The 2022–23 UAE Pro League was the 48th edition of the UAE Pro League. Al Ain were the defending champions after winning their fourteenth title last season. There was a mid-season break due to the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
Shabab Al Ahli won the Pro League for the eighth time.
Teams Team changes
Promoted to the Pro League Dibba Al Fujairah would get promoted back after winning the First Division league by beating Al Arabi 2–1, they would return after being absent for three seasons. Al Bataeh would secure promotion on the last day after beating Al Hamriyah 4–2, this will be their first ever season on the top flight in the clubs history.
Relegated to the First Division Emirates would get relegated back to the First Division after a 0–1 home defeat to Al Urooba on the 17th of May. Al Urooba would also get relegated after losing to Al Dhafra 2–1 on the final matchday.
Stadia and locations
Note: Table lists clubs in alphabetical order. TeamHome cityStadiumCapacity Ajman Ajman Ajman Stadium Al Ain Al-Ain Hazza Bin Zayed Stadium Al Bataeh Al Bataeh Al Bataeh Stadium Al Dhafra Madinat Zayed Al Dhafra Stadium Al Jazira Abu Dhabi (Al Nahyan) Mohammad Bin Zayed Stadium Al Nasr Dubai (Al Nasr) Al-Maktoum Stadium Al Wahda Abu Dhabi (Al Nahyan) Al Nahyan Stadium Al Wasl Dubai (Zabeel) Zabeel Stadium Baniyas Abu Dhabi (Al Shamkha) Baniyas Stadium Dibba Al Fujairah Dibba Al-Fujairah New Dibba Stadium Kalba Kalba Ittihad Kalba Stadium Khor Fakkan Khor Fakkan SBM Al Qassimi Stadium Shabab Al Ahli Dubai (Deira) Al-Rashid Stadium Sharjah Sharjah Sharjah Stadium
Personnel and kits
Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality. TeamHead CoachCaptainKit ManufacturerShirt Sponsor Ajman Goran Tufegdžić Ali Al-Hosani Adidas Ajman Bank Al Ain Serhiy Rebrov Bandar Al-Ahbabi Nike First Abu Dhabi Bank Al Bataeh Said Chkhit Khamis Esmaeel Nike N/A Al Dhafra Aleksandar Veselinović Ahmed Ali Kelme ADNOC Al Jazira Marcel Keizer Ali Khasif Zat Outfit Healthpoint Al Nasr Goran Tomić Tareq Ahmed N45 Emirates Islamic Al Wahda Arno Buitenweg Mohammed Barqesh Adidas N/A Al Wasl Juan Antonio Pizzi Ali Salmeen Macron Dubai Real Estate Centre Baniyas Daniel Isăilă Fawaz Awana Macron ADIB Dibba Al Fujairah Hassan Al Abdouli Mohamed Al Rowaihy uhlsport Fujairah Investment Kalba Farhad Majidi Mansor Abbas Errea Caltex Khor Fakkan Abdulaziz Al Yassi Saif Mohammed Adidas N/A Shabab Al Ahli Leonardo Jardim Majed Naser Nike Nissan Dubai Integrated Economic Zones Sharjah Cosmin Olăroiu Shahin Abdulrahman Adidas SAIF Zone University Hospital Sharjah
Foreign players
Players name in bold indicates the player is registered during the mid-season transfer window. Players in italics were out of the squad or left the club within the season, after the pre-season transfer window, or in the mid-season transfer window, and at least had one appearance.
