2023 Asian Cup: UAE profile including fixtures, tournament record, squad and key players

The rescheduled 2023 Asian Cup kicks off this week in Qatar. Semi-finalists in the past two editions, the UAE begin their campaign on January 14 against Hong Kong. Group C also contains one of the tournament favourites, in Iran, and Palestine.

Here we profile the UAE as they get set for another tilt at Asian football’s most coveted trophy.

After debuting at the 1980 tournament in Kuwait, the UAE has featured at every Asian Cup since except for 2000. Participating in 10 editions in all, they have reached one final and four semi-finals. The UAE has hosted the Asian Cup twice, in 1996 and last time out, in 2019.

Runner-up: The UAE contested the final on home soil in 1996 when they lost on penalties to Saudi Arabia. The match at Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi had finished goalless, but Yousuf Hussein and Hassan Saeed missed in the shoot-out as Saudi prevailed 4-2 on spot-kicks.

Hosts for the second time, and first in 23 years, the UAE advanced as group winners from a pool containing Bahrain, Thailand and India despite winning only one match. They needed extra-time to see off Kyrgyzstan in the last 16, emerging 3-2 victors thanks to an Ahmed Khalil penalty, then knocked out holders Australia in the quarter-finals. Ali Mabkhout scored the game’s only goal in Al Ain. However, Alberto Zaccheroni’s side were beaten 4-0 in the last four by Qatar, the eventual champions.

Ali Mabkhout – 9 goals (third on the tournament’s all-time list).

Omar Abdulrahman’s Panenka: The UAE recorded one of the greatest wins in their history when they defeated a heavily fancied Japan in the 2015 quarter-final in Australia. Having defended incredibly for 120 minutes against the holders – the match finished 1-1 in normal time and it went to penalties.