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.

Asian Cup record

AFC Asian Cup Qualification record
Year Result Position GP W D L GF GA GP W D L GF GA
Hong Kong 1956 to Thailand 1972Part of the  United Kingdom Part of the  United Kingdom
Iran 1976Did not enter Did not enter
Kuwait 1980Group stage9th401339 312020
Singapore 1984Group stage6th420238 4301242
Qatar 1988Group stage8th410324 5410121
Japan 1992Fourth place4th513134 220063
United Arab Emirates 1996Runners-up2nd642083Qualified as hosts
Lebanon 2000Did not qualify 4301122
China 2004Group stage15th301215 6411135
Indonesia Malaysia Thailand Vietnam 2007Group stage12th310236 6411116
Qatar 2011Group stage13th301204 430171
Australia 2015Third place3rd6312108 6510183
United Arab Emirates 2019Semi-finals4th632188Qualified as hosts
Qatar 2023Qualified 8602237
Total Runners-up 2nd 44 15 11 18 41 59 48 35 6 7 128 30

Record by Opponent

AFC Asian Cup matches (by team)
Opponent Total Wins Draws Losses GF GA GD
 Australia210112–1
 Bahrain211032+1
 China201116–5
 India220040+4
 Indonesia110020+2
 Iran501408–8
 Iraq320143+1
 Japan412134–1
 Jordan1010000
 Kuwait4211660
 Kyrgyzstan110032+1
 Malaysia100102–2
 North Korea211021+1
 Qatar5203810–2
 Saudi Arabia201102–2
 Singapore110010+1
 South Korea401328–6
 Thailand1010110
 Vietnam100102–2

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.

Group stage

Pos Team 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
United Arab Emirates 1–1 Kuwait
Chombi 35' Al-Houti 19'
Attendance: 20,000
Qatar 2–1 United Arab Emirates
Muftah 50', 60' Al-Hajri 58'
South Korea 4–1 United Arab Emirates
Choi Soon-ho 26', 53', 78' (pen.)
Chung Hae-won 84'		 Chombi 79'
Referee: Melvyn Victor D’Souza (India)

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.

Group stage

Pos Team 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
Iran 3–0 United Arab Emirates
Alidousti 27'
Shahrokh Bayani 85' (pen.)
Mohammadkhani 87'
Attendance: 8,000
United Arab Emirates 2–0 India
Al-Talyani 81'
Khamees 88'
Attendance: 2,000
Referee: Abu Wahid Shanbe (Oman)
Singapore 0–1 United Arab Emirates
Abdulrahman 62'
Attendance: 15,000
Referee: Jassim Mandi (Bahrain)
China 5–0 United Arab Emirates
Yang Zhaohui 12'
Jia Xiuquan 20'
Zuo Shusheng 36'
Zhao Dayu 52'
Gu Guangming 67'
Attendance: 5,000
Referee: Shizuo Takada (Japan)

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.

Group stage

Pos Team 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
Iran 1–0 United Arab Emirates
Pious 27' Report
Attendance: 4,000
Referee: Steven Ovinis (Malaysia)
United Arab Emirates 1–0 Japan
A.A. Mohamed 86' Report
Referee: Ahmad Bash (Jordan)

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.

Group stage

Pos Team 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
Japan 0–0 United Arab Emirates
Report
Attendance: 10,000
Referee: Wei Jihong (China)
Iran 0–0 United Arab Emirates
Report
Attendance: 25,000
United Arab Emirates 2–1 North Korea
K. Mubarak 81'
Bakhit 85'		 Report Kim Kwang-min 69'
Attendance: 33,000
Referee: Neji Jouini (Tunisia)

Semi-final

Saudi Arabia 2–0 United Arab Emirates
Al-Owairan 77'
Al-Bishi 80'		 Report
Attendance: 12,000
Referee: Rasheed Al-Jassas (Kuwait)

Third place play-off

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.

Group stage

Pos Team 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


United Arab Emirates 1–1 South Korea
K. Saad 40' Report Hwang Sun-Hong 9'
Attendance: 35,000
United Arab Emirates 3–2 Kuwait
Saeed 53'
Al-Talyani 55'
B. Saad 80'		 Report Al-Huwaidi 9', 44'
Attendance: 15,000
Referee: Charles Massembe (Uganda)
United Arab Emirates 2–0 Indonesia
Saeed 15'
Al-Talyani 64'		 Report
Attendance: 10,000
Referee: Lu Jun (China)

Quarter-final

United Arab Emirates 1–0 (a.e.t.) Iraq
Ab. Ibrahim gold-colored soccer ball 103' Report
Attendance: 50,000

Semi-final

United Arab Emirates 1–0 Kuwait
Saeed 69' Report
Attendance: 55,000

Final

United Arab Emirates 0–0 (a.e.t.) Saudi Arabia
Report
Penalties
M. Ali soccer ball with check mark
Saleh soccer ball with red X
K. Saad soccer ball with check mark
Saeed soccer ball with red X		 2–4 soccer ball with check mark Al-Thunayan
soccer ball with check mark Zubromawi
soccer ball with red X Al-Harbi
soccer ball with check mark Al-Temawi
soccer ball with check mark Al-Muwallid
Attendance: 60,000
Referee: Mohd Nazri Abdullah (Malaysia)

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.

