UAE appoints former Saudi Arabia coach Olaroiu to lead World Cup 2026 qualification efforts

UAE Appoints Cosmin Olaroiu as Head Coach for World Cup 2026 Qualification

The United Arab Emirates Football Association has officially appointed Cosmin Olaroiu as the new head coach of the national football team, the governing body announced on Saturday. The 55-year-old Romanian takes over the role after the dismissal of Portuguese coach Paulo Bento last month, following a narrow victory over North Korea in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers for Asia.

Currently, the UAE is in third place in Group A of the World Cup qualifying campaign for the 2026 tournament, which will be jointly hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico. The top two teams from each of Asia’s three qualifying groups will automatically secure spots for the World Cup, while the third and fourth-placed teams will enter a secondary round.

Iran has already clinched one of the qualifying spots from Group A, with Uzbekistan holding second place, four points ahead of the UAE, with two more matches to go in the group stage.

Olaroiu arrives with extensive experience in Gulf football, having most recently spent over three years with UAE club Sharjah, leading them to the final of the AFC Champions League Two. He had previously managed prestigious clubs in the Gulf, such as Al-Hilal in Saudi Arabia, Al-Sadd in Qatar, and Al-Ain in the United Arab Emirates. He also won the Chinese Super League championship with Jiangsu Suning in 2020 while he was in China.

Olaroiu’s debut match as UAE head coach will take place on June 5, when the national team faces Uzbekistan at home in a critical World Cup qualifier. Just five days later, the UAE will travel to Kyrgyzstan to continue their efforts to secure a spot in the next stage of the qualifying process.