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United Arab Emirates women's national football team
Women's national association football team representing United Arab Emirates
Women's national association football team representing United Arab Emirates
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| type | Women |
| Name | United Arab Emirates |
| Badge | File:United Arab Emirates Football Association logo.svg |
| Badge_size | 200px |
| FIFA Trigramme | UAE |
| Association | UAEFA |
| Confederation | AFC (Asia) |
| Sub-confederation | WAFF (West Asia) |
| Captain | Areej Al Hammadi |
| FIFA Rank | |
| FIFA max | 70 |
| FIFA max date | March 2016 |
| FIFA min | 117 |
| FIFA min date | June 2025 |
| pattern_la1 | _uae19h |
| pattern_b1 | _uae19h |
| pattern_ra1 | _uae19h |
| pattern_sh1 | _adidasonwhite |
| pattern_so1 | _uae19h |
| leftarm1 | FFFFFF |
| body1 | FFFFFF |
| rightarm1 | FFFFFF |
| shorts1 | FF0000 |
| socks1 | FFFFFF |
| pattern_la2 | _uae15a |
| pattern_b2 | _uae15a |
| pattern_ra2 | _uae15a |
| pattern_sh2 | _adidaswhite |
| pattern_so2 | _3_stripes_white |
| leftarm2 | FF0000 |
| body2 | FF0000 |
| rightarm2 | FF0000 |
| shorts2 | FF0000 |
| socks2 | FF0000 |
| First game | 4–2 |
| (Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates; 20 February 2010) | |
| Largest win | 7–0 |
| (Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates; 24 February 2010) | |
| Largest loss | 9–0 |
| (Senec, Slovakia; 5 August 2015) | |
| 2ndRegional name | WAFF Championship |
| 2ndRegional cup apps | 3 |
| 2ndRegional cup first | 2010 |
| 2ndRegional cup best | Champions (2010, 2011) |
| Coach | Vera Pauw |
the women's team
| Sub-confederation = WAFF (West Asia) (Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates; 20 February 2010) (Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates; 24 February 2010) (Senec, Slovakia; 5 August 2015)
The United Arab Emirates women's national football team ( ar) represents United Arab Emirates in the international women's football, and is run by the United Arab Emirates Football Association (UAEFA).
Its highest ranking in the FIFA Women's World Rankings is 73rd, achieved in March 2015 at its first appearance in the ranking. The team won back-to-back WAFF Women's Championships in 2010 and 2011.
History
The foundations of women’s football in the United Arab Emirates were laid in the mid-2000s. In 2004, Abu Dhabi Country Club began promoting women’s football, and by 2009 the UAEFA created a dedicated Women’s Football Committee to formalise the game at national level.
The UAE women’s national team played its first official international match on 20 February 2010, defeating Palestine 4–2 in Abu Dhabi. Soon afterwards, the team achieved regional success, winning the 2010 WAFF Women's Championship and successfully defending the title in the 2011 WAFF Women's Championship, held from 3–12 October in Abu Dhabi, where they defeated Iran in the final.
In 2014, the UAEFA declared that the elite national team would consist exclusively of Emirati citizens, phasing out naturalised players in order to develop home-grown talent and ensure alignment with FIFA eligibility rules.
Between 2015 and 2018, FIFA supported the UAE women’s football programme through the “Live Your Goals” initiative, providing technical and financial assistance to encourage grassroots participation and expand the player base. These years also saw a gradual shift from informal seven-a-side competitions towards structured 11-a-side leagues.
In 2023, the UAE Women's Football League was relaunched, with clubs such as Abu Dhabi Country Club competing alongside independent sides like Banaat FC, which secured landmark sponsorship deals with Nike and TikTok. Abu Dhabi Country Club became the first Emirati club to compete in the AFC Women's Champions League in 2024–25.
In January 2025, Dutch coach Vera Pauw was appointed head coach to lead the professionalisation of the national side, building on the foundations laid by Emirati coach Houriya Al Taheri and her successors.
Home stadium
While the team occasionally uses larger venues for major fixtures, recent friendlies (including the April 2025 series against the Philippines) have been held at the UAEFA Headquarters in Al Khawaneej, Dubai.
