UAE host Iraq in the World Cup Qualification Asia on 13 November 2025, Thursday. Get our free predictions, betting tips, odds insights, team form guide & H2H stats for this clash. This fixture is scheduled to kicks off at 16:00 UK Time.
The AFC fifth-round tie between the United Arab Emirates and Iraq begins in Abu Dhabi, where both nations look to take a vital first-leg advantage in their push for a place at the 2026 World Cup.
It is a meeting between a UAE side that has grown into a more expansive, attacking unit and an Iraqi team that remains one of the most disciplined defensive outfits in the region.
The two have crossed paths regularly in recent years, and while Iraq have often had the upper hand, the balance of play has shifted with the Emiratis showing sharper creativity and improved goal output on home soil.
Recent results highlight UAE’s growing confidence at the Mohammed bin Zayed Stadium. They have won three of their last five home qualifiers, scoring ten goals in that stretch, including emphatic wins over Qatar (5-0) and Kyrgyzstan (3-0).
Even in tighter contests, such as the 2-1 success against Oman in October, they showed the kind of composure and variety that were often missing in earlier campaigns.
Their attack has developed consistency, scoring in four of their last five competitive matches overall, while the only defeat in that period came away to Qatar by the same 2-1 scoreline.
At home, the side looks more fluid in possession, particularly when pushing full-backs higher to stretch play. That tactical approach has allowed them to dominate weaker opposition and stay competitive against stronger defences like Uzbekistan, against whom they drew 0-0 despite creating the better chances.
Iraq enter this play-off as a team built on structure and control rather than attacking flair. Their recent qualifying record underlines that point: only two goals conceded in their last five fixtures, but just three scored in the same period.
Clean sheets against Saudi Arabia and Jordan confirm their resilience, yet the lack of cutting edge has been equally clear, with both matches ending goalless or decided by narrow margins.
Away from home, Iraq remain difficult to break down, as shown by wins in Jordan and Oman by identical 1-0 scorelines. However, they tend to struggle when required to chase games, and defeats in South Korea (3-2) and Palestine (2-1) exposed a recurring issue in transitions.
Their forward line still depends heavily on counter-attacking openings rather than sustained possession, which could be a challenge against a UAE team that controls tempo effectively at home.
