Jeddah: Croatian coach Zlatko Dalic has announced a 26-man squad for the UAE national team to compete in the 27th Gulf Cup, scheduled to take place in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, from September 23 to October 6. The UAE, champions in 2007 and 2013, will play in Group B alongside Qatar, Bahrain, and Yemen.

According to National Iraqi News Agency, Dalic, who led Croatia to the runner-up position at the 2018 World Cup and third place at the 2022 edition, took over as UAE coach in August, replacing Romanian Cosmin Olaroiu. Therefore, his first squad contained few surprises and retained most of the players who participated in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers.

The squad is as follows:

Goalkeepers: Khalid Eisa (Al Ain), Hamad Al Muqbali (Shabab Al Ahli), Fahad Al Dhanhani (Baniyas).

Defense: Zayed Al Ameri (Al Nasr), Khalifa Al Hammadi, Ruben Felipe, and Marcos Meloni (Al Jazira), Alaa El Din Zahir and Lucas Peneta (Al Wahda), Sasha Ivkovic (Al Wasl), Eric Menezes (Al Ain), Khalid Al Dhanhani (Al Sharjah).

Midfield: Luan Pereira and Hareb Abdullah (Al Sharjah), Abdullah Hamad (Al Wahda), Mamadou Coulibaly (Al Jazira), Essam Fayez (Al Nasr), Fabio Lima and Nicolas Jimenez (Al Wasl).

Attack: Bruno Oliveira (Al Jazira), Ali Saleh (Al Wasl), Yuri Cesar, Bala Guilherme, and Sultan Adil (Shabab Al Ahli), Richard Akonnor (G¶ztepe, Turkey), Ousmane Camara (Al Sharjah).