Croatian coach Zlatko Dalić has been appointed as the new head coach of the United Arab Emirates national football team, replacing Romanian manager Cosmin Olăroiu, a source within the UAE Football Association told Agence France-Presse.
The source confirmed to AFP that the UAE Football Association has reached an agreement with Dalić, who resigned from his position as Croatia’s head coach in July following their exit from the World Cup in the Round of 32 against Portugal (2–1). “A press conference will be held in the coming hours to officially announce the appointment,” the source added.
Dalić, 59, returns to coaching in the UAE after previously leading Al Ain from 2014 to 2017, a spell during which he won both the league and domestic cup titles, in addition to reaching the AFC Champions League final in 2016.
The most successful coach in Croatia’s history will replace Olăroiu, who was dismissed in May—one year before the end of his contract—after failing to guide the UAE to the 2026 World Cup.
The UAE Football Association paved the way for Dalić’s appointment by announcing on Sunday the hiring of Croatian coach Igor Bišćan to lead the Olympic national team, in a move aimed at unifying the technical philosophy across the country’s national teams.
Dalić returns to the UAE with a far greater reputation than when he first arrived to coach Al Ain in 2014 after a single season with Saudi Arabia’s Al Hilal.
Since leaving Al Ain in 2017 to take charge of Croatia, he has achieved remarkable success, leading his country to the 2018 World Cup final in Russia—where they lost 4–2 to France—and securing third place at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
In his resignation statement, Dalić said: “It is the right moment to bring this incredible journey to an end. I leave with my heart full of pride, having contributed to the greatest achievements in Croatian football history.”
