC Asian Cup

In 2011, the UAE would lose to Iraq and Iran but draw to North Korea, this resulted in their worst campaign as they finished at the bottom of the group with zero goals scored.

* v
* t
* e

United Arab Emirates squad – 2011 AFC Asian Cup

* 1 Naser
* 2 Sebil
* 3 Ahmed
* 4 Khater
* 5 A. Abdulrahman
* 6 Jumaa
* 7 Al-Wehaibi
* 8 Al-Kamali
* 9 Al-Shehhi
* 10 Matar
* 11 Khalil
* 12 Al-Taweela
* 13 Awana
* 14 Abbas
* 15 Al Hammadi
* 16 Mubarak
* 17 Jaber
* 18 Mousa
* 19 Al Kass (c)
* 20 Al Kathiri
* 21 Khamees
* 22 Khasif
* 23 O. Abdulrahman
* Coach: Katanec

### Group stage

[edit]

Pos | Team

* v
* t
* e

| Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

1  |  Iran | 3  | 3  | 0  | 0  | 6  | 1  | +5  | 9  | Advance to knockout stage
2  |  Iraq | 3  | 2  | 0  | 1  | 3  | 2  | +1  | 6
3  |  North Korea | 3  | 0  | 1  | 2  | 0  | 2  | −2  | 1  |
4  |  United Arab Emirates | 3  | 0  | 1  | 2  | 0  | 4  | −4  | 1

Source: AFC
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers

11 January 2011

16:15

North Korea | 0–0|  United Arab Emirates

|
|

| Report |

Qatar SC Stadium, Doha

Attendance: 3,639

Referee: Subkhiddin Mohd Salleh (Malaysia)

* * *

15 January 2011

19:15

United Arab Emirates | 0–1|  Iraq

|
|

| Report | W. Abbas 90+3' (o.g.)

Ahmed bin Ali Stadium, Al Rayyan

Attendance: 7,233

Referee: Yuichi Nishimura (Japan)

* * *

19 January 2011

19:15

United Arab Emirates | 0–3|  Iran

|
|

| Report | Afshin 67'
M. Nouri 83'
W. Abbas 90+3' (o.g.)

Qatar SC Stadium, Doha

Attendance: 5,012

Referee: Kim Dong-Jin (South Korea)

## 2015 AFC Asian Cup

[edit]

Main article: 2015 AFC Asian Cup

After three consecutive group stage exits, the UAE would finally get past the group stage after smashing Qatar 4–1 and beating Bahrain 2–1, they would finish second after losing to Iran 0–1 which meant facing the defending champions Japan in the quarter-finals. However, in a surprising turn of events, the UAE would beat Japan in a penalty shootout that ended 5–4. This was seen as one of the biggest upsets in the tournament's history as the Japanese have won the last three out of four Asian cups and are seen as a heavy favourites. Their campaign would end in the semi-finals after a 0–2 loss to the hosts Australia but ultimately finished third place after winning against Iraq 3–2.

* v
* t
* e

United Arab Emirates squad – 2015 AFC Asian Cup third place

* 1 Naser (c)
* 2 Saqer
* 3 Abbas
* 4 Fardan
* 5 A. Abdulrahman
* 6 Salem
* 7 Mabkhout
* 8 Al-Kamali
* 9 Haikal
* 10 O. Abdulrahman
* 11 Khalil
* 12 Eisa
* 13 Esmaeel
* 14 Sanqour
* 15 Al-Hammadi
* 16 M. Abdulrahman
* 17 Hassan
* 18 Saleh
* 19 Ismail
* 20 Al-Kathiri
* 21 Saleh
* 22 Yousif
* 23 Ahmed
* Coach: Ali

### Group stage

[edit]

Pos | Team

* v
* t
* e

| Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

1  |  Iran | 3  | 3  | 0  | 0  | 4  | 0  | +4  | 9  | Advance to knockout stage
2  |  United Arab Emirates | 3  | 2  | 0  | 1  | 6  | 3  | +3  | 6
3  |  Bahrain | 3  | 1  | 0  | 2  | 3  | 5  | −2  | 3  |
4  |  Qatar | 3  | 0  | 0  | 3  | 2  | 7  | −5  | 0

