United Arab Emirates women's national football team

This article is about the women's team. For the men's team, see United Arab Emirates national football team.

United Arab Emirates
AssociationUAEFA
ConfederationAFC (Asia)
Sub-confederationWAFF (West Asia)
Head coachVera Pauw
CaptainAreej Al Hammadi
FIFA codeUAE
First colours
Second colours
FIFA ranking
Current 120 3 (11 December 2025)[1]
Highest70 (March 2016)
Lowest120 (December 2025)
First international
 United Arab Emirates 4–2 Palestine 
(Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates; 20 February 2010)[2]
Biggest win
 United Arab Emirates 7–0 Kuwait 
(Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates; 24 February 2010)
Biggest defeat
 Slovakia 9–0 United Arab Emirates 
(Senec, Slovakia; 5 August 2015)
WAFF Championship
Appearances3 (first in 2010)
Best resultChampions (2010, 2011)

The United Arab Emirates women's national football team (Arabic: منتخب الإمارات العربية المتحدة لكرة القدم للسيدات Muntakhab Al'Iimarat Alearabiat Almutahidat Likurat Alqadam lilsayidat) 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.[3]

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.[4]

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.[5]

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.[6] 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.[7] Abu Dhabi Country Club became the first Emirati club to compete in the AFC Women's Champions League in 2024–25.[8]

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.[9]

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.[10]

Results and fixtures

Main article: United Arab Emirates women's national football team results
See also: 2026 in association football, 2026 in sports, and FIFA International Match Calendar

The following is a list of match results in the last 12 months, as well as any future matches that have been scheduled.

Legend

  Win   Draw   Loss   Void or postponed   Fixture

2025

April 4 Friendly United Arab Emirates  1–4  Philippines Dubai, United Arab Emirates
19:30 UTC+4
  • Juma 89'
 Report
Stadium: Theyab Awana Stadium
April 8 Friendly United Arab Emirates  0–4  Philippines Dubai, United Arab Emirates
19:30 UTC+4 Report
Stadium: Theyab Awana Stadium
29 May Friendly United Arab Emirates  0–0  Bahrain Al-Khawaneej, United Arab Emirates
19:45 UTC+4 Report Stadium: UAEFA Stadium
Referee: Shahenda El-Maghrabi (Egypt)
2 June Friendly United Arab Emirates  2–2  Bahrain Al-Khawaneej, United Arab Emirates
19:45 UTC+4
  • Lindborg 63'
  • Bhandari 69'
 Report
Stadium: UAEFA Stadium
Referee: Shahenda El-Maghrabi (Egypt)
18 June Friendly United Arab Emirates  1–3  Malaysia Al-Khawaneej, United Arab Emirates
19:45 UTC+4
  • Al-Zahmi
Report
Stadium: UAE FA Stadium
Referee: Noura El Sayed (Egypt)
21 June Friendly United Arab Emirates  0–2  Malaysia Al-Khawaneej, United Arab Emirates
19:45 UTC+4 Report
  • Adrienna 24'
  • Farahiyah 25'
 Stadium: UAEFA Stadium
Referee: Noura El Sayed (Egypt)
29 June 2026 AFC Asian Cup qualification Guam  0–0  United Arab Emirates Việt Trì, Vietnam
16:00 UTC+7 Report Stadium: Việt Trì Stadium
Referee: Pansa Chaisanit (Thailand)
2 July 2026 AFC Asian Cup qualification United Arab Emirates  0–6  Vietnam Việt Trì, Vietnam
19:00 UTC+7 Report
Stadium: Việt Trì Stadium
Referee: Dong Fangyu (China)
5 July 2026 AFC Asian Cup qualification United Arab Emirates  5–0  Maldives Việt Trì, Vietnam
16:00 UTC+7
  • Al-Zaabi 28', 45+4', 47'
  • Al-Hosani 68'
  • Al-Hazmi 90+1'
 Report Stadium: Việt Trì Stadium
Referee: Anjana Rai (Nepal)
26 November 2025 WAFF Championship GS United Arab Emirates  0–3  Iraq Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
16:45 UTC+3 Report
Stadium: Hall Stadium – King Abdullah Sports City
Referee: Yasmin Nairoukh (Palestine)

