The United Arab Emirates Football Association (UAE FA; Arabic: الاتحاد الإماراتي لكرة القدم) is the governing body of association football, beach soccer and futsal in the United Arab Emirates.
| AFC | |
|---|---|
| Short name | UAEFA |
| Founded | 1971 |
| Headquarters | Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates |
| FIFA affiliation | 1974 |
| AFC affiliation | 1974 |
| WAFF affiliation | 2001 |
| UAFA affiliation | 1974 |
| AGCFF affiliation | 2016 |
| President | Hamdan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan |
| Vice-President | Abdullah Nasser Al Jneibi |
| General Secretary | Mohammed Hazzam Al Dhaheri |
| Website | www |
Current association staff
| Name | Position |
|---|---|
| Sheikh Hamdan AL NAHYAN | President |
| Abdullah AL JUNAIBI | Vice President • Commercial and Marketing Advisory Committee - Member |
| Obaid AL SHAMSI | Vice President |
| Mohammed AL DHAHERI | General Secretary • Youth Boys’ Competitions Committee - Member |
| Hesham ALZAROONI | Treasurer |
| Salim AL NAQBI | Media And Communications Manager |
| Jan VAN WINCKEL | Technical Director |
| Cosmin OLAROIU | National Coach Men |
| Vera PAUW | National Coach Women |
| Salem Ali AL SHAMSI | Chairperson of the Referees Committee |
| Lee PROBERT | Head/Director of the Referees Department |
| Mohamed ELASHMAWI | Referee Coordinator |
President
The following is a list of selected presidents of the United Arab Emirates Football Association including pre-UAEFA era.
| President | Term |
|---|---|
| Mubarak Al Nahyan | 1957–1961 |
| Ghanem Ghabbash | 1973–1974 |
| Mana' Al Maktoum | 1974–1976 |
| Sultan Al Nahyan | 1976–1981 |
| Hamdan Al Nahyan | 1984–1993 |
| Abdullah Al Nahyan | 1993–2001 |
| Saeed Al Nahyan | 2001–2002 |
| Yousuf Al Serkal | 2004–2008 |
| Muhammed Al Rumaithi | 2008–2011 |
| Yousuf Al Serkal | 2011–2016 |
| Marwan Ghalaita | 2016–2020 |
| Rashid Al Nuaimi | 2020–2023 |
| Hamdan bin Mubarak | 2023– |
Activity
At the level of developing the national cadres, the FA chose 2010 as the Year of the National Coach and signed various agreements with some national associations in the game for development and training including Germany, Spain, Czech, Italy and Egypt. The national coaches took over the youth and junior national teams and they were provided with financial support.
At the organizational level, the FA hosted the FIFA Club World Cups in 2009 and 2010, the 2009 FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup and other friendly and official championships and supported the women football and launched the Futsal in collaboration with sports council within the country. The next step is to organize and host the 2013 FIFA U-17 World Cup.
In 2010, UAEFA partnered with the Mubadala Development Company to launch the UAEFA Grassroots Festivals, a state-wide campaign to recruit and train certain players.
In July 2011, a 3-year sponsoring deal was signed with Panasonic. In January 2016, UAEFA signed a partnership with the United States Sports Academy to provide UAEFA a football club operators licensing program.
In December 2016, UAEFA renewed its partnership with the Japan Football Association.
In February 2017, UAEFA warned 46 football players (including Asamoah Gyan) about their inappropriate hairstyles that did not conform to its guidelines.
In October 2017, UAEFA requested that the 23rd Arabian Gulf Cup be postponed while the issue with Qatar was being resolved.
Management
League system
- Tier 1: UAE Pro League
- Tier 2: UAE First Division League
- Tier 3: UAE Second Division League
- Tier 4: UAE Third Division League
Domestic Cups
- UAE President's Cup
- UAE League Cup
- UAE Super Cup
Defunct tournaments
- UAE Vice-presidents Cup
- UAE Federation Cup
Women's competition
- UAE Women's Football League
National teams
- United Arab Emirates national football team
- United Arab Emirates national under-23 football team
- United Arab Emirates national under-20 football team
- United Arab Emirates national under-17 football team
- United Arab Emirates women's national football team
- United Arab Emirates national futsal team
- United Arab Emirates national beach soccer team
Honours
- AFC Dream Asia Award: 2012
- AFC President’s Recognition Award for Grassroots Football – Gold Category: 2025
- AFC Grassroots Charter – Gold-level Member: 2024
- AFC League Development Programme Award: 2021
- AFC Golden Award for Medical Excellence: 2025
Men’s National Team
Intercontinental
- FIFA World Cup
- 24th: 1990
- FIFA U-20 World Cup
- FIFA U-17 World Cup
- FIFA Confederations Cup
- 6th: 1997
- Summer Olympics
- 15th: 2012
Continental
- AFC Asian Cup
- 2nd: 1996
- 3rd: 2015
- 4th: 1992, 2019
- 6th: 1984
- 8th: 1988
- 9th: 1980
- 10th: 2023
- 12th: 2007
- 13th: 2011
- 15th: 2004
- AFC U-23 Asian Cup
- AFC U-20 Asian Cup
- 1st: 2008
- 3rd: 1985, 1996
- 4th: 1982, 1988, 1992
- 6th: 2002
- 7th: 2010, 2014
- 9th: 2018
- 10th: 2000, 2016
- 11th: 2012
- 15th: 2006
- AFC U-17 Asian Cup
- 2nd: 1990
- 4th: 2008
- 5th: 2016
- 6th: 2010