Results and fixtures
Main article: United Arab Emirates women's national football team results
The following is a list of match results in the last 12 months, as well as any future matches that have been scheduled.
;Legend
2025
- Forshaw
- Gibson
- Khandaker
- Al-Anzi
- Lindborg
- Gibson
- Khandaker
- Juma
- Long
- C. McDaniel
- Serrano
- Eggesvik
- Frilles
- Long
- C. McDaniel
- Lindborg
- Bhandari
- Al-Mannaei
- Al-Isa
- Al-Zahmi
- Nurfazira S.
- Intan Sarah Z.
- Nur Adrienna Z.
- Farahiyah
- Chương Thị Kiều
- Thái Thị Thảo
- Nguyễn Thị Vạn
- Phạm Hải Yến
- Ngân Thị Vạn Sự
- Al-Zaabi
- Al-Hosani
- Al-Hazmi
- Omar
- Al-Jawahiri
- Salihi
- Abdullah
- Abdulrazak
- Khalid
- Abu Al-Samh
Current staff
| Position | Name |
|---|---|
| Head coach | NED Vera Pauw |
| Assistant coach | UAE Houriya Al-Taheri |
| Goalkeeping coach | UAE Noora Al Mazroui |
| Fitness coach | UAE Junaid Shaikh |
| Physical coach | POR Leila Tomaz |
| Doctor | UAE Yasin Al Mansoori |
| Sport Scientist | UAE Shehzad Naeem |
| Match Analyst | UAE Obaid Al Muhairi |
Managerial history
The following table outlines the head coaches of the UAE women's national football team.
| Name | Period | Matches | Wins | Draws | Losses | Win % | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TUN Samir Landolsi | 2015–2017 | – | – | – | – | – | Coached UAE at the 2015 Aphrodite Cup (Cyprus) and during the 2017 AFC Women's Asian Cup qualifiers. | |
| UAE Houriya Al-Taheri | 2019–2021 | – | – | – | – | – | Former UAE international; assistant coach 2015–2018, promoted to head coach by 2019 WAFF Women’s Championship; profiled as head coach in 2021. | |
| BRA Camila Orlando | 2021–2024 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 20% | Oversaw friendlies and qualifiers during her tenure. | |
| NED Vera Pauw | 2025–present | 13 | 3 | 3 | 7 | 23.07% | Appointed January 2025; previously managed Netherlands, South Africa, and Ireland. |
Players
Current squad
The following players were named to the squad for the friendlies against Philippines on 4 and 8 April 2025.
(Players are listed within position group by order of kit number, caps, goals, seniority, and then alphabetically)
Recent call-ups
The following players have been named to the squad in the past 12 months.
(Players are listed within position group by order of latest call-up, caps, goals, seniority, and then alphabetically)
Honours
Regional
Other tournaments
Record per opponent
;Key
The following table shows United Arab Emirates's all-time official international record per opponent:
| Opponent | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | W% | Confederation | Total | 68 | 24 | 9 | 35 | 100 | 158 | −58 | 35.29 | — |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 9 | −5 | 0 | UEFA | |||||||||||
| 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 2 | +4 | 100 | AFC | |||||||||||
| 6 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 12 | 4 | +8 | 33.33 | AFC | |||||||||||
| 6 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 3 | 17 | −14 | 0 | UEFA | |||||||||||
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 7 | −7 | 0 | UEFA | |||||||||||
| 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | +1 | 50 | AFC | |||||||||||
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | −3 | 0 | AFC | |||||||||||
| 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 6 | −3 | 0 | AFC | |||||||||||
| 6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 17 | 4 | +13 | 83.33 | AFC | |||||||||||
| 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 10 | −8 | 33.33 | AFC | |||||||||||
| 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | +7 | 100 | AFC | |||||||||||
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | −2 | 0 | UEFA | |||||||||||
| 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 2 | +6 | 66.67 | AFC | |||||||||||
| 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 11 | −9 | 0 | UEFA | |||||||||||
| 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 5 | −4 | 0 | AFC | |||||||||||
| 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 8 | −8 | 0 | UEFA | |||||||||||