Group stage

Pos Team 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
Kuwait 3–1 United Arab Emirates
B. Abdullah 24'
Al-Mutawa 39' (pen.)
Saeed 45' (og)		 Report Rashid 47'
Attendance: 31,250
Referee: Naser Al-Hamdan (Saudi Arabia)
Jordan 0–0 United Arab Emirates
Report
Attendance: 25,000
Referee: Talaat Najm (Lebanon)

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.

Group stage

Pos Team 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
United Arab Emirates 1–3 Japan
Al-Kass 66' Report Takahara 22', 27'
S. Nakamura 42' (pen.)
Attendance: 5,000
Referee: Satop Tongkhan (Thailand)
Qatar 1–2 United Arab Emirates
Soria 42' (pen.) Report Al-Kass 60'
Khalil 90+4'
Attendance: 3,000
Referee: Masoud Moradi (Iran)

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.

Group stage

Pos Team 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
North Korea 0–0 United Arab Emirates
Report
Attendance: 3,639
United Arab Emirates 0–1 Iraq
Report W. Abbas 90+3' (o.g.)
Attendance: 7,233
United Arab Emirates 0–3 Iran
Report Afshin 67'
M. Nouri 83'
W. Abbas 90+3' (o.g.)
Attendance: 5,012

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.

Group stage

Pos Team 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
United Arab Emirates 4–1 Qatar
 Report
Attendance: 5,513
Bahrain 1–2 United Arab Emirates
 Report
Attendance: 7,925
Iran 1–0 United Arab Emirates
 Report
Attendance: 11,394
Referee: Ryuji Sato (Japan)

Quarter-final

Semi-final

Australia 2–0 United Arab Emirates
Sainsbury 3'
Davidson 14'		 Report
Attendance: 21,079

Third place play-off

Iraq 2–3 United Arab Emirates
Salim 28'
Kalaf 42'		 Report Khalil 16', 51'
Mabkhout 57' (pen.)
Attendance: 12,829

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]

Group stage

Pos Team 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[lower-alpha 1]
3  Bahrain 3 1 1 1 2 2 0 4[lower-alpha 1]
4  India 3 1 0 2 4 4 0 3
Source: AFC
(H) Hosts
Notes:
  1. 1 2 Head-to-head points: Thailand 3, Bahrain 0.
United Arab Emirates 1–1 Bahrain
 Report
Attendance: 33,878
India 0–2 United Arab Emirates
Report
Attendance: 43,206
Referee: César Ramos (Mexico)
United Arab Emirates 1–1 Thailand
 Report
Attendance: 17,809
Referee: Ryuji Sato (Japan)

Round of 16

United Arab Emirates 3–2 (a.e.t.) Kyrgyzstan
 Report
Attendance: 17,784
Referee: Fu Ming (China PR)

Quarter-final

United Arab Emirates 1–0 Australia
 Report
Attendance: 25,053
Referee: Ryuji Sato (Japan)

Semi-final

Qatar 4–0 United Arab Emirates
 Report
Attendance: 38,646
Referee: César Ramos (Mexico)

2023 AFC Asian Cup

Group stage

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Iran 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Advance to knockout stage
2  United Arab Emirates 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
3  Hong Kong 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Possible knockout stage
4  Palestine 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
First match(es) will be played: 14 January 2024. Source: the-afc.com[3]
Rules for classification: Group stage tiebreakers
Palestine Match 17 United Arab Emirates
Iran Match 29 United Arab Emirates

Goalscorers

Player Goals 198019841988199219962004200720152019
Ali Mabkhout 9 54
Ahmed Khalil 6 42
Hassan Ahmed 3 3
Adnan Al-Talyani 3 12
Saeed Al-Kass 2 2
Ahmed Chombi 2 2
Khamees Mubarak 2 11
Farooq Abdulrahman 1 1
Ghanem Al Hajri 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
Total 40 332381398

See also

References

  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.
  3. ↑ "AFC Asian Cup Fixtures 2023". the-AFC. 2023-07-12. Retrieved 2023-12-19.
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