In a crucial match on Thursday, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) national football team drew 0-0 with Uzbekistan at Al Nahyan Stadium in Abu Dhabi, as part of the penultimate round of the Asian qualifiers for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

This outcome means that the UAE has lost its chance for direct qualification to the World Cup, finishing the match with 14 points and placing third in Group A. The team now faces a playoff scenario scheduled for October.

Uzbekistan, on the other hand, has celebrated a significant achievement by officially qualifying for the FIFA World Cup for the first time in its history, boosting its tally to 18 points and securing second place in the group, alongside Iran, which had already qualified by leading the table.

In order to keep its hopes alive for World Cup qualification through the playoffs, the UAE needed a victory over Uzbekistan.

The team was also relying on a win against Kyrgyzstan in the final round while hoping for Uzbekistan to falter against Qatar.

For this match, new UAE coach Cosmin Olăroiu fielded a starting lineup featuring goalkeeper Khalid Issa, with a defensive quartet comprising Khalid Al-Dhanhani, Lucas Pimenta, Kwame, and Marcos Milani.

The midfield included Majed Hassan, Abdullah Ramadan, and Luan Pereira, while the attacking trio was composed of Ali Saleh, Fabio Lima, and Kayo Lucas.

The match saw limited action in the first half, largely centering around midfield with neither team creating significant scoring opportunities.

Despite a slight edge in possession at 51.2% for the UAE compared to 48.8% for Uzbekistan, the UAE struggled to translate this into threats on goal against Uzbek goalkeeper Oktir Yusupov.

The team's attempts on goal were largely characterized by weak shots, the first of which came from Fabio Lima in the sixth minute.

The UAE faced challenges in penetrating the organized Uzbek defense, prompting forwards Lima, Saleh, and Pereira to drop back into midfield to receive the ball.

Uzbekistan's coach, Timur Kapadze, was forced into a substitution in the 13th minute due to an injury to player Austin Orunov, who was replaced by Faizulayev.

Faizulayev later led a coordinated attack from the left side, delivering a low cross into the box, which the UAE defense cleared in the 26th minute.

Kayo Lucas earned a free kick near the penalty area shortly after, but Ali Saleh's shot went wide of the goal in the 38th minute.

The second half began with a more aggressive approach from Uzbekistan, and Faizulayev nearly put the 'White Wolves' ahead with a header that struck the crossbar in the 54th minute.

Coach Olăroiu responded by making multiple substitutions to invigorate the UAE attack, introducing Yahya Al-Ghesani, Kayo Kanido, and Harib Abdullah for Saleh, Lima, and Pereira.

The most significant chance for the UAE came in the 70th minute when the ball reached Fabio Lima at the edge of the box, but he was denied by a solid save from the Uzbek goalkeeper.

In the closing twenty minutes, the UAE struggled to create additional scoring chances, with only a late stoppage-time shot from Yahya Al-Ghesani being comfortably saved by Yusupov, resulting in a final score of 0-0.