How can this happen? Coach Bento gets kicked out of the UAE despite his hopes for a surprise World Cup

Mar 26, 2025

Paulo Bento, who shared the round of 16 of the World Cup with South Korea, was suddenly replaced.

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) Football Association replaced Bento and his coaching staff on its official SNS on the 26th (Korea Standard Time)" he announced. Bento, who had been leading the UAE since July 2023 after leaving South Korea, was suddenly notified of his replacement during World Cup qualifiers.

It is a surprise replacement. This is because the UAE still has a pretty good chance of bringing a ticket to the World Cup finals. On the 26th, the UAE ranked third in the group with a 2-1 victory over North Korea in the sixth Group A match of the third Asian qualifying round for the 2026 North Korea-China World Cup.

In the third qualifying round, only the first and second places in each group will be given a direct ticket to the finals, but if they advance to the fourth qualifying round as third place in the group and win first place in the assigned group, they can win a ticket to the World Cup. Although it was difficult to go straight to the World Cup in the third qualifying round due to the remaining schedule of the UAE, it was competitive enough in the fourth qualifying round. However, the UAE no longer seems to trust Bento and his division.

Bento has led the UAE since the summer of 2023. His early moves were good. Bento received favorable reviews when he led the UAE to the round of 16 at the 2023 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup, his first test. However, he had to finish the tournament after collapsing to Tajikistan, which was considered a step below the level of power in the round of 16.

Still, in the second qualifying round for the Asian region of the World Cup, he clearly defeated Bahrain, Yemen and Nepal and advanced to the third qualifying round as No. 1 in the group. In the third qualifying round, he continued to rank third in the group, showing that he did not collapse much.

Another problem for Bento was the Gulf Cup. The Gulf Cup is a tournament involving eight Middle Eastern countries, and the UAE has teamed up with Oman, Kuwait and Qatar in the group stage. Except for Qatar, it was not such a difficult match, but Bento was eliminated without even going to the semifinals due to the shocking result of two draws and one loss.

As UAE's performance did not rise significantly in the World Cup qualifiers and suffered a major failure in the Gulf Cup, the UAE Football Association no longer seems to feel the need to accompany Bento. It is expected to quickly replace Bento, who lost his trust, and quickly find the next head coach for the upcoming fourth qualifying round.

The UAE has already been confirmed to advance to the fourth qualifying round. The fourth qualifying round will be divided into two groups of six countries that ranked third and fourth in the third qualifying round. Competition is expected to be fierce because the top spot in each group can get a ticket to the World Cup directly.

Reporter Kim Dae-sik rlaeotlr2024@sportschosun.com

This article was translated by Naver AI translator.

How can this happen? Coach Bento gets kicked out of the UAE despite his hopes for a surprise World Cup

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