Look: UAE players warm up with mins to go for World Cup qualifier against Qatar

Drums, tasty food

Hamad Al Husam has turned his house majlis into a mini fan zone tonight for the match and has invited over 15 of his friends to watch the crucial showdown.

“The UAE has only qualified for the World Cup once before in 1990 in Italy, and that memory for my elder brothers and and father still gives them goosebumps,” said Al Husam, who lives in Umm Suqeim.

“We have waited more than three decades to see our team make it again, and tonight could be the night.”

Hamad said preparations began early in the afternoon. “We have set up a big projector screen, UAE flags, and even a few drums to create the stadium like feeling at home,” he added.

“We ordered madhbi, shawarma platters, and luqaimat for dessert. You can’t watch a match without good food.”

Whites on the pitch

Attackers, midfielders, defenders and goalkeeper; the UAE team is on the pitch warming up less than 30 minutes before the game starts. Take a look:

Drive to Doha

Emirati Nawaf Fayrouz told us he arrived in Qatar by car ahead of the UAE national team’s match against Oman on Friday.

He said he wanted to be in Qatar for this crucial game to support the team.

“The atmosphere at the match is very exciting, and the team will qualify. We will return to the UAE proud,” he said in a confident voice.

‏Another Emirati fan in Qatar showed similar persistence to attend: “Even though I have final exams, I preferred to attend the regional match and support my country’s players.” He added jokingly, “As for the finals, I will take them in the US when the team qualifies.”

Hear from the coaches

Before the match, both coaches spoke of how they will deal with this final test.

For Qatar’s Spanish coach Julen Lopetegui, all attention is on his players.

“We’re facing a strong opponent with an exceptional coach. Our full focus is on the match, not on past results between the two teams,” he said.

On the other hand, UAE head coach, Romanian Cosmin Olaroiu said his team is fully prepared: “We have to be able to pass any moment, any difficulty, any pressure from the supporters, the referee. We are focused only on the way that we play and the target that we have.”

‘UAE is our home’

To support her husband and the Whites, Mariana Miyaki, wife of UAE star Caio Lucas Fernando, expressed how she is “anxious, excited, and confident” for the big match tonight.

“Seeing him wearing the jersey and representing a country we love makes me emotional,” Mariana told us. “The UAE is our home, and having him represent the national team is such a great joy.”

When asked how she will celebrate if the UAE qualifies tonight, she said she will probably end up getting emotional, just like the last time when Sharjah took home the AFC Champions League Two.

Fans at home

Draped in Emirati flags, some UAE fans at home flocked to venues around the country that will be airing the decisive battle live. Take a look:

Tactical game

The UAE enters today’s clash needing just a draw to secure qualification, but a cautious, defensive approach won’t be enough. To truly assert their dominance over their Gulf rivals, they must play positive, attacking football, and a win would solidify their authority and send a strong message that would please coach Cosmin Olaroiu

Qatar, on the other hand, will have no margin for error. A historic maiden World Cup appearance is at stake, and they are expected to go all out from the first whistle. Under the guidance of Real Madrid and Spain boss Julen Lopetegui, Qatar will likely execute a sustained assault, pressing high and controlling possession to break down a UAE side that has been comfortable up to this stage.

It promises to be a fascinating clash of strategy: UAE’s calculated resilience vs Qatar’s relentless ambition.

Sea of white kanduras

UAE stands at Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium are full with all supporters before a moment of national pride and excitement. Take a look:

Expected lineups, key players

While each coach is holding his cards close to his chest until now, here are the expected lineups for each team:

UAE:

• Rúben Canedo

• Lucas Pimenta

• Kouame Kouadio

• Abdalla Ramadan

• Majed Hassan

• Fábio Lima

• Nicolás Giménez

• Marcus Meloni

• Khalid Eisa

• Caio Lucas

• Yahya Al Ghassani

  Qatar:

• Pedro Miguel

• Edmílson Junior

• Akram Afif

• Karim Boudiaf

• Ayoub Al Ouwi

• Ahmed Al Ganehi

• Boualem Khoukhi

• Mohammad Al Mannai

• Sultan Al Brake

• Mahmud Abunada

• Assim Madibo

Key Whites’ player: Fabio Lima

The Brazil-born midfielder is the linchpin of the UAE team. The 32-year-old scored four goals when the UAE beat their Gulf neighbours 5-0 last year.

Key Maroons’ player: Almoez Ali

The 29-year-old is the all-time leading scorer for Qatar with 60 goals from 124 matches. Ali is the captain who leads from the front. He played a big role in Qatar winning back-to-back Asian Cup titles in 2019 and 2023.

