Football fever is at an all-time high ahead of UAE's match with Oman , as fans pin the 'dream of a nation' on the Whites, the national team of the Emirates.

With the match set to be held in Doha, a flurry of freebies were announced, including plane seats and roaming dat . Royals and sporting clubs alike joined in, sponsoring private planes to fly fans to Qatar.

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After tickets sold out for the Oman match, the UAE football association announced venues where fans can watch the match for free through giant screens:

• Radisson Blu Hotel (Joana Hall)

• Sheraton Hotel (Majlis Hall)

The halls will open to the public at 6.15pm, the association said. As the anticipation of the sporting event spread across Doha, UAE fans waved flags, sang patriotic songs, and cheered out loud for their favourites. Read this Khaleej Times report to watch the video , and experience the thrilling atmosphere.

As the UAE gears up for today's crunch 2026 Fifa World Cup qualifying match against Oman , which will kick off at 9.15 pm UAE Time, a nation is holding its breath.

Since their maiden appearance at Italia 1990 in which they bowed out of the group stages, UAE now has a big chance of ending their 35-year wait for a World Cup appearance.

The UAE will play Oman tonight before taking on Qatar in their last game on October 14. The top team in this group will earn a direct berth at next year's World Cup, which will be held in the US, Canada and Mexico.

The runner-up of this group will then take on the runner-up of Group B featuring Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Indonesia to earn a slot in the inter-confederation playoffs, the final round of qualifiers for the World Cup.

To avoid the complicated fifth round of qualifiers, the UAE will aim to take the top position in the fourth round of qualifiers by winning their matches against Oman (October 11) and Qatar (October 14).

(With inputs from Rituraj Borkakoty)

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