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Al Wasl F.C.
Emirati professional football club From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Al Wasl Football Club (Arabic: نادي الوصل لكرة القدم) is an Emirati professional football club based in Zabeel, Dubai that competes in the UAE Pro League.
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The club plays its home games at Zabeel Stadium. Al-Wasl is amongst the most successful teams in the UAE, winning eight league titles since its establishment, with its most recent in 2024.
The club gained significant international attention in 2011 and 2012, while Diego Maradona was the club's head coach.[2]
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History
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Foundation
The idea of starting a football club in Zabeel first emerged in 1958, as a result of discussions and meetings by various people living in the area. At the time, there were no grass fields to play on, as football was still not popular. The club was officially founded with the name Al-Zamalek in the year 1960, in the house of Bakheet Salem, located in Zabeel. Club members had to rent a small house and each paid 10 Dirhams in order to support the club.
In 1962, the club moved to different house owned by Madia bint Sultan under the patronage of H.H. Sheikh Ahmed bin Rashid Al Maktoum and H.H. Sheikh Butti Bin Maktoum Al Maktoum. Later, the team elected His Highness Sheikh Ahmad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum to be their club president, he agreed and even participated with the team in matches. He is still leading the club to this day.
His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum was one of the players in Al-Zamalek, he played as a defender and was one of the best players in the team, winning many games before travelling to the United Kingdom to continue his studies. During this period, Al-Zamalek were arguably the best team in Dubai, winning against traditional giant Al-Nasr 2–1, Al-Wahda 3–1, and the English Country Club in Dubai 3–2. They even played against teams outside Dubai like Ras Al Khaimah, winning the game with a crushing 6–1 result. Al-Zamalek win the final of the 1966 Canada Dry Football Cup in Dubai, defeating Al-Shabab.
1970s
In 1972, H.H. Sheikh Rashid Bin Saeed Al Maktoum, vice president of U.A.E. and ruler of Dubai, had privileged Al-Zamalek by building the first headquarters of the club in Za'abeel. This headquarters is still in use, in the same location where Zabeel Stadium is located.
The UAE League was started in 1973, with Al-Zamalek as one of the inaugural members. It was placed in a six team group with Al Nasr, Al Shaab, Al Shoala, Al Najah, and Al-Oruba. Al-Zamalek was eliminated; group champions Al-Oruba went on to win the inaugural league title. During this season, the team's manager was Zaki Osman, who was a former player for Al-Zamalek in Egypt.
In 1974, there was a merger between the Al Shoula Ckub in the Al Fahidi historic region and the Al Orouba club in Jumeirah. The two teams' members and staff joined into Al-Zamalek, making it one of the biggest clubs in Dubai once again. The new team was based in Zabeel, the former location of Al-Zamalek.
During this merger, the club's identity was changed to symbolise a fresh start for the team. The new name of the team was to be Al-Wasl, which can be interpreted through multiple meanings. Officially, it is the previous name of the city of Dubai. Its other meaning is the Arabic word for "connection", as the club connects the youth through sport and other cultural activities. The club's colour was changed to yellow, which no other team used in the country.
Al Wasl's first season as a new team was the 1974–1975 season. It played 10 games in the season and lost 5, won 2, and drew 3, finishing fourth in its six-team section. The next season was still tough for the newly-formed team, as they won 4 games, lost 7, and drew 5, finishing the league sixth out of 9. The next few seasons were trophy-less. Other Dubai-based teams, like Al-Nasr and Al-Ahli, enjoyed nationwide success, but Al Wasl still needed more time to develop its players and bring in new talent.
By the late 1970s, things were beginning to change for the team: more local young players were being added to the ranks of the youth teams, and the team was consistently playing better football. The Ghanaian football legend Mohammed Polo was signed to the team, where he enjoyed a prolific career.
1980s
The 1980s were a golden age for Al Wasl. The team won the league five times, the most out of any team in the history of the league at the time. The decade began with the 1980 opening of Al Wasl's stadium, the Zabeel Stadium, located in Zabeel, Dubai. It held around 9,000 people, subsequently upgraded to a capacity of 25,000 in the 2025 extensions.