Source: Asian Cup Australia 2015
Rules for classification: Tiebreakers

11 January 2015

18:00 AEDT (UTC+11)

United Arab Emirates | 4–1|  Qatar

|
|

* Khalil 37', 52'
* Mabkhout 56', 90'

| Report |

* Ibrahim 23'

Canberra Stadium, Canberra

Attendance: 5,513

Referee: Kim Jong-hyeok (South Korea)

* * *

15 January 2015

18:00 AEDT (UTC+11)

Bahrain | 1–2|  United Arab Emirates

|
|

* Okwunwanne 26'

| Report |

* Mabkhout 1'
* Husain 74' (o.g.)

Canberra Stadium, Canberra

Attendance: 7,925

Referee: Chris Beath (Australia)

* * *

19 January 2015

19:00 AEST (UTC+10)

Iran | 1–0|  United Arab Emirates

|
|

* Ghoochannejhad 90+1'

| Report |

Brisbane Stadium, Brisbane

Attendance: 11,394

Referee: Ryuji Sato (Japan)

* * *

### Quarter-final

[edit]

23 January 2015

20:30 AEDT (UTC+11)

Japan | 1–1 (a.e.t.)|  United Arab Emirates

|
|

Shibasaki 81' | Report | Mabkhout 7'
Penalties
Honda
Hasebe
Shibasaki
Toyoda
Morishige
Kagawa | 4–5 |  O. Abdulrahman
Mabkhout
Esmaeel
Hassan
Fardan
I. Ahmed

Stadium Australia, Sydney

Attendance: 19,094

Referee: Alireza Faghani (Iran)

* * *

### Semi-final

[edit]

27 January 2015

20:00 AEDT (UTC+11)

Australia | 2–0|  United Arab Emirates

|
|

Sainsbury 3'
Davidson 14' | Report |

Newcastle Stadium, Newcastle

Attendance: 21,079

Referee: Ravshan Irmatov (Uzbekistan)

* * *

### Third place play-off

[edit]

30 January 2015

20:00 AEDT (UTC+11)

Iraq | 2–3|  United Arab Emirates

|
|

Salim 28'
Kalaf 42' | Report | Khalil 16', 51'
Mabkhout 57' (pen.)

Newcastle Stadium, Newcastle

Attendance: 12,829

Referee: Nawaf Shukralla (Bahrain)

## 2019 AFC Asian Cup

[edit]

Main article: 2019 AFC Asian Cup

The UAE would win the hosting rights for the second time in 2019. They would finish first in their group with an unorthodox campaign, drawing to Bahrain and Thailand but winning against India, they only obtained 5 points which is less than any other group champion in that tournament. The UAE would struggle to beat Kyrgyzstan, only winning due to a penalty awarded during extra time. They would beat Australia 1–0 which meant that this was the second consecutive time the defending champion was knocked out by the UAE, coincidentally both were eliminated in the quarter-finals. Unfortunately the UAE would lose the semi-finals for the second consecutive time in an embarrassing 0–4 loss to Qatar and things got dirty when fans started throwing water bottles and footwear to the Qatari players.[2]

* v
* t
* e

United Arab Emirates squad – 2019 AFC Asian Cup semi-finalists

* 1 Khasif
* 2 Salmeen
* 3 Abbas
* 4 Khalifa
* 5 A. Abdulrahman
* 6 Jumaa
* 7 Mabkhout
* 8 Hassan
* 9 Al-Ahbabi
* 10 Matar (c)
* 11 Khalil
* 12 K. Al Hammadi
* 13 Esmaeel
* 14 M. Khalfan
* 15 I. Al Hammadi
* 16 M. Abdulrahman
* 17 Eisa
* 18 Saleh
* 19 I. Ahmed
* 20 Rashid
* 21 Khalfan M.
* 22 Al-Shamsi
* 23 M. Ahmed
* Coach: Zaccheroni

### Group stage

[edit]

Pos | Team

* v
* t
* e

| Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

1  |  United Arab Emirates (H) | 3  | 1  | 2  | 0  | 4  | 2  | +2  | 5  | Advance to knockout stage
2  |  Thailand | 3  | 1  | 1  | 1  | 3  | 5  | −2  | 4[a]
3  |  Bahrain | 3  | 1  | 1  | 1  | 2  | 2  | 0  | 4[a]
4  |  India | 3  | 1  | 0  | 2  | 4  | 4  | 0  | 3  |

Source: AFC
(H) Hosts
Notes:

1. ^ a b Head-to-head points: Thailand 3, Bahrain 0.

