Zlatko Dalic has urged his UAE players to enjoy the challenge when they face hosts Saudi Arabia in the Arabian Gulf Cup final.
The Croatian coach has enjoyed a fine start since taking over the national team at the start of this season.
The Gulf Cup is his first assignment. His side have played with great panache in progressing to the final, scoring nine goals in four games to this point, and conceding just once.
They will face a significant step up in terms of the standard of opposition in Tuesday night’s title-decider. Saudi Arabia are the highest ranked side in the eight-team competition, with the UAE giving away 10 places in the Fifa standings.
Over the course of history, the UAE have won just seven matches against their neighbour, to 23 won by Saudi Arabia. They will also be backed by a vociferous home support at the 62,000-capacity King Abdullah Sports City Stadium in Jeddah.
Despite that, Dalic insists the game will be the “easiest” for his players to prepare for in the competition, simply because they know what is at stake.
“Tomorrow will be the easiest game for us because it is a final,” Dalic said. “We have reached the final and I want my team to enjoy the game. We are here to enjoy playing, and I hope the fans will get to see an amazing game.
“I know we will play against a very, very strong team who have been the best team so far in the tournament. They are playing in front of their people, their fans, and it will be a full stadium, but we are ready.
“We are ready for this moment. We have been working hard for the past 20 days. Saudi Arabia are a really good team, with a really good coach, but, as always, I am an optimist and I believe in my team.”
The UAE have won the biennial competition just twice before. They beat Oman in the final on home soil in Abu Dhabi in 2007, and claimed a second title six years later when they beat Iraq in Bahrain.
Dalic’s remit is broader than the narrow confines of a tournament whose prize is essentially local bragging rights. He was brought in to help the UAE challenge for the Asian Cup, which will also be held in Saudi Arabia at the start of next year.
Beyond that is the hope he can build a side that will be capable of qualifying for the World Cup for the first time since 1990.
That said, a Gulf Cup title would be a huge boost so early in his tenure, especially given how difficult they have proved to win for the national team in the past.
“I’ll give everything I have for the UAE national team,” Dalic said. “I hope to begin my journey here by winning this title.”
While they will clearly be outnumbered in Jeddah, the UAE will still have a sizeable presence in the stands for the final.
The UAE Football Association initially laid on six planes to transport supporters from the Emirates to Jeddah. They subsequently doubled the number of flights to 12, such was the appetite from supporters.
UAE beat Yemen in Gulf Cup – in pictures
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Nicolas Gimenez celebrates scoring UAE's first goal in their 4-0 Arabian Gulf Cup win over Yemen at King Abdullah Sports City Stadium in Jeddah, on September 24, 2026. Reuters -
UAE's Bruno battles for the ball with Osama Anbar of Yemen. Reuters -
UAE's Luan Pereira celebrates with teammates after making it 3-0. Reuters -
UAE's Yuri Cesar under pressure from Rami Al Wasmani of Yemen. Reuters -
UAE's Luan Pereira celebrates with Marcus Meloni after Yemen's Nader Sahal scored an own-goal. Reuters -
UAE fans at the King Abdullah Sports City Stadium in Jeddah. Reuters -
UAE players celebrate after Yemen's Nader Sahal scored an own-goal to make it 2-0 in Jeddah. Reuters -
Fans inside the King Abdullah Sports City Stadium in Jeddah. Reuters
They have also underwritten the price of tickets for the game, with around 6,000 UAE supporters expected to be present – so around a 10th of the stadium.
Dalic and Khalid Essa, the UAE captain, both praised the role the supporters have played in the team’s progress to this point, with Essa terming them the side's “prime motivator”.
Essa said his side are aware of the challenge facing them, but he is confident they will be better off for the string of near-misses they have had in big matches of late.
“We expect a tough match as it’s a big derby between two of the Gulf’s most established national teams,” Essa said.
“We’ve been through many challenges in recent times and came close on previous occasions, so we hope this will be the moment we reap the rewards.”
