Ahead of the 2023 AFC Asian Cup, we have taken a look at the United Arab Emirates Squad and who could be the star player.
United Arab Emirates 2023 AFC Asian Cup Squad
Coach: 
Paulo Bento
| No. | Pos. | Player | Date of birth (age) | Caps | Goals | Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | GK | Ali Khasif | 9 June 1987 | 71 | 0 |  Al-Jazira |
| 2 | DF | Abdulla Idrees | 16 August 1999 | 7 | 0 | Al-Jazira |
| 3 | DF | Zayed Sultan | 11 April 2001 | 3 | 0 | Al-Jazira |
| 4 | DF | Khalid Al-Hashemi | 18 March 1997 | 9 | 0 | Al-Ain |
| 5 | MF | Ali Salmeen | 2 April 1995 | 56 | 3 | Al-Wasl |
| 6 | MF | Majid Rashid | 16 May 2000 | 13 | 0 | Sharjah |
| 7 | FW | Ali Mabkhout (captain) | 5 October 1990 | 113 | 84 | Al-Jazira |
| 8 | MF | Tahnoon Al-Zaabi | 10 April 1999 | 22 | 1 | Al-Wahda |
| 9 | FW | Ali Saleh | 22 January 2000 | 32 | 3 | Al-Wasl |
| 10 | FW | Fábio Lima | 30 June 1993 | 23 | 10 | Al-Wasl |
| 11 | FW | Caio Canedo | 9 August 1990 | 36 | 9 | Al-Wasl |
| 12 | DF | Khalifa Al Hammadi | 7 November 1998 | 37 | 1 | Al-Jazira |
| 13 | DF | Mohammed Al-Attas | 5 August 1997 | 26 | 1 | Al-Jazira |
| 14 | MF | Abdulla Hamad | 18 September 2001 | 8 | 0 | Al-Wahda |
| 15 | MF | Yahia Nader | 11 September 1998 | 6 | 0 | Al-Ain |
| 16 | MF | Mohammed Abbas | 30 September 2002 | 2 | 0 | Al-Ain |
| 17 | GK | Khalid Eisa | 15 September 1989 | 70 | 0 | Al-Ain |
| 18 | MF | Abdullah Ramadan | 7 March 1998 | 42 | 1 | Al-Jazira |
| 19 | DF | Khaled Ibrahim | 17 January 1997 | 11 | 0 | Sharjah |
| 20 | FW | Yahya Al-Ghassani | 18 April 1998 | 12 | 3 | Shabab Al-Ahli |
| 21 | FW | Harib Abdalla | 26 November 2002 | 21 | 2 | Shabab Al-Ahli |
| 22 | GK | Khaled Tawhid | 16 February 2004 | 0 | 0 | Sharjah |
| 23 | FW | Sultan Adil | 4 May 2004 | 6 | 1 | Kalba |
| 24 | DF | Ahmed Abdalla | 16 January 1999 | 8 | 0 | Shabab Al-Ahli |
| 25 | DF | Abdulrahman Saleh | 13 October 2002 | 0 | 0 | Al-Wasl |
| 26 | DF | Bader Nasser | 16 September 2001 | 4 | 0 | Shabab Al-Ahli |
Most Capped Player: Ali Mabkhout – 113
Top Goalscorer: Ali Mabkhout – 84
UAE 2023 Asian Cup Preview
The United Arab Emirates finished third in 2015 and fourth in 2019 and will be hoping to go a step further in Qatar this month.
Portuguese manager, Bento, was appointed after a poor display in the 2023 Gulf Cup, which resulted in a group stage departure.
Since taking the reigns, Bento has over seen six straight wins, but were beaten in their most recent fixture against Oman.
UAE Player To Watch
Ahead of the Asian Cup, we thought we would take a look at who could be the key man for the United Arab Emirates and one player stands out.
Ali Mabkhout is not only the nations most-capped player (113 caps), but also the leading scorer (84 goals) and was the top scorer of the competition in 2015.
The 33-year-old has been on superb form for his club this season, contributing to 14 goals in 14 appearances (9 goals & 5 assists).
His form has also been strong for the UAE, scoring three goals in both World Cup qualifiers in November, against Nepal and Bahrain.
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