Given both sides’ current profiles, UAE to win at 2.05 odds stands out as the best value. The hosts have become more incisive in front of goal and have a strong record in Abu Dhabi, while Iraq’s cautious setup could limit their attacking influence in the first leg.
Both teams to score at 2.25 odds is another realistic angle. Iraq may not create consistently, but they have managed to find a goal in three of their last four away qualifiers, and UAE’s high full-backs can leave space on the break.
For a scoreline outlook, a 2-1 UAE win at 10.00 odds fits the pattern of their recent home victories. It reflects the balance between UAE’s offensive momentum and Iraq’s stubborn resistance, likely leaving the tie open heading into the return leg in Basra.
| UAE | Iraq | |
|---|---|---|
| Game Played | 19 | 19 |
| Wins | 10 | 11 |
| Draws | 5 | 5 |
| Loss | 4 | 3 |
| Goals For | 35 | 28 |
| Goals Against | 14 | 12 |
| UAE | Iraq | |
|---|---|---|
| Game Played | 10 | 10 |
| Wins | 5 | 5 |
| Draws | 4 | 3 |
| Loss | 1 | 2 |
| Goals For | 19 | 14 |
| Goals Against | 6 | 6 |
|
13.11.25
|
UAE Iraq |
1-1 |
|
14.10.25
|
Qatar UAE |
2-1 |
|
11.10.25
|
UAE Oman |
2-1 |
|
08.09.25
|
UAE Bahrain |
1-0 |
|
04.09.25
|
UAE Syria |
3-1 |
|
10.06.25
|
Kyrgyzstan UAE |
1-1 |
|
05.06.25
|
UAE Uzbekistan |
0-0 |
|
25.03.25
|
North Korea UAE |
1-2 |
|
20.03.25
|
Iran UAE |
2-0 |
|
27.12.24
|
UAE Oman |
1-1 |
|
24.12.24
|
UAE Kuwait |
1-2 |
|
21.12.24
|
Qatar UAE |
1-1 |
|
19.11.24
|
UAE Qatar |
5-0 |
|
14.11.24
|
UAE Kyrgyzstan |
3-0 |
|
15.10.24
|
Uzbekistan UAE |
1-0 |
|
10.10.24
|
UAE North Korea |
1-1 |
|
10.09.24
|
UAE Iran |
0-1 |
|
05.09.24
|
Qatar UAE |
1-3 |
|
11.06.24
|
UAE Bahrain |
1-1 |
|
06.06.24
|
Nepal UAE |
0-4 |
|
26.03.24
|
Yemen UAE |
0-3 |
|
21.03.24
|
UAE Yemen |
2-1 |
|
28.01.24
|
Tajikistan UAE (Penalties:5 - 3) |
1-1 |
|
23.01.24
|
Iran UAE |
2-1 |
|
18.01.24
|
Palestine UAE |
1-1 |
|
14.01.24
|
UAE Hong Kong |
3-1 |
|
06.01.24
|
UAE Oman |
0-1 |
|
30.12.23
|
UAE Kyrgyzstan |
1-0 |
|
21.11.23
|
Bahrain UAE |
0-2 |
|
16.11.23
|
UAE Nepal |
4-0 |
|
17.10.23
|
UAE Lebanon |
2-1 |
|
12.10.23
|
UAE Kuwait |
1-0 |
|
12.09.23
|
Costa Rica UAE |
1-4 |
|
28.03.23
|
UAE Thailand |
2-0 |
|
25.03.23
|
UAE Tajikistan |
0-0 |
|
13.01.23
|
Qatar UAE |
1-1 |
|
10.01.23
|
UAE Kuwait |
0-1 |
|
07.01.23
|
Bahrain UAE |
2-1 |
|
30.12.22
|
UAE Lebanon |
1-0 |
|
19.11.22
|
UAE Kazakhstan |
2-1 |
|
16.11.22
|
UAE Argentina |
0-5 |
|
27.09.22
|
UAE Venezuela |
0-4 |
|
23.09.22
|
Paraguay UAE |
1-0 |
|
07.06.22
|
UAE Australia |
1-2 |
|
29.05.22
|
UAE Gambia |
1-1 |
|
29.03.22
|
UAE South Korea |
1-0 |
|
24.03.22
|
Iraq UAE |
1-0 |
|
01.02.22
|
Iran UAE |
1-0 |
|
27.01.22
|
UAE Syria |
