The UAE Football Federation has just announced the appointment of Mr. Zlatko Dalic as head coach of the national team. The Croatian strategist will lead the UAE at the 2027 Asian Cup and aim for the 2030 World Cup qualifiers.
Notably, Dalic has just closed his 9-year journey leading the Croatian national team. During this period, he made a big impression when he helped Croatia win the runner-up title at the 2018 World Cup in Russia and finished third at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
At the 2026 World Cup, Croatia stopped in the round of 32 after a 1-2 defeat to Portugal. This match also closed Dalic's term as head coach of the Croatian national team.
For nearly a decade, Dalic has been considered an important contributor to building Croatia into a team with identity and competitiveness in big competitions. He has worked with many stars such as Luka Modric, Ivan Perisic or Mario Mandzukic during the successful period of Croatian football.
Moving to lead the UAE is also not a completely new challenge for Dalic. Before becoming the coach of the Croatian national team, he worked in the UAE in the Al Ain shirt and helped this team win the national championship in 2015.
UAE is in Group E with Vietnam, South Korea and Yemen at the 2027 Asian Cup. Yemen won the last spot in the group after defeating Lebanon 2-0 in the last match of the qualifiers.
According to the schedule, the 2027 Asian Cup takes place in Saudi Arabia from January 7 to February 5, 2027. The Vietnamese team will face the UAE right in the opening match of Group E on January 10, before meeting South Korea and Yemen.
With the UAE appointing a coach who once led the team to the World Cup final, the confrontation with Vietnam promises to have more noteworthy factors. Dalic not only has experience in the international arena but also understands UAE football after working at Al Ain.
Meanwhile, the Vietnamese team is being led by coach Kim Sang-sik. The UAE's change on the coaching bench before the 2027 Asian Cup makes the competition in Group E more noteworthy, especially when UAE is considered one of Vietnam's direct opponents for the goal of passing the group stage.