Club Player 1 Player 2 Player 3 Player 4 Player 5 Former players Ajman Miral Samardžić Firas Ben Larbi Walid Azaro Ali Madan Prestige Mboungou Al Ain Kodjo Fo-Doh Laba Soufiane Rahimi Andriy Yarmolenko El Mehdi El Moubarik Tin Jedvaj Danilo Arboleda Al Bataeh Anatole Abang Lourency Artur Jorge João Novais Kwame Bonsu Thibang Phete Al Dhafra Mohamed Rayhi Cláudio Walid Karoui Tiago Leonço Georgi Milanov Mitchell te Vrede Lucas Cândido Al Jazira Miloš Kosanović Thulani Serero Florin Tănase Achraf Bencharki Aymen Hussein Filip Novák Abdoulay Diaby Al Nasr Tozé Ryan Mendes Adel Taarabt Samir Memišević Peniel Mlapa Jája Silva Dembo Darboe Lucão Al Wahda João Pedro Adrien Silva Allan Matheus Pereira Fábio Martins Maracás Pizzi Ahmed Refaat Al Wasl Djamel Benlamri Soufiane Bouftini Gerónimo Poblete Tomás Chancalay Felipe Gutiérrez Gilberto Gabrielzinho Baniyas Saša Ivković Gastón Álvarez Suárez Nicolás Giménez Rafael Elias Opa Nguette Dibba Al Fujairah Marcelo Jája Silva Edu Pedro Castro China Joey Sleegers Aleksandar Šćekić Saliou Guindo Kabelo Seakanyeng Kalba Filip Kiss Daniel Bessa Igor Rossi Alexandru Cicâldău Abdoulay Diaby Peniel Mlapa Khor Fakkan Dodô Aylton Boa Morte Lazar Rosić Fábio Abreu Mehdi Abeid Ramon Lopes Panagiotis Tachtsidis Shabab Al Ahli Federico Cartabia Azizjon Ganiev Ahmad Nourollahi Omar Khribin Jason Denayer Sharjah Caio Paco Alcácer Miralem Pjanić Kostas Manolas Djaniny Makhete Diop
Managerial changes
TeamOutgoing managerDate of vacancyManner of departureIncoming managerDate of appointment Al Nasr Salem Rabie19 May 2022Caretaker tenure endedPre-season Thorsten Fink 19 May 2022 Al Wahda Grégory Dufrennes Carlos Carvalhal 1 July 2022 Kalba Jorge da Silva26 May 2022End of contract Farhad Majidi 8 June 2022 Khor Fakkan Gabriel Calderón Abdulaziz Al Yassi 14 June 2022 Shabab Al Ahli Mahdi Ali Leonardo Jardim 8 June 2022 Al Dhafra Mohammad Kwid Nebojša Vignjević 11 July 2022 Al Bataeh Tarek Hadhiri Caio Zanardi 27 May 2022 Al Wasl Odair Hellmann 28 June 2022 Mutual consent Juan Antonio Pizzi 1 July 2022 Al Wahda Carlos Carvalhal 3 October 2022 Sacked 9th Manolo Jiménez 5 October 2022 Dibba Al Fujairah Zoran Popović 8 October 2022 14th Grégory Dufrennes 8 October 2022 Al Dhafra Nebojša Vignjević 30 October 2022 14th Aleksandar Veselinović 30 October 2022 Al Bataeh Caio Zanardi 4 November 2022 10th Saeed Shakhit5 November 2022 Al Nasr Thorsten Fink 5 November 2022 12th Goran Tomić Dibba Al Fujairah Grégory Dufrennes 14 January 2023 Mutual consent 13th Hassan Al Abdouli 15 January 2023 Al Wahda Manolo Jiménez 12 March 2023 Sacked 4th Arno Buitenweg 13 March 2023 Notes 1. Interim
League table
Results
Number of teams by Emirates EmirateNumber of teamsTeams1 Abu Dhabi5Al Ain, Al Jazira, Al Wahda, Baniyas and Al Dhafra2 Sharjah 4Sharjah, Kalba, Khor Fakkan and Al Bataeh 3 Dubai3Shabab Al Ahli, Al Nasr and Al Wasl 4 Ajman1Ajman FujairahDibba Al Fujairah
Seasonal statistics
Positions by round
Top scorers
RankPlayerClubGoals1 Kodjo LabaAl Ain282 Ali MabkhoutAl Jazira273 Fábio LimaAl Wasl194 João PedroAl Wahda155 LourencyAl Bataeh136 Walid AzaroAjman12 Firas Ben LarbiAjman8 Soufiane RahimiAl Ain11 Federico CartabiaShabab Al Ahli Andriy YarmolenkoAl Ain11 Caio LucasSharjah9 Tomás ChancalayAl Wasl Ahmed Al-NaqbiKalba
Clean sheets
RankPlayerClubClean sheets1 Mohammed Al-ShamsiAl Wahda92 Adel Al-Hosani Sharjah 7 Khalid Eisa Al Ain Khaled Al-SenaniAl Wasl5 Darwish Bin HabibSharjah6 Ali Al-Hosani Ajman Ali KhasifAl Jazira8 Eisa Al-HootiKalba5 Ahmed Al-HosaniKhor Fakkan Hassan HamzaShabab Al Ahli Ahmed ShambihAl Nasr
Hat tricks PlayerForAgainstResultDateRound Ali MabkhoutAl JaziraKhor Fakkan4–2 (A)9 September 20222 Kodjo Laba4 Al AinAl Dhafra7–0 (H)10 September 2022 Fábio LimaAl Wasl4–0 (H)8 October 20225 Rafael EliasBaniyasDibba Al Fujarah4–1 (A)22 October 20227 Ali MabkhoutAl JaziraAl Nasr4–3 (H)7 April 202322 Notes 4 Player scored 4 goals(H) – Home team(A) – Away team
References