United FC (Dubai)
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| Full name | United Football Club Dubai | |||
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| Nickname | The Lions | |||
| Founded | 1 September 2022 | |||
| Stadium | Al-Maktoum Stadium | |||
| Capacity | 15,058 | |||
| Owner | Ilie Cebanu | |||
| President | Ilie Cebanu | |||
| Head coach | Andrea Pirlo | |||
| League | UAE Pro League | |||
| 2025–26 | UAE First Division League, 2nd (promoted) | |||
| Website | utdfc | |||
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United Football Club (Arabic: نادي يونايتد لكرة القدم), commonly referred to as Dubai United, is an Emirati professional football club that was founded in September 2022 in Dubai. They currently play in the UAE Pro League, having been promoted from the UAE First Division in the 2025–26 season.[1]
History
Founding
The club was founded in September 2022. It began its journey in UAE Second Division.
2022–23 Season
United FC did everything to get the promotion to UAE First Division League. The club invited some new players and coaches, who created new tactics for the team. The management set high goals and the team started showing great performance.
United FC became one of the favorites to be promoted. However, the end of the season was quite dramatic. Three clubs: Gulf United FC, Fleetwood United F.C. and United FC had the chance to play in UAE First Division League in the following season. The last two games were really important for United FC, where the club beat Fleetwood United F.C. and Al-Hilal United FC.
United FC finished the season in the 2nd place with the best offensive and defensive rating in the league. The club started and finished the second half of the season without losing any game.
International Summer Camp
After the promotion, United FC had several friendly games against local clubs from UAE Pro League. The team showed its best against the 2022–23 champions Shabab Al Ahli Club, the club with the most championships Al Ain FC and 2023 cup champions Sharjah FC.
In June 2023 the club went to Moldova and spent the summer camp at the football base of FC Sheriff Tiraspol. United FC had some friendly matches against some professional Moldovan teams, such as Milsami Orhei, FC Petrocub Hîncești, CSF Bălți, FC Florești, Moldova national under-19 football team, FC Saxan and FC Dinamo-Auto Tiraspol.
After the summer camp, the team went back to Dubai and continued its preparation for the UAE First Division League. The club played a friendly game against Turkmenistan national football team in October 2023.[2] In early January 2024, United FC played another friendly match versus Latvian team, Riga FC.[3]
First Division League UAE
During the transfer window before 2023-24 season a lot of changes were made. The new technical director Jean Marc Nobilo came. Also a lot of notable French specialists began working with United FC. The club also signed Marcelo Torres, Lucas Lima and Imade Osarenkhoe. Also, United FC extended the contracts of Pape Gueye,[4] who is the best goalscorer of the UAE Second Division League 2022–23 and Moussa Ouedraogo who was chosen the MVP of United FC by the team. United finished the season on the 6th place in the First Division, while Marcelo Torres has become the top scorer, scoring 26 goals.
Quincy Promes[5] and Adrien Silva[6] were signed in the beginning of the 2025–26 season. The season started with the victory against Gulf United FC in UAE President Cup tournament, however in the following round United was eliminated by Al Dhafra FC. The club finished 4th in the UAE First Division League and couldn't get a promotion to the UAE Pro League. At the same season, United FC II (second team) has won the UAE Third Division League and got promoted to the Second Division.
For 2025–26 season, United FC appointed Andrea Pirlo as a manager, who was joined by Roberto Baronio and Mauro Bertoni as assistant coaches. Players like Quincy Promes, Adrien Silva and Marcelo Torres left the club, however United FC signed Haris Seferovic, Gian Marco Ferrari and Habib Al Fardan.[7] The club's academy has appointed Luca Antonini as a Technical Director and has joined UAE FA National League in categories U10 and U12.[8]
In 2025–26 campaign of UAE President's Cup, United FC has reached semi-final, where the club was eliminated by Al Ain FC[9][10]. In order to reach this stage, United FC has won against two clubs from UAE Pro League: Sharjah FC and Al Wahda FC. In the same season the club has achieved promotion to the UAE Pro League by finishing 2nd in First Division.
2026–27: UAE Pro League debut
Ahead of its first UAE Pro League campaign, United FC held a summer training camp in Riga, Latvia, followed by a camp in Geinberg, Austria, where the team played friendly matches against FC Red Bull Salzburg on 26 July and LASK on 29 July 2026. Among the new signings were Shavy Babicka, who joined on loan from Red Star Belgrade, and Dieu-Merci Michel. With the promotion, the club moved its home matches to Al-Maktoum Stadium, while keeping ISD Stadium Pitch in Dubai Sports City as its training base.
Reserve team and academy
United FC II, the club's reserve team (U23), competes in the UAE Second Division League after winning the UAE Third Division League and earning promotion. The club's academy, based in Dubai Sports City, fields teams in the UAE FA National League youth categories.
