For UAE, the Gulf Cup 2026 was a major step forward under Zlatko Dalic. The man who took Croatia to a World Cup final and made them a dangerous side only joined UAE after the FIFA World Cup this summer.
His side looked good moving forward and had a composed demeanour at the back. The group stages were evidence of how well the team has reacted to Dalic’s ideas. They won their first two games by a scoreline of 3-0, before conceding in the 1-1 draw against recent defending Asian champions Qatar.
Their defence was astute in a tight 1-0 win over Oman in the semis, and you can already see how this team could go far under their Croatian coach. But they once again came unstuck against Saudi Arabia in the final. Two quick-fire goals by the hosts condemned Al-Abyad to yet another painful defeat at the hands of their rivals in the tournament.
This defeat means UAE have never beaten Saudi Arabia when the Gulf Cup is held in Saudi; a run now stretches to five games, going back to 1972, when the two sides met for the first time in the competition.
Gulf Cup 1972: Saudi Arabia 4-0 UAE
The first meeting between the two sides in the competition took place in 1972. UAE were making their debut and were the obvious underdogs heading into the contest.
It took only two minutes for the hosts to showcase the gulf in class, with Saeed Ghorab scoring in the second minute. Alnoor Musa added a second in the 39th minute to extend their lead. Ghorab then scored again at the hour mark, and Musa made it 4-0 from a penalty in the 73rd minute.
UAE had started the tournament with an impressive 1-0 win over Qatar, but the game against Saudi showed they had a long way to go. Saudi, meanwhile, finished second in the five-team tournament and were pipped to the title by Kuwait on goal difference.
Gulf Cup 1988: Saudi Arabia 2-2 UAE
UAE were no longer pushovers by the time the Gulf Cup came back to the Saudi peninsula in 1988. They had beaten Bahrain and Kuwait before a respectable draw against Iraq. Hence, they headed into the game against Saudi brimming with confidence and made a bright start.
The newly built King Fahd International Stadium in Riyadh was stunned into silence by Zuhair Bakheet. The striker put his side ahead from a rebound in the 38th minute and scored again minutes later.
The home side found a lifeline when Abdullah Ghurab halved the deficit from a header just over the hour mark. With the momentum firmly with the Saudis, UAE’s hearts were broken with four minutes of normal time left. Majed Abdullah’s header past Abdulqadar Hassan levelled the game. The outcome proved to be decisive.
Despite beating Oman in their final game, The Whites lost the title to Iraq, who finished two points ahead of them in the table.
Gulf Cup 2002: Saudi Arabia 1-0 UAE
Saudi Arabia were expected to do well when they hosted the tournament again in 2002. However, they began with a 1-1 draw against Kuwait, while UAE registered a 1-0 win over Oman in their opening game. But the fortunes of both sides turned out to be vastly different by the time the competition concluded.
Saudi racked up a win against Bahrain in their next game, and UAE suffered a tame defeat to Qatar. The stage was then set for a meeting between the two rivals. The game was settled by a third-minute goal by Abdullah Al-Dosari, as the hosts ran out 1-0 winners.
The Green Falcons won their next two games to clinch the title, and UAE suffered back-to-back defeats to finish bottom of the table.
Gulf Cup 2014: Saudi Arabia 3-2 UAE
The 2014 edition of the Gulf Cup hosted by Saudi Arabia served up the most thrilling game between the two sides. The stakes were also high as they competed in the semi-finals of the tournament.
Saudi raced into a 2-0 lead in the space of three minutes in the first half. Goals by Naseer Al-Shamrani and Nawaf Al-Abed had put them comfortably ahead by the 22nd minute. But Al-Abyad came out with a purpose in the second half.
Ahmed Khalil scored from a header in the 53rd minute before netting again with just a little over 10 minutes left on the clock. Suddenly, UAE had the hosts on the ropes, but a heartbreak awaited them.
Salem Al Dawsari unleashed a stunning left-footed strike from just inside the box with only four minutes of normal time left. The goal proved to be the difference as Saudi won a pulsating match to book a place in the final.
However, they were beaten by Qatar for the title, and UAE finished third after a play-off win over Oman.
READ MORE: Gulf Cup 2026 final: Quick-fire goals power Saudi Arabia to fourth title at UAE’s expense
