Today's Edition
KUUMAR SHYAM (ABU DHABI)
The UAE football team departed for Iran on Wednesday morning for a crucial match of their 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign, knowing an upset victory over the hosts in Tehran on Thursday (kickoff 8pm) will be like a six-pointer in their Asian qualifying Group A.
Three groups will have their final four matches played in two fixture clusters and the top two teams from each group will secure an automatic spot in the finals, to be held in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
Group leaders Iran (16 points) will welcome Paulo Bento's men at an expected packed Azadi Stadium, holding a three-point lead over second-placed Uzbekistan (13) while UAE are a further three adrift on 10 points.
For the UAE, victory in the two away qualifiers – against Iran (March 20) and North Korea at the neutral venue of Riyadh five days later – will be crucial while hoping Uzbekistan slip up after a changing of guard in their management. Srecko Katanec, who formerly coached the UAE, stepped down due to health reasons in January nearing the end of his four-year contract and has been replaced by Under-23 manager Timur Kapadze.
Meanwhile, the UAE Football Association and Bento have used the four-month break since Matchday 6 to bolster the squad with the inclusion of naturalised players, while a couple of them have returned from injury-enforced lay-offs.
The UAE squad consists of 27 players from diverse football backgrounds, bolstered by the addition of the Brazilian trio of Caio Lucas and Luan Pereira (Sharjah), and Jonatas de Santos (Al Wasl), who have completed their legal residency and now meet FIFA eligibility criteria. Alaa Eldin Zuhair (Al Wahda) from Egypt also makes the list of naturalised players.
A major boost for the UAE comes in the form of striker Sultan Adil, returning to strengthen the attack, while winger Lucas and midfielder Abdullah Ramadan have been added to boost Bento's offensive options.
For the UAE, victory will be a key boost of confidence. “We worked hard to prepare the players physically and technically, because our matches against them are always tough. Our ambition is to achieve a positive result against a strong team playing on its home ground and among its fans,” Bento said.
On the other hand, Iran host Uzbekistan next in their double-header and one win should secure their path to a fourth consecutive FIFA World Cup.
UAE did well to stand up to Iran in their home leg and were only undone by a late goal at the Hazza bin Zayed Stadium.
Interestingly, Iranian striker Sardar Azmoun said he would like to see the UAE joining them as the two teams from Group A to represent the Middle East at the Finals.
Currently with AS Roma on loan from Bayer Leverkusen, Azmoun, told Telecom Asia Sport: "I believe the UAE team deserves to be in the World Cup with the quality of football they play. They put in a strong performance against us in the first leg. Our focus is on securing a win against Uzbekistan to qualify as group leaders, and I hope that result also benefits the UAE."
Meanwhile, UAE winger Pereira spoke of his pride in representing the national team: "Playing for the UAE is a dream come true. I am grateful to Sharjah Club, my teammates and my family. My goal is to give everything I have to help the team reach the World Cup."
Hosts Iran will be without midfielder Saeed Ezzat (Shabab Al Ahli) due to injury.
Should the UAE miss out on a top-two finish, there is another complicated final round of qualification criteria, but Bento will rally his players to deliver early as they chase a second appearance at the FIFA World Cup.
