United Arab Emirates women's national football team

United Arab Emirates
Association	UAEFA
Confederation	AFC (Asia)
Sub-confederation	WAFF (West Asia)
Head coach	Vera Pauw
Captain	Areej Al Hammadi
FIFA code	UAE
First colours	Second colours
FIFA ranking
Current	117 (7 August 2025)
Highest	70 (March 2016)
Lowest	117 (June 2025)
First international
	United Arab Emirates 4–2 Palestine ; (Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates; 20 February 2010)
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
Appearances	3 (first in 2010)
Best result	Champions (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

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

26 February 2025 Friendly	United Arab Emirates	3–1	Bangladesh	Dubai, United Arab Emirates
21:30 BST (UTC+6)	Forshaw 18' Gibson 28', 73'	Report	Khandaker 35' (pen.)	Stadium: Theyab Awana Stadium Referee: Alissar Baddour (Syria)

2 March 2025 Friendly	United Arab Emirates	3–1	Bangladesh	Dubai, United Arab Emirates
21:30 BST (UTC+6)	Al-Anzi 32' Lindborg 40' Gibson 58'	Report	Khandaker 80' (pen.)	Stadium: Theyab Awana Stadium Referee: Alissar Baddour (Syria)

April 4 Friendly	United Arab Emirates	1–4	Philippines	Dubai, United Arab Emirates
19:30 UTC+4	Juma 89'	Report	Long 8' C. McDaniel 19', 33' Serrano 31'	Stadium: Theyab Awana Stadium

April 8 Friendly	United Arab Emirates	0–4	Philippines	Dubai, United Arab Emirates
19:30 UTC+4		Report	Eggesvik 37' Frilles 54' Long 62' C. McDaniel 74'	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	Al-Mannaei 44' Al-Isa 66'	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	Nurfazira S. Intan Sarah Z. Nur Adrienna Z.	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		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	Chương Thị Kiều 11' Thái Thị Thảo 14' Nguyễn Thị Vạn 43', 51' Phạm Hải Yến 64' Ngân Thị Vạn Sự 90+4'	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 (2025-11-26) 2025 WAFF Championship GS	United Arab Emirates	v	Iraq	Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
16:45 UTC+3				Stadium: Hall Stadium – King Abdullah Sports City

28 November 2025 (2025-11-28) 2025 WAFF Championship GS	Saudi Arabia	v	United Arab Emirates	Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
19:45 UTC+3				Stadium: Hall Stadium – King Abdullah Sports City

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]^{[circular reference]}
Camila Orlando	2021–2024	5	1	0	4	20%	Oversaw friendlies and qualifiers during her tenure.
Vera Pauw	2025–present	4	2	0	2	50%	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 (age 33)	1	0
22	1GK	Maha Al Boloushi	(2004-05-17) 17 May 2004 (age 21)	4	0	Abu Dhabi Country Club
35	1GK	Rachel van Herk		0	0
40	1GK	Aya AlDuhail	(2005-01-04) 4 January 2005 (age 20)	0	0	Banaat

6	2DF	Ghanima Obaid	(2003-10-22) 22 October 2003 (age 22)	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 (age 21)			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 (age 23)	12	1	Abu Dhabi Country Club
26	2DF	Fatima AlNubi

9	3MF	Rawan Al Hammadi	(2002-11-12) 12 November 2002 (age 22)	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 (age 39)	15	1	Abu Dhabi Country Club
3	3MF	Tala Chabara
5	3MF	Caye Yocor	(2004-08-02) 2 August 2004 (age 21)			Banaat
9	3MF	Stella Fedyun	(2008-04-26) 26 April 2008 (age 17)			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

WAFF Women's Championship

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	00.00	UEFA
Bangladesh	2	2	0	0	6	2	+4	100.00	AFC
Bahrain	4	2	2	0	10	2	+8	50.00	AFC
Georgia	6	0	1	5	3	17	−14	00.00	UEFA
Greece	1	0	0	1	0	7	−7	00.00	UEFA
Guam	1	1	0	0	2	1	+1	100.00	AFC
India	1	0	0	1	1	4	−3	00.00	AFC
Iran	2	1	0	1	3	6	−3	50.00	AFC
Iraq	5	5	0	0	21	1	+12	100.00	AFC
Jordan	3	1	0	2	2	10	−8	33.33	AFC
Kuwait	1	1	0	0	7	0	+7	100.00	AFC
Latvia	1	0	0	1	0	2	−2	00.00	UEFA
Lebanon	3	2	0	1	8	2	+6	66.67	AFC
Luxembourg	2	0	0	2	2	11	−9	00.00	UEFA
Malta	2	0	0	2	0	8	−8	00.00	UEFA
Maldives	4	3	0	1	3	2	+1	75.00	AFC
Palestine	3	2	1	0	8	4	+4	66.67	AFC
Philippines	3	0	0	3	1	12	−7	00.00	AFC
Slovakia	2	0	0	2	0	15	−15	00.00	UEFA
Singapore	2	1	1	0	4	0	+4	66.67	AFC
Syria	4	2	0	2	9	5	+4	50.00	AFC
Tajikistan	1	1	0	0	1	0	+1	100.00	AFC
Tunisia	1	0	0	1	0	4	−4	00.00	CAF
Uzbekistan	2	0	0	2	1	13	−12	00.00	AFC
Total	53	20	5	28	81	127	-46	37.74	—

