The UAE return to World Cup qualifying action on Thursday when they face Iran in Tehran.
The national team are vying for one of two automatic qualifying places in their group for the World Cup, which will be staged in the United States, Canada and Mexico in 2026.
What needs to happen?
Sides in the six-team groups in Asia qualifying have so far played six of 10 matches.
The top two teams from the group qualify directly for the World Cup.
The third and fourth-placed teams still have a chance to make it, but the picture becomes more complicated if they don’t finish in the top two.
The next round
Six third and fourth-placed teams from the current phase of qualifying will be divided into two groups of three. The teams will play against each other once in a centralised venue. The winners of those groups qualify for the World Cup. Again, the runners-up are still not fully out of the running.
Intercontinental play-offs
The two runners-up in those three-team groups will compete home-and-away over two legs to determine Asia’s representatives at the inter-confederation play-offs.
That is a six-team tournament involving one team each from Africa, South America and Oceania, plus two from the federation of North America, Central America and the Caribbean.
How are the UAE doing?
Paulo Bento’s side are third in their group, three points behind Uzbekistan, and six behind their hosts on Thursday, Iran.
Three points behind them are Qatar, whom they thrashed 5-0 last time they were involved in qualifying action, back in November.
Is anyone through already?
Iran, who have the best World Cup pedigree of any of the sides in Asian qualifying third round Group A, are assured of advancing to the fourth round as a minimum.
They also seem highly likely to take one of the two automatic qualifying places, and would as good as confirm that if they beat the UAE.
Can UAE beat Iran and North Korea?
After an uplifting start to this phase of Asian qualifying, when they beat Qatar in Doha, the UAE’s campaign faltered slightly against the two sides they face in the current window.
Despite a courageous display in Al Ain five days after that win in Doha, Paulo Bento’s side lost by a lone goal to Iran.
They then underwhelmed against North Korea, and were held to a draw, also in Al Ain. Their morale was then lifted by a solid win over Kyrgyzstan and then a thrashing of Qatar.
Table
Team M W D L Pts
1. Iran 6 5 1 0 +7 16
2. Uzbekistan 6 4 1 1 +3 13
3. UAE 6 3 1 2 +8 10
4. Qatar 6 2 1 3 −7 7
5. Kyrgyzstan 6 1 0 5 −7 3
6. North Korea 6 0 2 4 −4 2
UAE results and fixtures
Qatar 1-3 UAE
UAE 0-1 Iran
UAE 1-1 North Korea
Uzbekistan 1-0 UAE
UAE 3-0 Kyrgyzstan
UAE 5-0 Qatar
Iran v UAE, Tehran, Thursday, March 20, 8pm kick off
North Korea v UAE, Riyadh, Tuesday, March 25, 10.30pm kick off
UAE v Uzbekistan, Thursday, June 5
Kyrgyzstan v UAE, Tuesday, June 10
How to watch
The matches will be shown live on BeIN Sports.
Squad
Paulo Bento named a 27-man extended squad ahead of the two matches, as follows: Khaled Essa, Hamad Al Muqbali, Khaled Tawhid, Ali Khaseif, Mohamed Al Attas, Lucas Pimenta, Kouame Autonne, Khalifa Al Hammadi, Alaeddine Zouhir, Zayed Sultan, Khaled Al Dhanhani, Marcus Meloni, Abdullah Idris, Yahia Nader, Mackenzie Hunt, Abdullah Ramadan, Tahnoon Al Zaabi, Essam Fayez, Yahya Al Ghassani, Harib Abdallah, Fabio De Lima, Jonatas Santos, Luan Pereira, Bruno Oliveira, Caio Lucas, Sultan Adil, Caio Canedo.
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Tips for newlyweds to better manage finances
All couples are unique and have to create a financial blueprint that is most suitable for their relationship, says Vijay Valecha, chief investment officer at Century Financial. He offers his top five tips for couples to better manage their finances.
Discuss your assets and debts: When married, it’s important to understand each other’s personal financial situation. It’s necessary to know upfront what each party brings to the table, as debts and assets affect spending habits and joint loan qualifications. Discussing all aspects of their finances as a couple prevents anyone from being blindsided later.
Decide on the financial/saving goals: Spouses should independently list their top goals and share their lists with one another to shape a joint plan. Writing down clear goals will help them determine how much to save each month, how much to put aside for short-term goals, and how they will reach their long-term financial goals.
Set a budget: A budget can keep the couple be mindful of their income and expenses. With a monthly budget, couples will know exactly how much they can spend in a category each month, how much they have to work with and what spending areas need to be evaluated.
Decide who manages what: When it comes to handling finances, it’s a good idea to decide who manages what. For example, one person might take on the day-to-day bills, while the other tackles long-term investments and retirement plans.
Money date nights: Talking about money should be a healthy, ongoing conversation and couples should not wait for something to go wrong. They should set time aside every month to talk about future financial decisions and see the progress they’ve made together towards accomplishing their goals.
Generational responses to the pandemic
Devesh Mamtani from Century Financial believes the cash-hoarding tendency of each generation is influenced by what stage of the employment cycle they are in. He offers the following insights:
Baby boomers (those born before 1964): Owing to market uncertainty and the need to survive amid competition, many in this generation are looking for options to hoard more cash and increase their overall savings/investments towards risk-free assets.
Generation X (born between 1965 and 1980): Gen X is currently in its prime working years. With their personal and family finances taking a hit, Generation X is looking at multiple options, including taking out short-term loan facilities with competitive interest rates instead of dipping into their savings account.
Millennials (born between 1981 and 1996): This market situation is giving them a valuable lesson about investing early. Many millennials who had previously not saved or invested are looking to start doing so now.
