The Yemeni national football team held its inaugural training session yesterday at the cricket stadium in Abu Dhabi, marking the beginning of their preparations for the upcoming match against the UAE national team. The team arrived in the country from the Saudi city of Al-Khobar in anticipation of the third round of the eighth group competitions within the second stage of the double Asian qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup and 2027 Asian Cup finals.
A total of 26 players, including 13 professionals from various Gulf leagues, participated in the training session. They were summoned to bolster the Yemeni national team’s roster for their matches against the UAE national team scheduled for March 21 and 26.
Abdul Salam Al-Ghorbani, director of the Yemeni national team, underscored the significance of the upcoming match, characterizing it as a face-off between two fraternal teams striving for success in the World and Asian Cup qualifiers. Al-Ghorbani emphasized the meticulous preparation undertaken by the Yemeni team, which included a 29-day training camp in Sanaa, followed by a 5-day camp in Al-Khobar, Saudi Arabia. Additionally, 13 professional players from Bahrain, Oman, and Iraq joined the preparations, ensuring a cohesive team dynamic.
Expressing confidence in his players, Al-Ghorbani highlighted the technical prowess of the Yemeni team and their readiness to face the seasoned UAE national team. He acknowledged the invaluable contribution of Yemeni professionals playing in the Gulf leagues, citing their expertise as a key asset for the team’s success.
Al-Ghorbani commended the warm reception extended by the UAE Football Federation to the Yemeni delegation in Abu Dhabi, underscoring the strong relationship between the football federations of the two brotherly countries. He emphasized the importance of such collaborations in fostering sports development for mutual benefit.