Cosmin Olariou and his coaching staff have had their contracts with the UAE Football Association terminated.
The FA confirmed the dismissals on Saturday morning, saying a replacement for Olaroiu would be announced soon.
"The Board of Directors of the UAE Football Association (UAEFA) has decided to terminate the contract of the head coach of the UAE national team, Cosmin Olaroiu, along with his assistant staff," the statement said.
"The Association expressed its thanks and appreciation for their efforts with the national team during the past period.
"The UAE Football Association will announce the new technical staff for the national team in the coming period."
Olaroiu was installed as national team coach in April 2025 following the dismissal of Paulo Bento the previous month.
The Romanian, 56, had a successful track record in UAE club football, winning league titles at Al Ain and Shabab Al Ahli and had just guided Sharjah to the AFC Champions League Two title.
He was tasked with getting the UAE's faltering 2026 World Cup qualifying bid back on track.
Draws against Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan meant the UAE could finish only third in their Asian qualifying group, meaning they would head to a fourth round of qualifying where they were placed in a mini-league containing Oman and Qatar.
A 2-1 win over the Omanis meant the Emirates needed only to avoid defeat in their match against Qatar to punch their ticket to only a second World Cup.
But a contentious match saw the national team lose 2-1 and miss out on a first global finals appearance since 1990.
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UAE's World Cup hopes suffered a big blow as they were beaten 2-0 by Qatar at the Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium in Doha on October 14, 2025. Chris Whiteoak / The National -
Dejected UAE defender Kouame Autonne after the match. Chris Whiteoak / The National -
UAE coach Cosmin Olaroiu and Marcus Meloni after the match. Chris Whiteoak / The National -
Tarek Salman of Qatar is sent off late in the game. Chris Whiteoak / The National -
UAE's Sultan Adil after a missed opportunity. AFP -
Qatar's Boualem Khoukhi, left, celebrates after scoring their first goal. AP -
Dejected UAE players after the first Qatar goal. Chris Whiteoak / The National -
Boualem Khoukhi celebrates after scoring for Qatar. Chris Whiteoak / The National -
Boualem Khoukhi heads home to put Qatar 1-0 up. Chris Whiteoak / The National -
UAE goalkeeper Khalid Essa during the first half. Chris Whiteoak / The National -
UAE's Marcus Meloni and Mohammad Naceur Al Mannai of Qatar battle for the ball. Chris Whiteoak / The National -
Qatar4's Mohammad Naceur Al Mannai after a chance goes begging. Chris Whiteoak / The National -
UAE manager Cosmin Olaroiu during the game against Qatar. Chris Whiteoak / The National -
Qatar's Mohammad Al Mannai is shown a yellow card by referee Ilgiz Tantashev. Reuters -
Qatar manager Julian Lopetegui is helped to his feet after being hit in the head by the ball. AFP -
The UAE team starting XI before the against Qatar. Chris Whiteoak / The National -
UAE players line up during the national anthems before the match. Chris Whiteoak / The National -
UAE fans before the game against Qatar. Chris Whiteoak / The National -
UAE fans before the game against Qatar. Chris Whiteoak / The National -
UAE fans outside the National Jassim Bin Hamed Stadium in Doha. Chris Whiteoak / The National -
UAE supporters at Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium in Doha. AFP -
UAE fans in the National Jassim Bin Hamed Stadium in Doha. Chris Whiteoak / The National -
UAE fan outside the National Jassim Bin Hamed Stadium in Doha. Chris Whiteoak / The National
They were given another bite at the cherry, but a 3-2 aggregate defeat to Iraq over two legs saw them miss out on entry to the intercontinental play-offs as well.
Iraq went on to beat Bolivia in that play-off final to qualify for a first World Cup in 40 years.
There has been much speculation that the UAE could replace Iran at the 2026 global finals if they pull out due to the ongoing war with the United States and Israel.
Olaroiu oversaw a disappointing Fifa Arab Cup campaign in December, in which the UAE finished fourth after losing to Saudi Arabia in the third-place play-off.
It proved to be his final game in charge.
