Cairo, Egypt – Romanian Cosmin Olăroiu, the coach of the UAE national team, announced his squad that will play against Iraq in the Asian play-off for the 2026 World Cup.
The UAE national team is scheduled to host the Iraqi national team at Mohammed bin Zayed Stadium on Thursday, November 13.
The UAE national team will be hosted by the Iraqi national team in the return leg, at Basra International Stadium, at 7 pm on Tuesday, the 18th of this month.
The winner on aggregate will qualify for the intercontinental play-off for the World Cup, scheduled for next March.
The UAE national team qualified for the fifth round after finishing second in Group A of the fourth round with 3 points.
Iraq qualified for the fifth round after finishing second in Group B of the fourth round with 4 points, behind Saudi Arabia on goal difference, who topped the group and qualified for the World Cup.
The UAE national team’s roster saw the inclusion of three new faces: Mohammed Rabee, defender of Al Jazira; Gaston Suarez, player of Shabab Al Ahli; and Mohammed Awadallah, striker of Al Ain.
UAE national team squad for the two matches against Iraq in the Asian play-off for the 2026 World Cup intercontinental play-off
The UAE national team squad for the two matches against Iraq is as follows:
Goalkeepers: Khalid Eisa, Ali Khaseif, and Hamad Al Muqbali.
Defense: Ruben Philip, Richard Akanor, Lucas Pimenta, Kwame Kwiddo, Khalifa Al Hammadi, Alaa El Din Zouhair, Marcus Meloni, Khalid Al Dhanhani, Mohammed Rabee.
Midfield: Yahya Nader, Abdullah Ramadan, Luan Pere Yara, Majid Rashid, Gaston Soares, Nicolas Jimenez, Ali Saleh, Hareb Abdullah, Yahya Al-Ghasani.
Attackers: Bruno Oliveira, Caio Lucas, Caio Canedo, Sultan Adel, and Mohamed Awadallah.
قائمة الأبيض استعداداً لمواجهتي منتخب العراق في الدور الإقصائي المؤهل إلى نهائيات كأس العالم 2026 ..#منتخب_الإمارات #حلم_وطن pic.twitter.com/dokMoAAXFq
— UAE NT منتخب الإمارات (@UAEFNT) November 5, 2025
