United Arab Emirates at the FIFA World Cup

Participation of the United Arab Emirates' national football team in the FIFA World Cup

The FIFA World Cup, sometimes called the Football World Cup or the Soccer World Cup, but usually referred to simply as the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), the sport's global governing body. The championship has been awarded every four years since the first tournament in 1930, except in 1942 and 1946, due to World War II.

The tournament consists of two parts, the qualification phase and the final phase (officially called the World Cup Finals). The qualification phase, which currently take place over the three years preceding the Finals, is used to determine which teams qualify for the Finals. The UAE have appeared in the finals of the FIFA World Cup on one occasion in 1990 where they lost all three games.[1][2][3]

## The impact of qualifying for the World Cup

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Numerous nations view their involvement in the World Cup as a strategic move to increase their likelihood of hosting the event in the future. Countries that compete in the tournament have a 17% greater chance of securing the bid for hosting the World Cup. Hosting this prestigious event yields substantial economic advantages and promotes tourism. With its sights set on the National Sports Strategy 2031 objective of enhancing its involvement in multiple international competitions, the United Arab Emirates is eager to capitalize on this occasion.[4][5]

## UAE national team in the World Cup qualifiers

[edit]

### 1986 World Cup qualifiers

[edit]

In 1986, the UAE national football team embarked on its first-ever journey in the World Cup qualifiers. The team competed against several other nations in their qualifying group, including Saudi Arabia and Iraq. Despite their best efforts, the UAE team could not secure enough wins to progress to the next stage of the qualifiers. Nevertheless, this experience marked an important milestone in the country's football history, paving the way for future generations of players to represent the UAE on the international stage.

### 1990 World Cup qualifiers

[edit]

The UAE national team made history in the 1990 World Cup by earning a place in the finals for the first time. The UAE national team started in the preliminary qualifiers and advanced to the final qualifiers topping their group with 6 points in February 1989.[6]

In the last leg of the World Cup qualifiers, the UAE national team competed in a group that included: North Korea, South Korea, China, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia. Despite winning just one match against the Chinese national team with a one-goal lead, the UAE national team again managed to secure 6 points, securing a commendable second position. The top spot was taken by the South Korean national team, with 8 points.

## The difficulties faced by the UAE national team

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The qualification earned by the UAE national team is a historical accomplishment, not only for being their first, but also for the adversities they had to overcome during the qualifying period. A player for the UAE national team, was suspended before the last match in the qualifiers against South Korea. Along with this setback, the team persevered through adversity as several injured players required medical injections to withstand their injuries and play the match.

Despite the remarkable achievement of the UAE national team, the UAE Football Association has decided to part ways with coach Mario Zagallo. Mr. Zagallo led the team during the qualifiers, yet he was relieved of his duties only a few days after the team's successful qualification. Coach Carlos Alberto was selected to lead the UAE national football team in the 1990 World Cup finals.[7]

## Overall record

[edit]

FIFA World Cup record  |  | Qualification record

|
|

Year  | Round  | Position  | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GP | W | D | L | GF | GA
1930 | Not eligible to enter | Not eligible to enter
1934
1938
1950
1954
1958
1962
1966
1970
1974
1978 | Did not enter | Did not enter
1982
1986 | Did not qualify | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 4
1990 | Group stage | 24th | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 11  | 9 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 16 | 7
1994 | Did not qualify | 8 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 19 | 4
1998 | 12 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 16 | 13
2002 | 14 | 7 | 2 | 5 | 31 | 20
2006 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 6
2010 | 16 | 4 | 3 | 9 | 19 | 24
2014 | 8 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 14 | 16
2018 | 18 | 9 | 3 | 6 | 37 | 17
2022 | 19 | 9 | 3 | 7 | 31 | 16
2026 | To be determined (TBD) | To be determined
2030
2034
Total | Group stage | 1/22 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 11 | 115  | 51  | 23  | 42  | 194  | 127

* Denotes draws include knockout matches decided via penalty shoot-out.
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

## 1990 FIFA World Cup

[edit]

Main article: 1990 FIFA World Cup Group D

* v
* t
* e

United Arab Emirates squad – 1990 FIFA World Cup

* 1 Musa
* 2 K. Ghanim
* 3 Jumaa
* 4 M. Ghanim
* 5 Sultan
* 6 Mohamed
* 7 F. Khamees (c)
* 8 Ismail
* 9 Abdulaziz
* 10 Al-Talyani
* 11 Bakheet
* 12 Ghuloum
* 13 Hassan M.
* 14 N. Khamees
* 15 I. Meer
* 16 Salim
* 17 Musabah
* 18 Abdulrahman
* 19 E. Meer
* 20 Hussain
* 21 Al-Haddad
* 22 A. Hassan
* Coach: Parreira

