UAE turn to Cosmin Olaroiu to rescue 2026 World Cup qualifying bid

Sharjah's Romanian coach to lead national team for key matches against Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan in June

Sharjah's Romanian coach Cosmin Olaroiu will take over as UAE national team coach. AFP

Cosmin Olaroiu has been confirmed as the new coach of the UAE.

The Romanian fills the vacancy created after Paulo Bento was sacked after the national team’s win over North Korea in Riyadh last month.

Olaroiu, coach of Sharjah in the domestic league, has been given a two-year contract.

His primary task will be to lead the UAE’s quest for a World Cup place, via two vital fixtures in the summer.

They face Uzbekistan at home on Thursday, June 5. It is a game they must win if they are to stand a chance of qualifying directly for the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

The top two sides in the six-team group will advance directly to the main event. Iran are already assured one of the two places.

Olariou has emerged as the standout candidate after guiding Sharjah to the AFC Champions League Two final.

The 55-year-old watched his side pull off a remarkable rescue mission on Tuesday, with two goals in added time seeing off Saudi Arabia's Al Taawoun to clinch a place in next month's championship match against Singapore's Lion City Sailors.

The never-say-die attitude is a trait of all Olaroiu’s teams – and the national team will need it for their upcoming qualifiers.

With two matches still to play, the UAE trail the second-placed Uzbeks by four points. If they beat them on home soil in the next fixture, they will move to within one point.

With a superior goal difference to the Uzbeks, it means they will need to better their performance on the final day to qualify for the World Cup for the first time since 1990.

The UAE’s final fixture is away to Kyrgyzstan on Tuesday, June 10, while Uzbekistan will host Qatar on the same day.

Iran's Saleh Hardani, right, and UAE's Abdullah Ramadan battle for the ball during their Asian qualifier for the 2026 World Cup, at Azadi Stadium in Tehran. AP

Sardar Azmoun of Iran takes on Yahya Nader of UAE. EPA

UAE's Harib Abdalla gets on the ball. AP

Iran's midfielder Mohammad Mohebi attempts a shot. AFP

Iran's Mohammad Mohebbi, left, and UAE's Khaled Ibrahim. AP

Iran fans take cover from the rain. AFP

Iran fans cheer in the stands. AFP

Iran fans take cover from the rain. AFP

Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian, centre, looks on. AFP

Mohammad Mohebi of Iran collides with UAE goalkeeper Khalid Essa. EPA

Despite being by far the most decorated coach in the 14 years since he first arrived in the country as coach of Al Ain, Olaroiu had curiously never been elevated to the role of national team coach – until now.

In 10 seasons in the UAE league, he has won 14 major trophies, including the UAE Pro League in each of his first three seasons in the country.

The first two of those came with Al Ain, then the third with Al Ahli after he made the switch to the Dubai-based club.

After Al Ain regained the title in 2014/15, Olaroiu became a champion again with Al Ahli the following season – his fourth league title in five seasons in the UAE.

Since 2011, when Olaroiu was first appointed Al Ain manager after trophy-laden stints in Saudi Arabia and Qatar, the national team have had 11 managerial changes.

Bento, the most recent, had just under two years at the helm. Thrilling wins against Qatar, most notably, had brought Bento’s side to the position that they were still in with a chance of claiming the second place in the qualifying group, ahead of the Uzbeks.

However, the Portuguese coach paid for a downturn in form that led to his dismissal. He oversaw a poor Gulf Cup campaign, when the UAE failed to make it out of the group, then a turgid display in Iran on their return to the World Cup qualifying trail.

A 2-1 win over North Korea, which required a late stoppage time goal by Sultan Adil, assured that the UAE will, as a minimum, play in the next round of qualifying.

That is a set of fixtures in October, in a three-team group, against other sides who have finished third or fourth in their respective groups in Asian qualifying. The winner of that will make it to the World Cup.

Despite having those repechage fixtures assured, the performances led the UAE Football Association to fear an automatic qualifying place would be beyond Bento. He was summarily dismissed the morning after the North Korea game.

Now they hope Olaroiu will be able to galvanise the side at short notice. His Sharjah side are through to the final of the President's Cup, where they will face the Shabab Al Ahli side with whom they are also vying for the UAE Pro League crown.

Given his track record of rapidly turning sides into winners, as well as his deep understanding of the UAE game – he has coached many of the national team squad at club level – it is no wonder he was the FA’s first choice.

However, one thing Olaroiu is light on is international experience. Within a glittering club coaching career, both in his homeland and especially Asia – he has won trophies in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, UAE and China – he has had one brief and ill-starred crack at international management.

During his stint as Al Ahli manager, he was given temporary leave to manage Saudi Arabia at the 2015 Asian Cup. They failed to make it out of their group.