| 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 2 | +6 | 80 | AFC | |||||||||||
| 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 4 | +4 | 66.67 | AFC | |||||||||||
| 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 12 | −7 | 0 | AFC | |||||||||||
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | −5 | 0 | AFC | |||||||||||
| 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 15 | −15 | 0 | UEFA | |||||||||||
| 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | +4 | 66.67 | AFC | |||||||||||
| 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 9 | 5 | +4 | 50 | AFC | |||||||||||
| 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | +1 | 100 | AFC | |||||||||||
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | −4 | 0 | CAF | |||||||||||
| 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 13 | −12 | 0 | AFC | |||||||||||
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 6 | −6 | 0 | AFC |
Competitive record
FIFA Women's World Cup
| [](fifa-women-s-world-cup) | Year | Round | Position | Pld | W | D* | L | GS | GA | GD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CHN 1991 | Did not exist | |||||||||
| SWE 1995 | ||||||||||
| USA 1999 | ||||||||||
| USA 2003 | ||||||||||
| CHN 2007 | ||||||||||
| GER 2011 | Did not enter | |||||||||
| CAN 2015 | ||||||||||
| FRA 2019 | Did not qualify | |||||||||
| AUSNZL 2023 | ||||||||||
| BRA 2027 | ||||||||||
| CRCJAMMEXUSA 2031 | TBD | |||||||||
| UK 2035 | TBD | |||||||||
| Total | 0/12 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
:*Draws include knockout matches decided on penalty kicks.
AFC Women's Asian Cup
| [](afc-women-s-asian-cup) | Year | Round | Position | Pld | W | D* | L | GS | GA | GD | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HKG 1975 | Did not exist | ||||||||||
| ROC 1977 | |||||||||||
| IND 1980 | |||||||||||
| HKG 1981 | |||||||||||
| THA 1983 | |||||||||||
| HKG 1986 | |||||||||||
| HKG 1989 | |||||||||||
| JPN 1991 | |||||||||||
| MAS 1993 | |||||||||||
| MAS 1995 | |||||||||||
| CHN 1997 | |||||||||||
| PHI 1999 | |||||||||||
| TPE 2001 | |||||||||||
| THA 2003 | |||||||||||
| AUS 2006 | |||||||||||
| VIE 2008 | |||||||||||
| CHN 2010 | |||||||||||
| VIE 2014 | Did not enter | ||||||||||
| JOR 2018 | Did not qualify | ||||||||||
| IND 2022 | |||||||||||
| AUS 2026 | |||||||||||
| UZB 2029 | TBD | ||||||||||
| Total | 0/20 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
:*Draws include knockout matches decided on penalty kicks.
Asian Games
| [](football-at-the-asian-games) | Year | Round | Position | Pld | W | D* | L | GS | GA | GD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CHN 1990 | Did not exist | |||||||||
| JPN 1994 | ||||||||||
| THA 1998 | ||||||||||
| KOR 2002 | ||||||||||
| QAT 2006 | ||||||||||
| CHN 2010 | Did not enter | |||||||||
| KOR 2014 | ||||||||||
| IDN 2018 | ||||||||||
| CHN 2022 | ||||||||||
| JPN 2026 | TBD | |||||||||
| QAT 2030 | ||||||||||
| KSA 2034 | ||||||||||
| Total | 0/10 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
:*Draws include knockout matches decided on penalty kicks.
WAFF Women's Championship
References
References
- (19 February 2010). "Women footballers make international debut". thenational.ae.
- (13 October 2011). "UAE triumph in West Asian Women's Championship".
- (2017-04-01). "UAE women's team living the dream". FIFA.
- "Women's sport participation in the United Arab Emirates: a case study".
- "FIFA Live Your Goals: UAE case study".
- (2023-05-01). "Banaat FC sign Nike deal".
- (2024-09-20). "ADCC Women in AFC WCL".
- (2025-02-14). "Vera Pauw named UAE WNT head coach".
- (2025-04-08). "UAE vs Philippines friendly report".
- (2015-03-13). "UAE at Aphrodite Cup".
- (2017-04-06). "Match report: UAE vs Bahrain – 2017 AFC Women's Asian Cup qualifiers".
- (2021-03-08). "UAE coach Houriya Al-Taheri is shooting star of Emirati women's football".
- "2019 WAFF Women's Championship squads".
- (2025-02-14). "Vera Pauw named UAE WNT head coach".
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