UAE prepares quest for third Arabian Gulf Cup title against Yemen

Dubai: The United Arab Emirates begin their 27th Arabian Gulf Cup campaign against Yemen in Jeddah on Thursday, starting a new chapter under Croatian coach Zlatko Dalic.

The Group B meeting at Alinma Satdium (also known as King Abdullah Sports City Stadium) will be Dalic’s first major tournament match since taking charge of the UAE in August. The 59-year-old has considerable international experience, having guided Croatia to the 2018 FIFA World Cup final and the semi-finals four years later.

Dalic has several experienced players to work with, including captain and goalkeeper Khalid Eisa, while Sultan Adel, Fabio de Lima, Ali Saleh and Hareb Abdulla are among the attacking options. Guilherme Da Silva and Yuri Cesar also add further attacking threat after impressing for Shabab Al Ahli.

The UAE are in Group B alongside Yemen, Qatar and Bahrain. The top two teams will advance to the semi-finals, with Group A containing hosts Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Oman and Kuwait.

The UAE have won the Gulf Cup twice, in 2007 and 2013, and will be seeking a third title in Saudi Arabia.

There is also an important distinction from the UAE side that recently competed at the Asian Games 2026 in Japan. That team was the UAE Under-23 side and was eliminated after finishing bottom of its group. The team facing Yemen is the senior professional national team, with a different squad and coaching setup.

For Dalic, the tournament offers the first competitive test of his plans as UAE coach, beginning with a Yemen side that has never won the Gulf Cup.