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
Total	Champions	1st	13	7	3	3	36	15	+21

References

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

External links

[FIFA_Women's_World_Rankings-1] "The FIFA/Coca-Cola Women's World Ranking". FIFA. 7 August 2025. Retrieved 7 August 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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v t e Football in the United Arab Emirates
UAEFA PLC
National teams	Men's national team U-23 U-20 U-17 Women's national team Men's Futsal Beach Soccer	United Arab Emirates portal
League system	Pro League First Division League Second Division League Third Division League
Domestic cups	President's Cup League Cup Federation Cup (refound) Super Cup Joint League (defunct)
International Competitions	AFC Champions League Arabian Gulf Cup Arab Club Champions Cup GCC Champions League Friendship Tournament (defunct)
Clubs Records

v t e International women's association football
FIFA Federations Teams Competitions World Ranking Player of the Year The Best FIFA Women's Player
Worldwide	FIFA Women's World Cup U-20 U-17
Asia	AFC Women's Asian Cup U-20 U-17 Women's Olympic Qualifying Tournament Regional ASEAN EAFF SAFF WAFF CAFA Intercontinental (Arab)
Africa	CAF Women's Cup of Nations U-20 U-17 Women's Olympic Qualifying Tournament Regional CECAFA U-20 U-17 COSAFA U-20 U-17 UNAF WAFU A WAFU B UNIFFAC Intercontinental (Arab)
North America, Central America and the Caribbean	CONCACAF W Championship U-20 U-17 U-15 W Gold Cup W Nations League Women's Olympic Qualifying Tournament
South America	CONMEBOL Copa América Femenina U-20 U-17 Liga de Naciones Femenina
Oceania	OFC Women's Nations Cup U-19 U-16 Women's Olympic Qualifying Tournament
Europe	UEFA Women's Championship U-19 U-17 Women's Nations League
Non-FIFA	NF-Board Women's Viva World Cup CONIFA CONIFA Women's World Football Cup
Games	Olympics Youth Olympics Universiade African Games Asian Games Central America and Caribbean Central American Games Goodwill Games Pan American Games Pacific Games Indian Ocean Island Games South Asian Games Southeast Asian Games Island Games
Invitationals	Aisha Buhari Cup Albena Cup Algarve Cup Aphrodite Women Cup Arnold Clark Cup Australia Cup Balaton Cup Baltic Cup Brazil Cup Chungua Cup Cyprus Women's Cup European Competition ('69,'79) Cup of Nations Finalissima Four Nations Tournament FIFA Invitation Tournament Gold Cup Istria Cup Women's Kirin Challenge Cup Malta International Matchworld Cup MS&AD Cup Mundialito Nordic Championship Our Game Tournament Peace Queen Cup Pinatar Cup Pink Ladies Cup Revelations Cup SAFF Women's Friendly Tournament SheBelieves Cup Sud Ladies Cup Tournament of Nations Tournoi de France Turkish Women's Cup Valais Cup Vianet Championship Women's World Cup ('70, '71) Yongchuan International Tournament
Geography Codes Player of the Century Video games Men's football

v t e National women's football teams of Asia (AFC)
AFC Women's Asian Cup
West Asia (WAFF)	Bahrain Iraq Jordan Kuwait Lebanon ~~Oman~~ Palestine Qatar Saudi Arabia Syria United Arab Emirates ~~Yemen~~
Central Asia (CAFA)	Afghanistan¹ Iran Kyrgyzstan Tajikistan Turkmenistan Uzbekistan
South Asia (SAFF)	Bangladesh Bhutan India Maldives Nepal Pakistan Sri Lanka
East Asia (EAFF)	China Chinese Taipei² Guam Hong Kong Japan Macau Mongolia North Korea Northern Mariana Islands³ South Korea
Southeast Asia (AFF)	Australia ~~Brunei~~ Cambodia Indonesia Laos Malaysia Myanmar Philippines Singapore Thailand Timor-Leste Vietnam
Former	Kazakhstan (moved to UEFA in 2002) New Zealand (formed the OFC in 1966)
¹ FIFA-recognized refugee team; not recognized by the national federation. ² Taiwan, officially the Republic of China, competes as "Chinese Taipei" ³ Not a member of FIFA

History

Home stadium

Results and fixtures

2025

Current staff

Managerial history

Players

Current squad

Recent call-ups

Honours

Regional

Other tournaments

Record per opponent

Competitive record

FIFA Women's World Cup

AFC Women's Asian Cup

Asian Games

WAFF Women's Championship

See also

References

External links