Addy Dports > Football > The UAE missed out on qualifying for the World Cup, and the Football Association came under fire for blessing the controversial Qatar and Saudi Arabia.

The UAE missed out on qualifying for the World Cup, and the Football Association came under fire for blessing the controversial Qatar and Saudi Arabia.

Football

The UAE team, which aims to enter the World Cup for the first time in 36 years, ranked second in Group A of the Asian qualifying play-offs for the 2026 US-Canada-Mexico World Cup, and had to compete with Iraq in a decisive battle to qualify for the intercontinental play-offs.

The UAE team ranked second in Group A with 1 win and 1 loss in the play-offs.

In the final round of the play-offs, the UAE team faced Qatar. Even if the UAE team draws in this game, they can guarantee a ticket to the World Cup. In addition, they defeated this opponent 3-1, 5-0, and a total score of 8-1 in the final qualifying stage. Therefore, the public's expectations for the realization of their long-cherished wish are extremely high. However, the team lost 1-2 and was deprived of the right to qualify by Qatar.

Amid national disappointment and harsh criticism, the UAE Football Association posted a post on its official Instagram congratulating Qatar and Saudi Arabia (Group B) who won the right to qualify for the World Cup in the play-offs. This in itself is a noble act of respecting an opponent, but the post seemed to spark even more outrage from fans. Because Qatar and Saudi Arabia have not only obtained the right to host (events) in their own countries, but also have an absolute advantage in scheduling, supporters of the other four countries have already complained about "receiving special treatment."

Saudi Arabia (top) and Qatar (bottom) won tickets to the 2026 Men's Football World Cup through the play-offs.

"Are you kidding?"

"Are you indifferent to this farce?"

"Demand for a rematch"

"Do you support them?"

"Be aware of your shame."

"Are you afraid of Qatar and Saudi Arabia? Rab?"

"Enough is enough. This is our Football Association"

"Stand up and speak out."

Some media said after the game that the Middle Eastern powerhouse UAE team, which had defeated its opponent "8-1", lost to the same opponent and missed the right to qualify for the World Cup. The Football Association came under fire for blessing Qatar and Saudi Arabia, which have suffered from "special schedule" controversies. It seems that many fans still find it difficult to accept this result. In the final qualifying play-offs for the Asian region of the 2026 US-Canada-Mexico World Cup held from October 8 to 14, as expected before the game, Qatar in Group A and Saudi Arabia in Group B won the first place in the group and successfully advanced to the finals. But the result appears to have sparked criticism from other countries. The reason is that Group A is hosted by Qatar and Group B is hosted by Saudi Arabia, and they also have an overwhelming advantage in schedule-both countries enjoy five days of rest, while the other four countries are forced to face an intensive schedule that is only two days apart. Before the game, there was a view that the Asian Football Confederation might have made arrangements that were beneficial to the two countries with strong financial resources.

Related Posts

Links