During the 1980-81 season, the team was under the leadership of the Brazilian coach Valinhos. Around this time, the team went to an official training camp in Germany, where they trained and played friendly games against various German teams. From this training camp, the team gained vital knowledge and skills necessary to develop their playing style and experience to challenge for the league title and cups.
Later that year, a three-man group went to Brazil in order to scout for a coach for the team and even players. Amongst these three men was Saeed Hareb. In Brazil, the men were introduced by a taxi driver to Gilson Nunes, who was a local assistant coach for the Brazilian national team. Gílson Nunes was flown back to Dubai and became the assistant coach for Al Wasl, under the leadership of Joel Santana.
Notable players of this time period include Fahad Khamees, (nicknamed "the dark cheetah"), a UAE national team player in the 1990 World Cup; Mohammed Polo, a Ghanaian forward who was nicknamed "the dribbling magician" and played with the club from 1979 to 1985; Zuhair Bakheet, who spent his entire 18-year career in Al Wasl and led the UAE national team to the World Cup; and goalkeeper Hamad Yousuf.
In the 1981–82 season, armed with the skills gained in the German training camp, the new coaches, new players, and young talents, Al Wasl won their maiden league title, leaving Al Ain in second place. Al Wasl clinched back-to-back league titles in the 1982-83 season, ending the season with 25 points and fortifying its position as one of the leaders of Emirati football. In the following season, Al Wasl came second, but the team was able to bounce back and win the league in 1984-85 with ease; Al Wasl lost that season's final of the President's Cup 2–0 against Sharjah.
Al Wasl finished second in the 1985–86 season, when its rival Al Nasr lifted the league with another two-point difference. Al Wasl was the runner-up of the 1985-86 President's cup, losing 2–0 against rivals Al Nasr.
In the 1986–87 season, Al Wasl lifted the UAE President's Cup for the first time, after defeating Al Khaleej (now Khor Fakkan Club) 2–0. Al Wasl placed second in the league, three points behind Sharjah. Even though the side had not won the title, no team had consistently finished either first or second for this many years, and it was generally expected[citation needed] that Al Wasl was going to remain a strong and powerful team.
Also in 1986, Al Wasl made it to the Asian Club Championship, but was eliminated in the qualifying stage. They qualified through their good performance in the Gulf Clubs' champions league in the same year.
In 1987–88, Al Wasl won the league with an 18-point difference to clinch their fourth league title in six years, more than any other side in the UAE at the time; this record would stand until Al Ain secured their seventh title in 2001–02.
From 1988 to 1990, Al Wasl finished second for two more consecutive seasons, meaning that they now had come first or second for 9 consecutive years. They also competed in the Asian Club Championship for the second time, getting eliminated in the qualifying stage once again.
Al Wasl ended the decade as the most successful team in the country.
1990s
The 1990s saw Al Wasl's performance hindered greatly, in stark contrast to their performance in the 1980s. The 1990–91 season was cancelled in the UAE due to the events in Kuwait and the Gulf War. Things were back to normal for the 1991–1992 season, when Al Wasl lifted the League trophy for the fifth time. In the 1992–93 season, Al Wasl finished runner-up in the league and won the UAE Federation Cup.
They were also one of the Emirati teams nominated to compete in the Asian Club Championship. In the qualifying round, Al Wasl defeated Jordanian side Al Wehdat 7–1 on aggregate. Al Wasl won both games in its group, beating PAS Tehran of Iran 1–0, and a 10–0 victory against Wohaib FC of Pakistan, which was the greatest result out of any game in Asian Championship history. In the semi final of the Asian Championship, Al Wasl faced off against Al Shabab Riyadh, who were the strongest Saudi team at the time. The game ended with a 2–2 draw, but Al Wasl was defeated on penalties. Al Wasl defeated Yomiuri FC 4–3 to take third place in the competition.
