Having endured a heartbreaking defeat to Qatar last month, the UAE are back on the pitch, determined to keep their 2026 Fifa World Cup hopes alive.

Needing only a draw to end their 35-year drought for a World Cup appearance, the UAE slumped to a 2-1 loss in a gruelling battle in Doha.

Now the Whites will hope to bounce back in style when they take on Iraq in the first leg of the fifth round playoff at Mohammed Bin Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi on Thursday (8 pm) with the return leg taking place at Basra International Stadium in Iraq on November 18.

The winner of the two-legged playoff will advance to the six-team intercontinental qualifying tournament scheduled for March in Mexico.

The top two teams from the intercontinental event will book the final two slots in the World Cup.

Cosmin Olaroiu, the UAE head coach, is aware of the tricky challenge ahead as his men prepare for the complicated qualifying battle.

But the Romanian's first challenge is to motivate the players for Thursday's first clash against Iraq in Abu Dhabi.

“It's not easy to pass this moment after the Qatar game. Actually, for me, it was terrible, but I have more experience than the players in this life,” Olaroiu said.

“I have dealt with these kinds of moments, and I was telling them that the best teacher that we have in this life is pain.

“The pain that we felt after that game (against Qatar), that should teach us not to feel this again. That's why we have to do the best and the maximum that we can to not feel the pain again.”

Fabio Lima's injury was a big blow for the UAE, but Olaroiu can still bank on quality players such as Ali Saleh, Sultan Adil and Caio Lucas.

The team will also bank on the passionate support of home fans at Mohammed Bin Zayed Stadium, which could lift their spirits when they step on the field for the crunch game on Thursday.

“We use everything to motivate our players. We're talking about the pressure. Pressure is when you have something very important to defend,” Olaroiu said.

“If you don't have this, you don't care, and you don't have pressure. But when you have pressure, this means you feel that you have something important to defend. And this is what we have to feel to pass this [play-off] round. We have to deal with this.”

The UAE fans will hope that Olaroiu's men can deal with the intense pressure of a World Cup playoff to keep the dream alive.

MENAFN12112025000049011007ID1110334713