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4w ago

UAE Fires Paulo Bento as Head Coach After Narrow World Cup Qualifier Win

The decision follows inconsistent results during the qualifiers, with the team still in contention for automatic qualification to the 2026 World Cup.

Soccer Football - World Cup - AFC Qualifiers - Third Round - Group A - North Korea v United Arab Emirates - Prince Faisal Bin Fahd Stadium, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia - March 25, 2025 United Arab Emirates' Sultan Adil celebrates scoring their second goal with teammates REUTERS/Stringer
Soccer Football - World Cup - AFC Qualifiers - Third Round - Group A - North Korea v United Arab Emirates - Prince Faisal Bin Fahd Stadium, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia - March 25, 2025 North Korea's Tam Kye in action with United Arab Emirates' Bruno REUTERS/Stringer
Soccer Football - World Cup - AFC Qualifiers - Third Round - Group A - North Korea v United Arab Emirates - Prince Faisal Bin Fahd Stadium, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia - March 25, 2025 United Arab Emirates coach Paulo Bento before the match REUTERS/Stringer
Soccer Football - World Cup - AFC Qualifiers - Third Round - Group A - North Korea v United Arab Emirates - Prince Faisal Bin Fahd Stadium, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia - March 25, 2025 United Arab Emirates' Sultan Adil celebrates scoring their second goal with teammates REUTERS/Stringer

Overview

  • The UAE Football Association dismissed head coach Paulo Bento and his staff on March 26, 2025, hours after a 2-1 injury-time victory over North Korea.
  • The UAE remains third in Group A of the Asian World Cup qualifiers, four points behind Uzbekistan, with two matches left to secure automatic qualification.
  • Bento, appointed in July 2023, faced criticism for inconsistent performances, including a recent 2-0 loss to Iran and a narrow win over North Korea.
  • The team’s next qualifiers are against Uzbekistan on June 5 and Kyrgyzstan on June 10, with a new coach expected to be named soon.
  • Iran has already secured qualification from Group A, while the UAE is assured of a spot in the fourth round of qualifying if they fail to qualify automatically.