2-0 |
|
10.12.21
|
Qatar UAE |
5-0 |
|
13.11.25
|
UAE Iraq |
1-1 |
|
11.10.25
|
UAE Oman |
2-1 |
|
08.09.25
|
UAE Bahrain |
1-0 |
|
04.09.25
|
UAE Syria |
3-1 |
|
05.06.25
|
UAE Uzbekistan |
0-0 |
|
27.12.24
|
UAE Oman |
1-1 |
|
24.12.24
|
UAE Kuwait |
1-2 |
|
19.11.24
|
UAE Qatar |
5-0 |
|
14.11.24
|
UAE Kyrgyzstan |
3-0 |
|
10.10.24
|
UAE North Korea |
1-1 |
|
10.09.24
|
UAE Iran |
0-1 |
|
11.06.24
|
UAE Bahrain |
1-1 |
|
21.03.24
|
UAE Yemen |
2-1 |
|
14.01.24
|
UAE Hong Kong |
3-1 |
|
06.01.24
|
UAE Oman |
0-1 |
|
30.12.23
|
UAE Kyrgyzstan |
1-0 |
|
16.11.23
|
UAE Nepal |
4-0 |
|
17.10.23
|
UAE Lebanon |
2-1 |
|
12.10.23
|
UAE Kuwait |
1-0 |
|
28.03.23
|
UAE Thailand |
2-0 |
|
25.03.23
|
UAE Tajikistan |
0-0 |
|
10.01.23
|
UAE Kuwait |
0-1 |
|
30.12.22
|
UAE Lebanon |
1-0 |
|
19.11.22
|
UAE Kazakhstan |
2-1 |
|
16.11.22
|
UAE Argentina |
0-5 |
|
27.09.22
|
UAE Venezuela |
0-4 |
|
07.06.22
|
UAE Australia |
1-2 |
|
29.05.22
|
UAE Gambia |
1-1 |
|
29.03.22
|
UAE South Korea |
1-0 |
|
27.01.22
|
UAE Syria |
2-0 |
|
30.11.21
|
UAE Syria |
2-1 |
|
12.10.21
|
UAE Iraq |
2-2 |
|
07.10.21
|
UAE Iran |
0-1 |
|
02.09.21
|
UAE Lebanon |
0-0 |
|
15.06.21
|
UAE Vietnam |
3-2 |
|
07.06.21
|
UAE Thailand |
3-1 |
|
03.06.21
|
UAE Malaysia |
4-0 |
|
29.03.21
|
UAE India |
6-0 |
|
12.01.21
|
UAE Iraq |
0-0 |
|
16.11.20
|
UAE Bahrain |
1-3 |
|
12.11.20
|
UAE Tajikistan |
3-2 |
|
12.10.20
|
UAE Uzbekistan |
1-2 |
|
29.11.19
|
UAE Iraq |
0-2 |
|
26.11.19
|
UAE Yemen |
3-0 |
|
10.10.19
|
UAE Indonesia |
5-0 |
|
31.08.19
|
UAE Sri Lanka |
5-1 |
|
26.03.19
|
UAE Syria |
0-0 |
|
25.01.19
|
UAE Australia |
1-0 |
|
21.01.19
|
UAE Kyrgyzstan |
3-2 |
|
20.11.18
|
UAE Yemen |
2-0 |
|
14.10.25
|
Qatar UAE |
2-1 |
|
10.06.25
|
Kyrgyzstan UAE |
1-1 |
|
25.03.25
|
North Korea UAE |
1-2 |
|
20.03.25
|
Iran UAE |
2-0 |
|
21.12.24
|
Qatar UAE |
1-1 |
|
15.10.24
|
Uzbekistan UAE |
1-0 |
|
05.09.24
|
Qatar UAE |
1-3 |
|
06.06.24
|
Nepal UAE |
0-4 |
|
26.03.24
|
Yemen UAE |
0-3 |
|
28.01.24
|
Tajikistan UAE (Penalties:5 - 3) |
1-1 |
|
23.01.24
|
Iran UAE |
2-1 |
|
18.01.24
|
Palestine UAE |
1-1 |
|
21.11.23
|
Bahrain UAE |
0-2 |
|
12.09.23
|
Costa Rica UAE |
1-4 |
|
13.01.23
|
Qatar UAE |
1-1 |
|
07.01.23
|
Bahrain UAE |
2-1 |
|
23.09.22
|
Paraguay UAE |
1-0 |
|
24.03.22
|
Iraq UAE |
1-0 |
|
01.02.22
|
Iran UAE |
1-0 |
|
10.12.21
|
Qatar UAE |
5-0 |
|
06.12.21
|
Tunisia UAE |
1-0 |
|
03.12.21
|
Mauritania UAE |
0-1 |
|
16.11.21
|
Lebanon UAE |
0-1 |
|
11.11.21
|
South Korea UAE |
1-0 |
|
07.09.21
|
Syria UAE |
1-1 |
|
11.06.21
|
Indonesia UAE |
0-5 |
|
24.05.21
|
Jordan UAE |
1-5 |
|
02.12.19
|
Qatar UAE |
4-2 |
|
14.11.19
|
Vietnam UAE |
1-0 |
|
15.10.19