5 January 2019 (2019-01-05)

20:00

United Arab Emirates | 1–1|  Bahrain

|
|

* Khalil 88' (pen.)

| Report |

* Al Romaihi 78'

Zayed Sports City Stadium, Abu Dhabi

Attendance: 33,878

Referee: Adham Makhadmeh (Jordan)

* * *

10 January 2019 (2019-01-10)

20:00

India | 0–2|  United Arab Emirates

|
|

| Report |

* Khalf. Mubarak 41'
* Mabkhout 88'

Zayed Sports City Stadium, Abu Dhabi

Attendance: 43,206

Referee: César Ramos (Mexico)

* * *

14 January 2019 (2019-01-14)

20:00

United Arab Emirates | 1–1|  Thailand

|
|

* Mabkhout 7'

| Report |

* Thitipan 41'

Hazza bin Zayed Stadium, Al Ain

Attendance: 17,809

Referee: Ryuji Sato (Japan)

* * *

### Round of 16

[edit]

21 January 2019 (2019-01-21)

21:00

United Arab Emirates | 3–2 (a.e.t.)|  Kyrgyzstan

|
|

* Esmaeel 14'
* Mabkhout 64'
* Khalil 103' (pen.)

| Report |

* Murzaev 26'
* Rustamov 90+1'

Zayed Sports City Stadium, Abu Dhabi

Attendance: 17,784

Referee: Fu Ming (China PR)

* * *

### Quarter-final

[edit]

25 January 2019 (2019-01-25)

20:00

United Arab Emirates | 1–0|  Australia

|
|

* Mabkhout 68'

| Report |

Hazza bin Zayed Stadium, Al Ain

Attendance: 25,053

Referee: Ryuji Sato (Japan)

* * *

### Semi-final

[edit]

29 January 2019 (2019-01-29)

18:00

Qatar | 4–0|  United Arab Emirates

|
|

* Khoukhi 22'
* Ali 37'
* Al-Haydos 80'
* Ismail 90+3'

| Report |

Mohammed bin Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi

Attendance: 38,646

Referee: César Ramos (Mexico)

## 2023 AFC Asian Cup

[edit]

Main article: 2023 AFC Asian Cup

The UAE opened their first game with a victory against Hong Kong albeit with two penalties rewarded on the way, their following match ended with a draw against Palestine with an own goal costing them the match. Their final group match against Iran ended with a loss but the UAE still finished second in the group. The UAE would play their first knockout game against debutant Tajikistan which ended as a draw and went on extra time. Neither found an opportunity to score during the extra time so the game resulted on penalties which saw the UAE lose 3–5. This was considered one of the weakest campaigns despite making it to the knockouts as the UAE reached the semi-finals two consecutive times in the last two editions.

* v
* t
* e

United Arab Emirates squad – 2023 AFC Asian Cup

* 1 Khasif
* 2 Idrees
* 3 Sultan
* 4 Al-Hashemi
* 5 Salmeen
* 6 Rashid
* 7 Mabkhout (c)
* 8 Al-Zaabi
* 9 Saleh
* 10 Lima
* 11 Canedo
* 12 Al-Hammadi
* 13 Al-Attas
* 14 Hamad
* 15 Nader
* 16 Abbas
* 17 Eisa
* 18 Ramadan
* 19 Ibrahim
* 20 Al-Ghassani
* 21 Abdalla
* 22 Hamza
* 23 Adil
* 24 Jamil
* 25 Ab. Saleh
* 26 Nasser
* Coach: Bento

