Paulo Bento has called on the UAE national team to prioritise discipline as they prepare for their AFC 2026 World Cup qualifying third round opener against Qatar this evening.
The UAE are aiming for just their second-ever appearance at the FIFA World Cup finals, having come heartbreakingly close to qualifying for Qatar 2022, only to see their hopes dashed by Australia in the Asian play-off.
However, that crushing defeat has fuelled their current campaign, with the team entering tonight’s match unbeaten in the second round of qualifiers, securing their place in the third stage with two games to spare.
Tonight’s pivotal Group A clash presents a tougher challenge, as the UAE face 2023 AFC Asian Cup champions Qatar—a team that has been somewhat of a nemesis in recent years.
The Qataris have won three of their last four encounters, with the other ending in a draw. The UAE’s last victory over the 2022 World Cup hosts came back in 2015, when they cruised to a 4-1 win at the Asian Cup.
With a sold-out crowd expected at the 45,000-capacity Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium, UAE coach Bento knows the size of the challenge his team faces.
“Playing away from home requires us to rely on the principle of caution and focus on discipline in order to obtain a satisfactory result at the beginning of the journey,” he told media in the pre-match press conference.
“We have a very difficult task ahead of us against the Qatari team, which has great organizational quality and is led by a coach with great experience.”
UAE centre-back Khalifa Al Hammadi is also well aware of the threat posed by Qatar, who are currently unbeaten in their last 11 matches.
“Everyone is ready and Qatar are one of the elite teams on the continent,” said Al Hammadi.
“We aspire to achieve a result that fulfils our ambition of reaching the World Cup which is the dream of all players as well as all our fans.”
The Whites will feature a quartet of new faces in tonight's clash and Tuesday's home game against Iran, with Junior Ndiaye, Mackenzie Hunt, Adli Mohamed, and Kouame Autonne all receiving their first call-ups.
While there is plenty of anticipation surrounding Ndiaye, Hunt, and Mohamed, given their experience at European clubs, Bento was quick to caution fans against placing too much pressure on the trio.
“This month we have three players that came from abroad,” added Bento.
“All of them are playing in a different context, and in different positions as well, and they have different features. This is the first time they are with us. They need to adapt themselves to our team and our way of playing.
“We must adapt and take care of them in the best possible way. But we cannot think they are going to solve all our problems. Putting that kind of pressure on them is not fair.
“It is a process that belongs to the FA, where the technical staff is also included, but it is a long process. It can’t be a short process. We cannot hope for results in a short time, but instead in the medium and long term.”
To secure an automatic berth in the 2026 World Cup, the UAE need to finish in the top two of their group, which also includes Iran, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, and North Korea.
The third and fourth place finishers in each group will advance to a fourth round which will determine the continent's two remaining guaranteed qualifiers.