Pos | Team

* v
* t
* e

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

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

1  |  West Germany | 3  | 2  | 1  | 0  | 10  | 3  | +7  | 5  | Advance to knockout stage
2  |  Yugoslavia | 3  | 2  | 0  | 1  | 6  | 5  | +1  | 4
3  |  Colombia | 3  | 1  | 1  | 1  | 3  | 2  | +1  | 3
4  |  United Arab Emirates | 3  | 0  | 0  | 3  | 2  | 11  | −9  | 0  |

Source: FIFA
Rules for classification: Group stage tiebreakers

### UAE vs Colombia

[edit]

1 December 2022

17:00

United Arab Emirates | 0-2|  Colombia

|
|

| Report | Redín 50'
Valderrama 85'

Stadio Renato Dall'Ara, Bologna

Attendance: 30,791

Referee: George Courtney (England)

UAE

Colombia

|

UNITED ARAB EMIRATES:

GK | 17 | Muhsin Musabah
DF | 20 | Yousuf Hussain |  55'
DF | 6 | Abdulrahman Mohamed
DF | 2 | Khalil Ghanim
DF | 15 | Ibrahim Meer |  10'
MF | 19 | Eissa Meer |  5' |  74'
MF | 12 | Hussain Ghuloum
MF | 14 | Nasir Khamees
MF | 3 | Ali Thani
FW | 7 | Fahad Khamees (c) |  |  57'
FW | 10 | Adnan Al Talyani
Substitutions:
MF | 5 | Abdullah Sultan |  |  74'
FW | 11 | Zuhair Bakhit |  |  57'
Manager:
Carlos Alberto Parreira

COLOMBIA:

GK | 1 | René Higuita
DF | 4 | Luis Fernando Herrera
DF | 15 | Luis Carlos Perea
DF | 2 | Andrés Escobar
DF | 3 | Gildardo Gómez
MF | 8 | Gabriel Gómez
MF | 14 | Leonel Álvarez
MF | 11 | Bernardo Redín
MF | 10 | Carlos Valderrama (c)
FW | 19 | Freddy Rincón
FW | 16 | Arnoldo Iguarán |  |  75'
Substitutions:
MF | 7 | Carlos Estrada |  |  75'
Manager:
Francisco Maturana

Assistant referees:
Alan Snoddy (Northern Ireland)
Shizuo Takada (Japan)

### West Germany vs UAE

[edit]

Ismaïl Mubarak got the only goal for the UAE in the first minute of the second half when he latched onto a ball in the box after a mistake by a German defender and hit a low left footed shot into the net.

15 June 1990

21:00

West Germany | 5–1|  United Arab Emirates

|
|

Völler 35', 75'
Klinsmann 37'
Matthäus 47'
Bein 58' | Report | Ismaïl Mubarak 46'

San Siro, Milan

Attendance: 71,169

Referee: Alexey Spirin (Soviet Union)

West Germany

UAE

|

WEST GERMANY:

GK | 1 | Bodo Illgner
SW | 5 | Klaus Augenthaler
DF | 14 | Thomas Berthold |  |  46'
DF | 6 | Guido Buchwald
MF | 2 | Stefan Reuter
MF | 8 | Thomas Häßler
MF | 10 | Lothar Matthäus (c)
MF | 15 | Uwe Bein
MF | 3 | Andreas Brehme |  86'
FW | 9 | Rudi Völler
FW | 18 | Jürgen Klinsmann |  |  71'
Substitutions:
MF | 7 | Pierre Littbarski |  |  46'
FW | 13 | Karl-Heinz Riedle |  |  71'
Manager:
Franz Beckenbauer

UNITED ARAB EMIRATES:

GK | 17 | Muhsin Musabah
DF | 20 | Yousuf Hussain |  26'
DF | 6 | Abdulrahman Mohamed (c)
DF | 2 | Khalil Ghanim
DF | 15 | Ibrahim Meer |  |  87'
MF | 19 | Eissa Meer
MF | 12 | Hussain Ghuloum |  30'
MF | 14 | Nasir Khamees
MF | 8 | Khalid Ismaïl
FW | 3 | Ali Thani
FW | 10 | Adnan Al Talyani
Substitutions:
DF | 21 | Abdulrahman Al-Haddad |  |  87'
Manager:
Carlos Alberto Parreira

Assistant referees:
Shizuo Takada (Japan)
Pierluigi Pairetto (Italy)

### Yugoslavia vs UAE

[edit]

Thani Jumaa got the only goal for the UAE in the 22nd minute when he headed home from six yards after a cross from the left.

