UAE vs Iraq Prediction, Line-ups, Injuries, How to watch and Team News

The United Arab Emirates hosts Iraq in the fourth round (Leg 1st) of the 2026 AFC World Cup qualification campaign at Mohammed Bin Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi on Thursday.

A spot in the World Cup 2026 Play-Off Tournament is on the line for two of the best Arab nations to keep their 2026 World Cup dream alive. Last month, the UAE were one step away from making history; however, Qatar handed them a heartbreaking 2-1 defeat to cement their second successive World Cup appearance. Boualem Khoukhi and Pedro Miguel scored for Qatar, while Sultan Adil earned a consolation goal for the Whites.

On the other hand, Iraq were held to a goalless draw by Saudi Arabia in their previous AFC World Cup qualification match. Despite having an equal number of points in four two matches, KSA – qualified due to more goals scored compared to Iraq. Both countries finished second on the table in the fourth round of the AFC World Cup qualifiers opened a door to an indirect qualification spot through the six-nation Play-Off Tournament to be held in March next year.

UAE's all-time top scorer Ali Mabkhout, with 85 international goals, will be a key figure for the hosts in this crucial match. For the guests, veteran custodian in goal and skipper Jalal Hassan is the ace, with just a single goal conceded in the last five matches across competitions. Now, we look at the UAE vs Iraq preview, and in the end, you can compare your match prediction to our UAE vs Iraq predicted lineups and prediction.

UAE vs Iraq Match Info

Match: UAE vs Iraq, 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier.

Stadium: Mohammed Bin Zayed Stadium.

Date: 13th Thursday, 2025.

Kick-Off Time: 02:00 PM UK.

UAE Team News

Cosmin Olaroiu coached the United Arab Emirates squad, which has a few major notable absences; their star playmaker, Omar Abdulrahman announced retirement at the age of 34. Fabio De Lima will also miss the call-up the after picking up an injury while playing for his club. However, the rest of the doubts should be able to recover in the time for recovery.

UAE Expected Lineup (4-2-2-2)

Goalkeeper: Abunada

Defenders: Al Ouwi, Miguel, Khoukhi, Al-Brake;

Midfielders: Hatem, Boudiaf; Madibo, Edmilson

Forwards: Afif, Ali

Iraq Team News

Meanwhile, the Iraqi national football team, led by Graham Arnold, will have a fully fit squad at his disposal ahead of this important World Cup qualification tie. The Australian tactician prefers a 4-4-2 formation that can convert into 4-2-3-1 in transition.

Iraq Expected Lineup

Goalkeeper: Hassan

Defenders: Ali, Younis, Sulaka, Doski

Midfielders: Bayesh, Iqbal, Al-Ammari, Rasan

Forwards: Karim, Ali

UAE vs Iraq Prediction

The recent results depict that the UAE vs Iraq showdown will lack a goal fest, as neither side has scored more than three goals in their last five matches. The hosts will be favourites, boasting home advantage against a challenging opposition who are above in terms of FIFA rankings. The Emiratis have only lost once in their last five matches, which came against the Qatar national football team, whereas Iraqis have lost twice and won as many matches in their recent five outings. But we are saying it will be an evenly matched contest and predict a draw.

Predicted Score: UAE 1-1 Iraq