### Group stage

[edit]

Main article: 2023 AFC Asian Cup Group C

Pos | Team

* v
* t
* e

| Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

1  |  Iran | 3  | 3  | 0  | 0  | 7  | 2  | +5  | 9  | Advance to knockout stage
2  |  United Arab Emirates | 3  | 1  | 1  | 1  | 5  | 4  | +1  | 4
3  |  Palestine | 3  | 1  | 1  | 1  | 5  | 5  | 0  | 4
4  |  Hong Kong | 3  | 0  | 0  | 3  | 1  | 7  | −6  | 0  |

Source: AFC
Rules for classification: Group stage tiebreakers

14 January 2024 (2024-01-14)

17:30

United Arab Emirates | 3–1|  Hong Kong

|
|

* Adil 34' (pen.)
* Sultan 52'
* Al-Ghassani 90+5' (pen.)

| Report |

* Chan Siu Kwan 49'

Khalifa International Stadium, Al Rayyan

Attendance: 15,586

Referee: Muhammad Taqi (Singapore)

* * *

18 January 2024 (2024-01-18)

20:30

Palestine | 1–1|  United Arab Emirates

|
|

Nasser 50' (o.g.) | Report | Adil 23'

Al Janoub Stadium, Al Wakrah

Attendance: 41,986

Referee: Ahmad Al-Ali (Kuwait)

* * *

23 January 2024 (2024-01-23)

18:00

Iran | 2–1|  United Arab Emirates

|
|

* Taremi 26', 65'

| Report |

* Al-Ghassani 90+3'

Education City Stadium, Al Rayyan

Attendance: 34,259

Referee: Ilgiz Tantashev (Uzbekistan)

### Knockout stage

[edit]

Main article: 2023 AFC Asian Cup knockout stage

#### Round of 16

[edit]

28 January 2024 (2024-01-28)

19:00

Tajikistan | 1–1 (a.e.t.)|  United Arab Emirates

|
|

* Hanonov 30'

| Report |

* Al Hammadi 90+5'

Penalties

* Nazarov
* Hanonov
* Panjshanbe
* Soirov
* Shukurov

| 5–3 |

* Idrees
* Caio
* Lima
* Saleh

Ahmad bin Ali Stadium, Al Rayyan

Attendance: 33,584

Referee: Yusuke Araki (Japan)

## Goalscorers

[edit]

Player  | Goals  | 1980 | 1984 | 1988 | 1992 | 1996 | 2004 | 2007 | 2015 | 2019 | 2023

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

Ali Mabkhout | 9  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | 5 | 4 |
Ahmed Khalil | 6  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | 4 | 2 |
Hassan Ahmed | 3  |  |  |  |  | 3 |  |  |  |  |
Adnan Al-Talyani | 3  |  | 1 |  |  | 2 |  |  |  |  |
Sultan Adil | 2  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | 2
Saeed Al Kass | 2  |  |  |  |  |  |  | 2 |  |  |
Yahya Al-Ghassani | 2  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | 2
Ahmed Chombi | 2  | 2 |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Khamees Mubarak | 2  |  |  |  | 1 | 1 |  |  |  |  |
Farooq Abdulrahman | 1  |  | 1 |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Ghanem Al Hajri | 1  | 1 |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Khalifa Al Hammadi | 1  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | 1
Zuhair Bakhit | 1  |  |  |  | 1 |  |  |  |  |  |
Khamis Esmaeel | 1  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | 1 |
Abdulrahman Ibrahim | 1  |  |  |  |  | 1 |  |  |  |  |
Khaled Ismail | 1  |  |  |  | 1 |  |  |  |  |  |
Faisal Khalil | 1  |  |  |  |  |  |  | 1 |  |  |
Fahad Khamees | 1  |  | 1 |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Abdulaziz Mohamed | 1  |  |  | 1 |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Hassan Mohamed | 1  |  |  | 1 |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Bakheet Mubarak | 1  |  |  |  |  | 1 |  |  |  |  |
Khalfan Mubarak | 1  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | 1 |
Mohamed Rashid | 1  |  |  |  |  |  | 1 |  |  |  |
Zayed Sultan | 1  |  |  |  |  |  | 1 |  |  |  | 1
Total  | 46  | 3 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 8 | 1 | 3 | 9 | 8 | 6

