Cosmin Olariu announces UAE squad for World Cup qualifiers

Sharjah 24: Romanian coach Cosmin Olariu has revealed a 27-player squad for the upcoming 2026 World Cup Asian qualifiers. The UAE national team is set to face Uzbekistan on June 5 and Kyrgyzstan on June 10 in two decisive matches.

UAE’s standing in Group A

The national team currently sits in third place in Group A with 13 points. Iran leads the group with 20 points, followed by Uzbekistan in second place with 17 points.

Full 27-player squad list

The announced squad includes: Goalkeepers: Khalid Eisa, Hamad Al-Mandhari, Ali Khaseif; defenders: Lucas Pimenta, Kwame Kiyodou, Khalifa Al-Hammadi, Alaa Eldin Zuhair, Sava Ivkovic, Khaled Al-Dhanhani, Marcos Meloni; midfielders: Abdulrahman Saleh, Bader Nasser, Fabio Lima, Yahya Al-Ghassani, Zayed Abdullah, Abdullah Ramadan, Yahya Nader, Luan Pereira, Majed Hassan, Mohammed Abdulbasit, Abdullah Hamad; forwards: Ali Saleh, Sultan Adel, Junior Nyboi, Caio Lucas, Bruno Oliveira, Caio Lucanedo

These selections reflect Coach Olariu’s strategic planning as the UAE aims to secure crucial points and strengthen its position in the qualifiers.