Kit and sponsors
For the 2026–27 season, the club's first with kit manufacturer Adidas, the home kit is black with orange trim, the away kit features white and sky-blue stripes, and the third kit is orange with black trim.[11]
| Period | Kit manufacturer | Shirt sponsor |
|---|---|---|
| 2022–2023 | Uhlsport | |
| 2023–2024 | Jako | ISD Sports Science |
| 2024–2026 | Puma | ISD Padel (24-25) / LaFamiglia (25-26) |
| 2026– | Adidas | Secton |
Season-by-season record
| Season | League | Position | President's Cup | League Cup |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022–23 | Second Division | 2nd (promoted) | — | — |
| 2023–24 | First Division | 6th | — | — |
| 2024–25 | First Division | 4th | Round of 32 | — |
| 2025–26 | First Division | 2nd (promoted) | Semi-final | — |
| 2026–27 | UAE Pro League |
Managerial history
| Name | Nationality | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| Andrea Pirlo |  Italy | June 2025 | present |
Partnerships
In the summer of 2023, United FC signed the partnership deal with ISD Dubai Sports City. The ISD Stadium Pitch, located in Dubai Sports City, served as the club's home ground until the promotion to the UAE Pro League and remains its training base. Football legends, Marco Materazzi and Luca Antonini, attended the first home game in 2023–2024 season.
Since the 2026–27 season, United FC plays its home matches at Al-Maktoum Stadium.
For the 2026–27 season the club's partners are Secton (main partner), Radio Volna 103.2 (media partner), Almal, Fix Price and La Famiglia (official partners).
Current squad
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Out on loan
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
|
Players with Multiple Nationalities
Kouame Autonne-
Jonas Naafo 
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Adel Al Chadli
Personnel
Current Technical Staff
| Position | Staff |
|---|---|
| Head coach | Andrea Pirlo |
| Assistant Coach | Roberto Baronio |
| Assistant Coach | Mauro Bertoni |
| Fitness Coach / Head of Performance | Roberto De Bellis |
| Video Analyst | Simone Di Martino |
| Goalkeeper Coach |  Dino Šeremet |
| Team Doctor |  Jose Manuel Bueno Padilla |
| Head Physiotherapist |  Bojan Radanovic |
| Rehabilitation Coach | Ivo Duilo |
Management
| Position | Staff |
|---|---|
| President |  Ilie Cebanu |
| Chief Operating Officer |  Igor Bartyan |
| First Team Manager | Mohammad Qassim |
Honours
- UAE First Division League
- Promotion (1): 2025–26
- UAE Second Division League
- Promotion (1): 2022–23
Notable players
Had international caps for their respective countries. Players whose name is listed in bold represented their countries while playing for United.
.svg.png)
Adrien Silva
Quincy Promes- Haris Seferovic
- Gian Marco Ferrari
Moustapha Name- Saif Rashid
- Fares Jumaa
- Tareq Ahmed
- Habib Al Fardan
- Ahmad Malalla
- Bander Al-Ahbabi
- Khalil Ibrahim
Hamid Al-Jabri
Shavy Babicka
See also
References
- ↑ جلف يوناتيد يُتوج بطلاُ للنسخة الأولى من دوري الدرجة الثالثة. UAE Football Association (in Arabic). Retrieved 2022-10-25.
- ↑ "The Turkmenistan national football team continues training camps in the UAE". Orient. 2023-10-14. Retrieved 2024-03-27.
- ↑ Upenieks, Krišs (2024-01-25). "First victory in Dubai". Riga FC. Retrieved 2024-03-27.
- ↑ "Foot / Émirats : Pape Gueye Asensio, la jeune pépite sénégalaise qui fait exploser les compteurs" (in French). 2023-04-06. Retrieved 2024-03-27.
- ↑ "Promes joins Dubai Utd despite drug conviction". ESPN.com. 2024-09-04. Retrieved 2025-11-17.
- ↑ Walsh, Dylan (2025-03-13). "Leicester City were 14 seconds too late to sign him, now he plays in the UAE". Leicester City News. Retrieved 2025-11-17.
- ↑ "New club for Haris Seferovic". blue News. Retrieved 2025-11-17.
- ↑ "United FC, Luca Antonini va da Pirlo: sarà il direttore tecnico dell'Academy". DerbyDerbyDerby (in Italian). 2025-08-06. Retrieved 2025-11-17.
- ↑ www.365scores.com https://www.365scores.com/football/match/president's-cup-6346/al-ain-dubai-united-8353-77221-6346. Retrieved 2026-04-02.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ Sharjah 24. "United defeats Sharjah in President's Cup Round of 16". United defeats Sharjah in President’s Cup Round of 16. Retrieved 2026-04-02.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ↑ "Dubai United Kit History". Football Kit Archive. Retrieved 2026-08-29.