## See also

[edit]

* United Arab Emirates at the FIFA World Cup

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Vietnam shock Gulf champs UAE". Abc.net.au. 8 July 2007. Retrieved 28 November 2021.
2. ^ Aditya (29 January 2019). "Watch: Fans throw shoes at the Qatar players after Almoez Ali scores their second goal against the UAE in the AFC Asian Cup 2019". Fox Sports Asia. Retrieved 1 February 2019.

* v
* t
* e

Countries at the AFC Asian Cup

* Team appearances

AFF|

* Australia
* Cambodia
* Indonesia
* Malaysia
* Myanmar
* Philippines
* Singapore
* Thailand
* Vietnam1

CAFA|

* Iran
* Kyrgyzstan
* Tajikistan
* Turkmenistan
* Uzbekistan

EAFF|

* China
* Chinese Taipei
* Hong Kong
* Japan
* North Korea
* South Korea

SAFF|

* Bangladesh
* India

WAFF|

* Bahrain
* Iraq
* Jordan
* Kuwait
* Lebanon
* Oman
* Palestine
* Qatar
* Saudi Arabia
* Syria
* United Arab Emirates
* Yemen

Former|

* Israel2
* South Yemen3

1 Considered a successor team by FIFA, or have competed under other name(s). 2 Israel was a member of the AFC until 1974. 3 Recognized by FIFA as defunct.

* v
* t
* e

United Arab Emirates national football team

General|

* United Arab Emirates Football Association
* History
* Managers

Statistics|

* Results and fixtures
* 2000–2009
* 2010–2019
* 2020–present
* International tournaments
* Head to head

Team|

* Players
* International players

Venues|

* Zayed Sports City
* Mohammed bin Zayed
* Hazza bin Zayed
* Al Maktoum

Tournaments|

* World Cup
* Asian Cup
* Asian Games
* WAFF Championship
* Friendship Tournament

World Finals|

* 1990

Asian Finals|

* 1980
* 1984
* 1988
* 1992
* 1996
* 2004
* 2007
* 2011
* 2015
* 2019
* 2023
* 2027

Notable Matches|

* 1996 AFC Asian Cup final
* Disaster of Hanoi (2007)
* Blockade Derby (2019)
* 2022 World Cup fourth round qualifier

Scorers|

* Ali Mabkhout

Rivalries|

* Iran
* Oman
* Qatar
* Saudi Arabia

Other teams|

* U23
* U20
* U17
* Women's
* Futsal
* Beach soccer

## Head-to-head record

[edit]

Opponent  | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Win %

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

Australia | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | −1  | 050.00
Bahrain | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 2 | +1  | 050.00
China | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 6 | −5  | 000.00
Hong Kong | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | +2  | 100.00
India | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | +4  | 100.00
Indonesia | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | +2  | 100.00
Iran | 6 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 10 | −9  | 000.00
Iraq | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 3 | +1  | 066.67
Japan | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 4 | −1  | 025.00
Jordan | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | +0  | 000.00
Kuwait | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 6 | +0  | 050.00
Kyrgyzstan | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | +1  | 100.00
Malaysia | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | −2  | 000.00
North Korea | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | +1  | 050.00
Palestine | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | +0  | 000.00
Qatar | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 8 | 10 | −2  | 040.00
Saudi Arabia | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | −2  | 000.00
Singapore | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | +1  | 100.00
South Korea | 4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 8 | −6  | 000.00
Tajikistan | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | +0  | 000.00
Thailand | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | +0  | 000.00
Vietnam | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | −2  | 000.00
Total  | 48 | 16 | 13 | 19 | 47 | 64 | −17  | 033.33
*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template
*[Pos]: Position
*[Pld]: Played
*[W]: Won
*[D]: Drawn
*[L]: Lost
*[GF]: Goals for
*[GA]: Goals against
*[GD]: Goal difference
*[Pts]: Points