2026

5 March 2026 (2026-03-05) Friendly United Arab Emirates  0–0  Tajikistan Dubai, United Arab Emirates
20:00 UTC+4 Report
Report (FFT)
  • S. Saidova 83'
 Stadium: UAE Football Association Stadium

Current staff

Position Name
Head coach Vera Pauw
Assistant coach Houriya Al-Taheri
Goalkeeping coach Noora Al Mazroui
Fitness coach Junaid Shaikh
Physical coach Leila Tomaz
Doctor Yasin Al Mansoori
Sport Scientist Shehzad Naeem
Match Analyst 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.
Samir Landolsi 2015–2017 – – – – – Coached UAE at the 2015 Aphrodite Cup (Cyprus) and during the 2017 AFC Women's Asian Cup qualifiers. [11][12]
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. [13][14]
Camila Orlando 2021–2024 5 1 0 4 20% Oversaw friendlies and qualifiers during her tenure.
Vera Pauw 2025–present 13 3 3 7 23.07% Appointed January 2025; previously managed Netherlands, South Africa, and Ireland. [15]

Players

Current squad

The following players were named to the squad for the friendlies against Philippines on 4 and 8 April 2025.

No. Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club
1 1GK Rouda Al Thumairi (1992-07-01) 1 July 1992 1 0
22 1GK Maha Al Boloushi (2004-05-17) 17 May 2004 4 0 Abu Dhabi Country Club
35 1GK Rachel van Herk 0 0
40 1GK Aya AlDuhail (2005-01-04) 4 January 2005 0 0 Banaat
6 2DF Ghanima Obaid (2003-10-22) 22 October 2003 13 0 Abu Dhabi Country Club
30 2DF Ava Steven Delta State University
27 2DF Marwa Almnhali
12 2DF Dhabia Meshal (2004-01-16) 16 January 2004 Banaat
4 2DF Nikita Fernandez
18 2DF Misha Fernandez
14 2DF Olivia Meuleman
20 2DF Annaya Ahmed
11 2DF Claudia May Precision Football
2 2DF Fatima Jassem (2002-04-23) 23 April 2002 12 1 Abu Dhabi Country Club
26 2DF Fatima AlNubi
9 3MF Rawan Al Hammadi (2002-11-12) 12 November 2002 19 1 Abu Dhabi Country Club
30 3MF Maitha Mohamed
17 3MF Misha Bhandari
24 3MF Safa Shafi
8 3MF Nouf Al Anzi Abu Dhabi Country Club
13 3MF Areej Al Hammadi (1986-02-13) 13 February 1986 15 1 Abu Dhabi Country Club
3 3MF Tala Chabara
5 3MF Caye Yocor (2004-08-02) 2 August 2004 Banaat
9 3MF Stella Fedyun (2008-04-26) 26 April 2008 Banaat
19 3MF Fatima Al Zahraa
16 4FW Sara Sameh
21 4FW Jenna Mahmoud
7 4FW Mia Lindborg Seton Hill University
8 4FW Elizabeth Forshaw Columbus State Cougars
7 4FW Naeema Juma Abu Dhabi Country Club
15 4FW Georgia Gibson Middlesbrough

(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.

Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club Latest call-up

(Players are listed within position group by order of latest call-up, caps, goals, seniority, and then alphabetically)

Honours

Regional

Champions: 2010, 2011

Other tournaments

Record per opponent

Key
  Positive balance (more wins than losses)
  Neutral balance (as many wins as losses)
  Negative balance (more losses than wins)

