The UAE national football team will take on tournament hosts Saudi Arabia on Monday at the King Abdullah Sports City Stadium in Jeddah, seeking the title of the Arabian Gulf Cup. Under new Croatian head coach Zlatko Dalic, the UAE have been in strong form on their way to the final, scoring nine goals and conceding only one across four matches, with captain Khalid Essa leading the side.
Saudi Arabia, however, arrive as clear favourites. The hosts sit ten places above the UAE in the FIFA rankings and hold a dominant head-to-head record, having beaten the UAE 23 times compared with just seven UAE wins in the two countries' history. The UAE have lifted the Gulf Cup trophy twice before, in 2007 and 2013.
Ahead of the final, Dalic said his squad was fully prepared for the occasion. "We are ready for this moment. We have been working hard for the past 20 days," he said, pointing to an intensive preparation camp since his appointment.
Thousands of UAE supporters are expected to travel to Jeddah for the match, with the UAE Football Association doubling the number of chartered flights from six to twelve to meet demand. Close to 6,000 UAE fans are expected inside the 62,000-capacity stadium.
For Dalic, the final is an early test in a longer project: preparing the UAE for the Asian Cup in January 2027 and for a renewed push toward World Cup qualification. The UAE have not appeared at a World Cup since 1990, and the coaching staff see the current squad's run to the Gulf Cup final as an encouraging sign that the team can compete at the continental level again.