19 June 1990

17:00

Yugoslavia | 4–1|  United Arab Emirates

|
|

Sušić 4'
Pančev 8', 46'
Prosinečki 90' | Report | Thani Jumaa 22'

Stadio Renato Dall'Ara, Bologna

Attendance: 27,833

Referee: Shizuo Takada (Japan)

Yugoslavia

UAE

|

YUGOSLAVIA:

GK | 1 | Tomislav Ivković
SW | 5 | Faruk Hadžibegić
DF | 2 | Vujadin Stanojković
DF | 3 | Predrag Spasić
MF | 16 | Refik Šabanadžović |  71' |  78'
MF | 10 | Dragan Stojković
MF | 6 | Davor Jozić
MF | 8 | Safet Sušić
MF | 7 | Dragoljub Brnović |  20'
FW | 9 | Darko Pančev |  76'
FW | 11 | Zlatko Vujović (c) |  |  64'
Substitutions:
DF | 4 | Zoran Vulić |  |  64'
MF | 15 | Robert Prosinečki |  |  78'
Manager:
Ivica Osim

UNITED ARAB EMIRATES:

GK | 17 | Muhsin Musabah
DF | 19 | Eissa Meer
DF | 6 | Abdulrahman Mohamed (c)
DF | 2 | Khalil Ghanim 36' 76'
DF | 15 | Ibrahim Meer
MF | 21 | Abdulrahman Al-Haddad
MF | 12 | Hussain Ghuloum
MF | 14 | Nasir Khamees |  |  35'
MF | 8 | Khalid Ismaïl |
FW | 3 | Ali Thani |  |  46'
FW | 10 | Adnan Al Talyani
Substitutions:
MF | 5 | Abdullah Sultan |  |  35'
FW | 7 | Fahad Khamees |  |  46'
Manager:
Carlos Alberto Parreira

Assistant referees:
Peter Mikkelsen (Denmark)
Michel Vautrot (France)

## Record players

[edit]

Nine players have been fielded on all three occasions, making them record World Cup players for their country. Among them are twin brothers Eissa and Ibrahim Meer.

Rank  | Player  | Matches

|
|

1  | Adnan Al Talyani | 3
Mubarak Ghanim | 3
Hussain Ghuloum | 3
Nasir Khamees | 3
Eissa Meer | 3
Ibrahim Meer | 3
Abdulrahman Mohamed | 3
Muhsin Musabah | 3
Ali Thani Jumaa | 3

## Top goalscorers

[edit]

Two UAE players scored one goal each at the 1990 World Cup.

Rank  | Player  | Goals

|
|

1  | Khalid Ismaïl | 1
Ali Thani Jumaa | 1

## See also

[edit]

* Asian nations at the FIFA World Cup
* United Arab Emirates at the AFC Asian Cup

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "FIFA World Cup Record". FIFA.com. Archived from the original on March 31, 2009. Retrieved 5 September 2012.
2. ^ "1990 FIFA World Cup Schedule". Planet World Cup. Retrieved 5 September 2012.
3. ^ "UAE: a journey to the unknown at Italia 90". 30 May 2015. Retrieved 15 June 2018.
4. ^ Avsar, Veysel; Unal, Umut. "Trading Effects of the FIFA World Cup". WorldCat.org.
5. ^ Saleh, Amjad; Aamir, Muhammad. "National Sports Strategy 2031 establishes a globally impactful and competitive sector: Official".
6. ^ "«مونديال 90» يبقى صامداً في ذاكرة الكرة الإماراتية". www.albayan.ae (in Arabic). 2011-11-18. Retrieved 2024-03-21.
7. ^ "ذكريات تأهل الإمارات إلى مونديال 1990 لا تزال خالدة في عقول «الجيل الذهبي»". aawsat.com (in Arabic). Retrieved 2024-03-21.

* United Arab Emirates at FIFA

* v
* t
* e

United Arab Emirates national football team

General|

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Notable Matches|

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Countries at the FIFA World Cup

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AFC|

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1 Considered a successor team by FIFA, or have competed under another name(s). 2 Have been member of multiple confederations. 3 Team and national federation no longer exist.

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Minor sports|

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* Sporting events

## Head-to-head record

[edit]

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

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

Colombia | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | −2  | 000.00
West Germany | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 5 | −4  | 000.00
Yugoslavia | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | −3  | 000.00
Total  | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 11 | −9  | 000.00
*[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