3 possible scenarios

Tonight’s battle is a true do-or-die match for the Maroons and the Whites. Here’s what happens if:

UAE wins: This means a direct ticket for the UAE to the World Cup. Currently, the UAE lead Group A with three points, while Qatar has one point.

For Qatar, they will have to go through a play-off round in November against the second-placed team from Group B, which has Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Indonesia.

Qatar wins: Then the UAE will be the team enduring the November play-off round, and Qataris will directly qualify for the World Cup for the first time. The Maroons played in the global event before when Doha hosted the 2022 World Cup.

It’s a draw: A draw of any scoreline would secure direct berth for the UAE in next year’s World Cup.
For the Maroons —the Qatari national team— a draw would mean heading to the November play-off round.

‘Waiting for another joy’

A dedicated UAE fan at the stadium talked to us, describing the atmosphere as beyond exciting, and said that he has great hope that the UAE will make it and qualify tonight.

Despite his busy schedule, renowned Emirati oncologist Prof Humaid Al Shamsi went straight to Doha after his medical duties, eager to see his country’s team qualify for the FIFA World Cup 26.

“To be honest, I was very busy today in the clinic. I saw dozens of patients, but I was determined to finish the clinic and go to Doha to attend this fateful match,” the founder and director of the Medical Oncology Services at Burjeel Medical City said.

Al Shamsi, who attended the World Cup in the 90s, is eager now to “see another joy”.

Unlike thousands of other UAE fans, who flocked to Doha but were unable to get seats due to sold out tickets, Al Shamsi was reserve a seat for himself.

Nonetheless, that didn’t crush their spirit, as social media posts showed them chanting in droves in support of ‘The Whites’.

Head-to-head record

How did previous UAE vs Qatar matches go? In total the teams faced off in 36 matches, and the results were as follows:

• UAE wins: 12

• Qatar wins: 14

• Draws: 10

Last two matches: The UAE won the last two matches against Qatar with a score of 3-1 in Doha on September 5 last year and a big 5-0 win on November 19.

These two games were part of the third round of the Asian World Cup qualifiers.

Gearing up

The Whites and the Maroons (Qatar) are well prepared physically for the match.

Here’s how Qatar players are getting ready:

And here’s a look at UAE players warming up:

Home advantage

Qatar has turned Jassim bin Hamad Stadium into a key fortress for their 2026 World Cup journey, hosting three crucial matches so far: a 1–0 win over Iran, a 1–4 friendly loss to Russia, and a goalless draw with Oman.

It is home to Al Sadd Sports Club while occasionally hosting the Qatar national teams.

Since opening in 1975 and undergoing renovations in 2004 and 2010, it has staged major events like the 2022 FIFA Club World Cup and the 2023 AFC Asian Cup, making it one of Qatar’s premier football venues.

Home advantage has never been more important for Qatar, the 2022 World Cup hosts.

Whites’ fans are here

UAE supporters are in the stadium well ahead of the starting whistle as excitement builds.

Who qualified already?

Co-hosts Canada, Mexico, and the USA are guaranteed a spot, while qualifiers from around the globe are battling for the remaining berths.

Teams who have already booked their place in the finals are:

• AFC (Asia): Australia, Iran, Japan, Jordan, Korea Republic, Uzbekistan

• CAF (Africa): Algeria, Cabo Verde, Egypt, Ghana, Morocco, Tunisia

• CONMEBOL (South America): Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Uruguay

• OFC (Oceania): New Zealand

Pitch is ready

Tonight’s battle kicks off at Jassim bin Hamad Stadium, Al Sadd Club almost on hour from now. This 15,000-seat arena has allocated 8% of its capacity—nearly 1,200 tickets—for UAE fans.

Taka a look at the pitch before showdown:

And preparations in the stadium started early on:

Football fever is on

For Qatar, the excitement of 2022 when World Cup was at home still lingers, and today, the journey to the FIFA World Cup 2026 finals reaches a momentous milestone. In just under three hours, the battle will begin on Qatari soil, and history is in the making.

The UAE, on the other hand, is wishing upon a star to end decades of World Cup drought to secure a spot in next year’s edition in Canada, Mexico and the US.

Today’s match promises fireworks of its own!

‘Dream of a nation’

Tonight, the “dream of a nation” is closer than ever, as the UAE national football team, the Whites, stands just one match away from qualifying for the Fifa World Cup — after a 35-year wait.

Excitement is peaking, and fingers crossed across the Emirates before the winner-takes-all qualifier match against Qatar in Doha — a face-off that will hand one team a direct berth in the 2026 Mondial. Who will it be?

Stay with us here at Khaleej Times, as we bring you every live score and match highlight on the road to qualification — plus, all the vibes on and off the pitch.

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