|
Thailand UAE |
2-1 |
|
10.09.19
|
Malaysia UAE |
1-2 |
|
30.08.19
|
Dominican Republic UAE |
0-4 |
|
10.01.19
|
India UAE |
0-2 |
|
06.09.18
|
Trinidad and Tobago UAE |
2-0 |
|
13.11.25
|
UAE Iraq |
1-1 |
|
14.10.25
|
Saudi Arabia Iraq |
0-0 |
|
11.10.25
|
Iraq Indonesia |
1-0 |
|
07.09.25
|
Thailand Iraq |
0-1 |
|
04.09.25
|
Iraq Hong Kong |
2-1 |
|
10.06.25
|
Jordan Iraq |
0-1 |
|
05.06.25
|
Iraq South Korea |
0-2 |
|
25.03.25
|
Palestine Iraq |
2-1 |
|
20.03.25
|
Iraq Kuwait |
2-2 |
|
28.12.24
|
Iraq Saudi Arabia |
1-3 |
|
25.12.24
|
Bahrain Iraq |
2-0 |
|
22.12.24
|
Iraq Yemen |
1-0 |
|
19.11.24
|
Oman Iraq |
0-1 |
|
14.11.24
|
Iraq Jordan |
0-0 |
|
15.10.24
|
South Korea Iraq |
3-2 |
|
10.10.24
|
Iraq Palestine |
1-0 |
|
10.09.24
|
Kuwait Iraq |
0-0 |
|
05.09.24
|
Iraq Oman |
1-0 |
|
11.06.24
|
Iraq Vietnam |
3-1 |
|
06.06.24
|
Indonesia Iraq |
0-2 |
|
26.03.24
|
Philippines Iraq |
0-5 |
|
21.03.24
|
Iraq Philippines |
1-0 |
|
29.01.24
|
Iraq Jordan |
2-3 |
|
24.01.24
|
Iraq Vietnam |
3-2 |
|
19.01.24
|
Iraq Japan |
2-1 |
|
15.01.24
|
Indonesia Iraq |
1-3 |
|
06.01.24
|
Iraq South Korea |
0-1 |
|
21.11.23
|
Vietnam Iraq |
0-1 |
|
16.11.23
|
Iraq Indonesia |
5-1 |
|
17.10.23
|
Iraq Jordan (Penalties:1 - 0) |
2-2 |
|
13.10.23
|
Qatar Iraq (Penalties:6 - 5) |
0-0 |
|
10.09.23
|
Thailand Iraq (Penalties:4 - 5) |
2-2 |
|
07.09.23
|
Iraq India (Penalties:5 - 4) |
2-2 |
|
16.06.23
|
Colombia Iraq |
1-0 |
|
26.03.23
|
Russia Iraq |
2-0 |
|
19.01.23
|
Iraq Oman |
3-2 |
|
16.01.23
|
Iraq Qatar |
2-1 |
|
12.01.23
|
Iraq Yemen |
5-0 |
|
09.01.23
|
Saudi Arabia Iraq |
0-2 |
|
06.01.23
|
Iraq Oman |
0-0 |
|
30.12.22
|
Iraq Kuwait |
1-0 |
|
12.11.22
|
Ecuador Iraq |
0-0 |
|
09.11.22
|
Mexico Iraq |
4-0 |
|
26.09.22
|
Syria Iraq |
0-1 |
|
23.09.22
|
Iraq Oman (Penalties:0 - 1) |
1-1 |
|
29.03.22
|
Syria Iraq |
1-1 |
|
24.03.22
|
Iraq UAE |
1-0 |
|
18.03.22
|
Iraq Zambia |
3-1 |
|
01.02.22
|
Lebanon Iraq |
1-1 |
|
27.01.22
|
Iran Iraq |
1-0 |
|
11.10.25
|
Iraq Indonesia |
1-0 |
|
04.09.25
|
Iraq Hong Kong |
2-1 |
|
05.06.25
|
Iraq South Korea |
0-2 |
|
20.03.25
|
Iraq Kuwait |
2-2 |
|
28.12.24
|
Iraq Saudi Arabia |
1-3 |
|
22.12.24
|
Iraq Yemen |
1-0 |
|
14.11.24
|
Iraq Jordan |
0-0 |
|
10.10.24
|
Iraq Palestine |
1-0 |
|
05.09.24
|
Iraq Oman |
1-0 |
|
11.06.24
|
Iraq Vietnam |
3-1 |
|
21.03.24
|
Iraq Philippines |
1-0 |
|
29.01.24
|
Iraq Jordan |
2-3 |
|
24.01.24
|
Iraq Vietnam |
3-2 |
|
19.01.24
|
Iraq Japan |
2-1 |
|
06.01.24
|
Iraq South Korea |
0-1 |
|
16.11.23
|
Iraq Indonesia |
5-1 |
|
17.10.23
|
Iraq Jordan (Penalties:1 - 0) |
2-2 |
|
07.09.23
|
Iraq India (Penalties:5 - 4) |
2-2 |
|
19.01.23
|
Iraq Oman |
3-2 |
|
16.01.23
