Today's Edition
TAARIQ HALIM (ABU DHABI)
Paulo Bento was sacked as head coach of the UAE national football team on Wednesday morning after a narrow win 2-1 over North Korea in their 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday night.
"The UAE Football Association has decided to dismiss the head coach of the national team, Portuguese Paulo Bento, along with his coaching staff," the UAE FA announced in a message on social media.
The 55-year-old led the UAE to 14 wins, six draws and six losses since taking charge in July 2023.
The highly-rated Bento had previously led South Korea to the last-16 of the 2022 World Cup, and had taken Portugal to the semifinals of the 2012 Euro Cup.
But a 2-0 defeat to Asia qualifier Group A leaders Iran last week, and a frustrating effort against bottom side North Korea have left the UAE, who are in third position in the group and 4 points off the top two automatic qualification places – in danger of missing out on the global football showpiece in the USA, Canada, and Mexico.
The UAE were expected to bag the 3 points in Riyadh, but had to wait until the 98th minute for Sultan Adil's diving header to break the deadlock and spare the national team's blushes.
Even if the UAE, on 13 points, win their final two matches against Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan in June, it may not be enough to secure qualification.
Second-placed Uzbekistan, on 17 points, need just one win from two to book their place at 2026.
A third-place finish leaves the UAE in a precarious position, battling it out in an additional round of qualification with five other teams.
In the fourth round, the six teams will be divided into two groups of three each.
The winners of each group will earn the last two direct slots for the World Cup, while the two runners-up will be locked in a playoff battle.
The winner of the Asian playoff will then advance to an inter-confederation playoff tournament featuring five other teams for the final two slots in the World Cup.
It will be a tricky road ahead for the UAE and the new coach to guide the team to the World Cup, which will be held from June 11 to July 19, 2026.
The UAE FA has not named an immediate replacement for Bento and his backroom staff to lead the team for the rest of the 2026 qualifying campaign and other competitions.