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
 Azerbaijan 3 0 0 3 4 9 −5 0 UEFA
 Bangladesh 2 2 0 0 6 2 +4 100 AFC
 Bahrain 6 2 4 0 12 4 +8 33.33 AFC
 Georgia 6 0 1 5 3 17 −14 0 UEFA
 Greece 1 0 0 1 0 7 −7 0 UEFA
 Guam 2 1 1 0 2 1 +1 50 AFC
 India 1 0 0 1 1 4 −3 0 AFC
 Iran 2 0 1 1 3 6 −3 0 AFC
 Iraq 6 5 0 1 17 4 +13 83.33 AFC
 Jordan 3 1 0 2 2 10 −8 33.33 AFC
 Kuwait 1 1 0 0 7 0 +7 100 AFC
 Latvia 1 0 0 1 0 2 −2 0 UEFA
 Lebanon 3 2 0 1 8 2 +6 66.67 AFC
 Luxembourg 2 0 0 2 2 11 −9 0 UEFA
 Malaysia 2 0 0 2 1 5 −4 0 AFC
 Malta 2 0 0 2 0 8 −8 0 UEFA
 Maldives 5 4 0 1 8 2 +6 80 AFC
 Palestine 3 2 1 0 8 4 +4 66.67 AFC
 Philippines 3 0 0 3 1 12 −7 0 AFC
 Saudi Arabia 1 0 0 1 0 5 −5 0 AFC
 Slovakia 2 0 0 2 0 15 −15 0 UEFA
 Singapore 2 1 1 0 4 0 +4 66.67 AFC
 Syria 4 2 0 2 9 5 +4 50 AFC
 Tajikistan 2 1 1 0 1 0 +1 50 AFC
 Tunisia 1 0 0 1 0 4 −4 0 CAF
 Uzbekistan 2 0 0 2 1 13 −12 0 AFC
 Vietnam 1 0 0 1 0 6 −6 0 AFC
Total 69 24 10 35 100 158 −58 34.78 —

Competitive record

FIFA Women's World Cup

FIFA Women's World Cup record
Year Round Position Pld W D* L GS GA GD
1991 Did not exist
1995
1999
2003
2007
2011 Did not enter
2015
2019 Did not qualify
2023
2027
2031 TBD
2035 TBD
Total 0/12 – – – – – – – –
*Draws include knockout matches decided on penalty kicks.

AFC Women's Asian Cup

AFC Women's Asian Cup record
Year Round Position Pld W D* L GS GA GD
1975 Did not exist
1977
1980
1981
1983
1986
1989
1991
1993
1995
1997
1999
2001
2003
2006
2008
2010
2014 Did not enter
2018 Did not qualify
2022
2026
2029 TBD
Total 0/20 – – – – – – – –
*Draws include knockout matches decided on penalty kicks.

Asian Games

Asian Games record
Year Round Position Pld W D* L GS GA GD
1990 Did not exist
1994
1998
2002
2006
2010 Did not enter
2014
2018
2022
2026 TBD
2030
2034
Total 0/10 – – – – – – – –
*Draws include knockout matches decided on penalty kicks.

WAFF Women's Championship

WAFF Women's Championship record
Year Round Position Pld W D* L GS GA GD
2005 Did not exist
2007
2010 Champions 1st 4 4 0 0 16 2 +14
2011 1st 5 3 1 1 18 6 +12
2014 Did not enter
2019 Fourth round 4th 4 0 2 2 2 7 -5
2022 Withdrew
2024 Did not enter
2025 Group stage 5th 2 0 0 2 0 8 -8
Total Champions 1st 15 7 3 5 36 23 +13

See also

References

  1. ^ "The FIFA/Coca-Cola Women's World Ranking". FIFA. 11 December 2025. Retrieved 11 December 2025.
  2. ^ "Women footballers make international debut". thenational.ae. 19 February 2010. Retrieved 14 January 2017.
  3. ^ "UAE triumph in West Asian Women's Championship". thenationalnews.com. 13 October 2011. Retrieved 23 October 2022.
  4. ^ "UAE women's team living the dream". FIFA. 1 April 2017. Retrieved 26 August 2025.
  5. ^ "Women's sport participation in the United Arab Emirates: a case study". Retrieved 26 August 2025.
  6. ^ "FIFA Live Your Goals: UAE case study". Archived from the original on 13 February 2019. Retrieved 26 August 2025.
  7. ^ "Banaat FC sign Nike deal". 1 May 2023. Retrieved 26 August 2025.
  8. ^ "ADCC Women in AFC WCL". 20 September 2024. Retrieved 26 August 2025.
  9. ^ "Vera Pauw named UAE WNT head coach". 14 February 2025. Retrieved 26 August 2025.
  10. ^ "UAE vs Philippines friendly report". 8 April 2025.
  11. ^ "UAE at Aphrodite Cup". 13 March 2015.
  12. ^ "Match report: UAE vs Bahrain – 2017 AFC Women's Asian Cup qualifiers". 6 April 2017.
  13. ^ "UAE coach Houriya Al-Taheri is shooting star of Emirati women's football". 8 March 2021.
  14. ^ "2019 WAFF Women's Championship squads". Retrieved 26 August 2025.
  15. ^ "Vera Pauw named UAE WNT head coach". 14 February 2025.
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