The United Arab Emirates women's national football team ( ) 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.
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.
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.
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. 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. Abu Dhabi Country Club became the first Emirati club to compete in the AFC Women's Champions League in 2024–25.
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.
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.
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
2025
2026
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. 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. Camila Orlando 2021–2024 5 1 0 4 20% Oversaw friendlies and qualifiers during her tenure. Vera Pauw 2025–present 13 3 3 7 23.07% Appointed January 2025; previously managed Netherlands, South Africa, and Ireland.
Players
Current squad The following players were named to the squad for the friendlies against Philippines on 4 and 8 April 2025.
(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.
(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
The following table shows United Arab Emirates's all-time official international record per opponent: OpponentConfederation300349−50UEFA220062+4100AFC6240124+833.33AFC6015317−140UEFA100107−70UEFA211021+150AFC100114−30AFC201136−30AFC6501174+1383.33AFC3102210−833.33AFC110070+7100AFC100102−20UEFA320182+666.67AFC2002211−90UEFA200215−40AFC200208−80UEFA540182+680AFC321084+466.67AFC3003112−70AFC100105−50AFC2002015−150UEFA211040+466.67AFC420295+450AFC211010+150AFC100104−40CAF2002113−120AFC100106−60AFCTotal69241035100158−5834.78—
Competitive record
FIFA Women's World Cup YearRoundPositionPldWD*LGSGAGD 1991Did not exist 1995 1999 2003 2007 2011Did not enter 2015 2019Did not qualify 2027TBD 2035TBDTotal0/12–––––––– *Draws include knockout matches decided on penalty kicks.
AFC Women's Asian Cup YearRoundPositionPldWD*LGSGAGD 1975Did not exist 1977 1980 1981 1983 1986 1989 1991 1993 1995 1997 1999 2001 2003 2006 2008 2010 2014Did not enter 2018Did not qualify 2022 2026 2029TBDTotal0/20–––––––– *Draws include knockout matches decided on penalty kicks.
Asian Games YearRoundPositionPldWD*LGSGAGD 1990Did not exist 1994 1998 2002 2006 2010Did not enter 2014 2018 2022 2026 TBD 2030 2034Total0/10–––––––– *Draws include knockout matches decided on penalty kicks.
WAFF Women's Championship YearRoundPositionPldWD*LGSGAGD 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 2025 Group stage 5th 20 0 20 8 -8TotalChampions1st157353623+13
See also United Arab Emirates women's national under-20 football team United Arab Emirates women's national under-17 football team
References
External links
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