- 7th: 1992, 1994, 2002
- 8th: 2025
- Asian Games
Regional
- FIFA Arab Cup
- 3rd: 2025
- 4th: 1998
- 7th: 2021
- Arab Cup U-20
- 10th: 2020, 2021
- 13th: 2022
- WAFF Champioship
- TBD: 2026
- WAFF U-20 Championship
- 2nd: 2019
- 9th: 2021
- Arabian Gulf Cup
- 1st: 2007, 2013
- 2nd: 1986, 1988, 1994, 2018
- 3rd: 1972, 1982, 1998, 2014
- 4th: 1974, 1984, 1992, 1996, 2010
- 5th: 1976, 1990, 2003, 2004, 2009
- 6th: 1979, 2002
- 7th: 2019, 2023
- AGCFF U-17 Gulf Cup
- 1st: 2006, 2009, 2010, 2013
- 2nd: 2008, 2025
- 3rd: 2003, 2011, 2012, 2016
- Unknown: 2001, 2002, 2015
Other
- Palestine Cup of Nations
- Merdeka Tournament
- 4th: 1981
- 5th: 1982
- Friendship Tournament
- 1st: 1996, 1998
- 2nd: 1999
- 3rd: 2001
- Oman Cup
- 1st: 2000
- Kirin Cup
- 1st: 2000
- International Arab Friendly Tournament
- 2nd: 2005
- Dubai Challenge Cup
- 4th: 2008
- UAE International Cup
- 2nd: 2009
- OSN Cup
- 1st: 2013
- King's Cup
- 4th: 2016, 2018
Women’s National Teams
Intercontinental
- Special Olympics
- 2nd: 2022
Regional
- WAFF Women's Championship
- 1st: 2010, 2011
- 4th: 2019
- 5th: 2025
Beach
| Competition | Total | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beach Soccer FIFA World Cup | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 (2007, 2008, 2009, 2013, 2017, 2019, 2021, 2024) |
| BSWW Beach Soccer Intercontinental Cup | 0 | 0 | 3 (2012, 2013, 2019) | 3 (2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022) |
| AFC Beach Soccer Asian Cup | 2 (2007, 2008) | 2 (2017, 2019) | 1 (2013) | 5 (2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019, 2021, 2023) |
| AFC Asian Beach Games | 1 (2010) | 0 | 1 (2014) | 2 (2008, 2010, 2012, 2014, 2016) |
| AGCFF Arabian Gulf Beach Games | 0 | 1 (2025) | 0 | 1 (2010, 2015, 2025) |
| CFA International Beach Soccer Tournament | 1 (2024) | 0 | 0 | 1 (2024) |
| Total | 4 | 3 | 5 | 12 |
Futsal
| Competition | Total | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Futsal AFC Asian Cup | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 (2012, 2018, 2020) |
| Total | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Men’s Clubs
Intercontinental
- FIFA Club World Cup
- FIFA Intercontinental Cup
- 5th: 2024
- African–Asian–Pacific Cup
- 2nd: 2024
Continental
- AFC Champions League Elite
- 1st: 2003, 2024
- 2nd: 2005, 2015, 2016
- 3rd: 1993, 1999
- 4th: 1991
- 10th: 2025
- 14th: 2022
- TBD: 1990
- AFC Champions League Two
- 1st: 2025
- 2nd: 1995
- 4th: 1991
- 5th: 1993, 2002
- 10th: 1996
- 13th: 1992
- 15th: 1998
- 17th: 1994
- 18th: 1999
- 20th: 2000
- 22nd: 1997
- 25th: 2001
Regional
- AGCFF Gulf Club Champions League
- 1st: 1992, 2001, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2015
- 2nd: 1993, 2005, 2011, 2012
- 3rd: 1988, 1998
- 4th: 1985, 1987, 1989, 2002, 2006, 2025
- 5th: 1994, 1999
- 6th: 2000
Other
- Qatar Super Cup
- 1st: 2024, 2025, 2026
- Qatar Super Shield
- 1st: 2025
- 2nd: 2024, 2026
- Qatar Challenge Shield
- 1st: 2025, 2026
- Qatar Challenge Cup
- 1st: 2025
- 2nd: 2026
- Granada City Cup
- 1st: 2025
- Morocco Super Cup
- 1st: 2015, 2016
| Competition | Total | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FIFA Club World Cup | 0 | 1 (2018) | 0 | 1 (2009, 2010, 2017, 2018, 2021, 2025) |
| FIFA Intercontinental Cup | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 (2024) |
| AFC Champions League Elite | 2 (2003, 2024) | 3 (2005, 2015, 2016) | 2 (1993, 1999) | 5 (1986, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2024, 2025) |
| AFC Champions League Two | 1 (2025) | 1 (1995) | 0 | 2 (1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2025) |
| UAFA Arab Club Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | (1988, 1992, 1998, 1999, 2003, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2017, 2019, 2020, 2023) |
| AGCFF Champions League | 8 (1992, 2001, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2015) | 4 (1993, 2005, 2011, 2012) | 0 | (1982, 1983, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2025, 2026) |
| City of Granada Trophy | 1 (2025) | 0 | 0 | 1 (2025) |
| UAE–Morocco Super Cup | 2 (2015, 2016) | 0 | 0 | 2 (2015, 2016) |
| UAEFA–QFA Super Cup | 7 (2024, 2025, 2026) | 3 (2024, 2026) | 0 | 10 (2024, 2025, 2026) |
| Total | 21 | 12 | 2 | 35 |
Women’s
| Competition | Total | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Women’s AFC Champions League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 (2025) |
| Total | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Futsal
| Competition | Total | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AFC Futsal Club Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 (2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019) |
| Total | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
See also
- UAE Pro League Committee
wikipedia, wiki, encyclopedia, book, library, article, read, free download, Information about United Arab Emirates Football Association, What is United Arab Emirates Football Association? What does United Arab Emirates Football Association mean?