|
Iraq Qatar |
2-1 |
|
12.01.23
|
Iraq Yemen |
5-0 |
|
06.01.23
|
Iraq Oman |
0-0 |
|
30.12.22
|
Iraq Kuwait |
1-0 |
|
23.09.22
|
Iraq Oman (Penalties:0 - 1) |
1-1 |
|
24.03.22
|
Iraq UAE |
1-0 |
|
18.03.22
|
Iraq Zambia |
3-1 |
|
21.01.22
|
Iraq Uganda |
1-0 |
|
30.11.21
|
Iraq Oman |
1-1 |
|
16.11.21
|
Iraq South Korea |
0-3 |
|
11.11.21
|
Iraq Syria |
1-1 |
|
07.10.21
|
Iraq Lebanon |
0-0 |
|
07.09.21
|
Iraq Iran |
0-3 |
|
07.06.21
|
Iraq Cambodia |
4-1 |
|
29.05.21
|
Iraq Nepal |
6-2 |
|
24.05.21
|
Iraq Tajikistan |
0-0 |
|
27.01.21
|
Iraq Kuwait |
2-1 |
|
05.12.19
|
Iraq Bahrain (Penalties:3 - 5) |
2-2 |
|
14.11.19
|
Iraq Iran |
2-1 |
|
10.10.19
|
Iraq Hong Kong |
2-0 |
|
26.03.19
|
Iraq Jordan |
3-2 |
|
20.03.19
|
Iraq Syria |
1-0 |
|
28.12.18
|
Iraq Palestine |
1-0 |
|
20.11.18
|
Iraq Bolivia |
0-0 |
|
08.05.18
|
Iraq Palestine |
0-0 |
|
29.12.17
|
Iraq Yemen |
3-0 |
|
13.11.25
|
UAE Iraq |
1-1 |
|
14.10.25
|
Saudi Arabia Iraq |
0-0 |
|
07.09.25
|
Thailand Iraq |
0-1 |
|
10.06.25
|
Jordan Iraq |
0-1 |
|
25.03.25
|
Palestine Iraq |
2-1 |
|
25.12.24
|
Bahrain Iraq |
2-0 |
|
19.11.24
|
Oman Iraq |
0-1 |
|
15.10.24
|
South Korea Iraq |
3-2 |
|
10.09.24
|
Kuwait Iraq |
0-0 |
|
06.06.24
|
Indonesia Iraq |
0-2 |
|
26.03.24
|
Philippines Iraq |
0-5 |
|
15.01.24
|
Indonesia Iraq |
1-3 |
|
21.11.23
|
Vietnam Iraq |
0-1 |
|
13.10.23
|
Qatar Iraq (Penalties:6 - 5) |
0-0 |
|
10.09.23
|
Thailand Iraq (Penalties:4 - 5) |
2-2 |
|
16.06.23
|
Colombia Iraq |
1-0 |
|
26.03.23
|
Russia Iraq |
2-0 |
|
09.01.23
|
Saudi Arabia Iraq |
0-2 |
|
12.11.22
|
Ecuador Iraq |
0-0 |
|
09.11.22
|
Mexico Iraq |
4-0 |
|
26.09.22
|
Syria Iraq |
0-1 |
|
29.03.22
|
Syria Iraq |
1-1 |
|
01.02.22
|
Lebanon Iraq |
1-1 |
|
27.01.22
|
Iran Iraq |
1-0 |
|
06.12.21
|
Qatar Iraq |
3-0 |
|
03.12.21
|
Bahrain Iraq |
0-0 |
|
12.10.21
|
UAE Iraq |
2-2 |
|
02.09.21
|
South Korea Iraq |
0-0 |
|
15.06.21
|
Iran Iraq |
1-0 |
|
11.06.21
|
Hong Kong Iraq |
0-1 |
|
29.03.21
|
Uzbekistan Iraq |
0-1 |
|
12.01.21
|
UAE Iraq |
0-0 |
|
17.11.20
|
Uzbekistan Iraq |
1-2 |
|
12.11.20
|
Jordan Iraq |
0-0 |
|
02.12.19
|
Yemen Iraq |
0-0 |
|
29.11.19
|
UAE Iraq |
0-2 |
|
09.09.19
|
Uzbekistan Iraq |
0-0 |
|
16.01.19
|
Iran Iraq |
0-0 |
|
12.01.19
|
Yemen Iraq |
0-3 |
|
04.08.18
|
Palestine Iraq |
0-3 |
|
17.11.15
|
Taiwan Iraq |
0-2 |
|
13.11.2025
|
UAE Iraq |
1-1
|
|
24.03.2022
|
Iraq UAE |
1-0
|
|
12.10.2021
|
UAE Iraq |
2-2
|
|
12.01.2021
|
UAE Iraq |
0-0
|
|
29.11.2019
|
UAE Iraq |
0-2
|
|
13.11.2025
|
UAE Iraq |
1-1
|
|
12.10.2021
|
UAE Iraq |
2-2
|
|
12.01.2021
|
UAE Iraq |
0-0
|
|
29.11.2019
|
UAE Iraq |
0-2
|
|
15.11.2016
|
UAE Iraq |
2-0
|
|
15.01.2011
|
UAE Iraq |
0-1
|