Al Wasl experienced a dip in form, finishing 4th in the 1993-94 league table and losing the final of the Federation cup to Al Wahda 3–0. Al Wasl once again competed in the 1994-95 Asian Club Championship, losing in the quarterfinals; in 1995–96, Al Wasl finished second in the UAE league, three points behind Sharjah. In the following season, 1996–1997, Al Wasl won the league for the sixth time. During the final fixture, when Al Wasl lifted the league trophy, they introduced a unique celebration of bringing in a small model train and driving it onto the field. This was later called the Al Wasl train, and was an iconic celebration unique to Al Wasl.[citation needed]
It was around this time that Al Wasl gained the nickname "The Sun of the League". The reason being that despite Al Wasl's long absence from championships, it returns and wins once again, just like how the sun will always set, but come back and rise.
Al Wasl played in the 1998 Arab Club Cup, reaching the semi final. They finished at the top of their group, defeating Al Ittihad 1–0 and a 0–0 draw with Al Tahaddi, before beating Al Wehdat 5–1. Al Wasl lost the semi-final 3–1 to WA Tlemcen, who eventually went on to win the championship.
Between 1999 and 2000, Al Wasl was named the UAE's Club of the Century. This is due to being the team who won the UAE League the most, having won six league titles, and also being the best performing Emirati club in international competitions and the most frequently qualified Emirati team at international competitions.
2000s
In the 2000s Al Wasl won only three championships. The team was not able to challenge on many titles initially, but still had good performances.
In 2000, Al Wasl lost the final of the President's Cup to Al Wahda, and finished the league in 7th place.
In 2002, the legend Zuhair Bakhit retired from football, having spent his entire career in Al Wasl.
From the early to mid-2000s, Al Ain and Al Wehda dominated the league, but Al Wasl came second in group B behind Al Ahli when the league was split into a different format for the 2003–04 season. This format was changed back to normal later. The following two seasons were disappointing, with Al Wasl finishing mid-table. Some notable players of this time period were Rachid Daoudi of Morocco and Farhad Majidi of Iran, both of whom are regarded as international legends of their respective countries.
In 2006–2007, Al Wasl had a stellar season. Under the leadership of Brazilian Zé Mário, the club, seemingly out of nowhere, took the league title with ease, losing only once in the whole season. Al Wasl only had two foreign players, both being Brazilian: striker Anderson Barbosa (who was on loan from Sharjah and also the league's top scorer with 18 goals) and midfielder Alexandre Oliveira. Al Wasl also went on to lift the President's Cup, after defeating Al Ain with a crushing 4–1 result in the Zayed Sports City Stadium, becoming one of the only clubs to achieve the double.
In the 2007–2008 season, Al Wasl made their AFC Champions League debut, as a result of winning the league title. However, they exited the competition in the group stage, with two wins, one draw, and three losses. In the league, the club was not even close to defending their league title, finishing in 7th place.
In the 2008–2009 season, Al Wasl finished seventh but still qualified for the GCC Club Cup. In the 2009–2010 season, Al Wasl played in the GCC club cup after qualifying during the previous season. Al Wasl finished top of the group and qualified to the next round. In the semi-final, they faced off against Al-Nassr and lost 3–1 away. The team picked up the pace and struck back with a comeback, taking down Al-Nassr 4–2 in the home game and winning 4–2 on penalties.
During that game, an infamous incident occurred, where Al-Nassr's doctor taunted Al Wasl fans, which upset them and caused them to jump down to the field in a large amount, starting a physical conflict with the doctor and certain players.[citation needed] Players from both teams attempted to stop the rowdy crowd. Dubai police officers on the sight were able to quickly and effectively stop the scene, and the perpetrators were banned from attending future games.
In the Final game, Al Wasl faced off against Qater SC; the first leg ende in a 2–2 draw. In the second leg, Al Wasl fans were barred from attending the game due to the incidents that unfolded during the semi-final against Al Nassr. Despite being without the support of its fans, Al-Wasl won the title on the away goals rule and were crowned champions of the Arabian Gulf.
Later that season, Al Wasl signed Spanish player Francisco Yeste, who stayed for a season. He was an audacious player and created many good memories at Al Wasl, one of which including scoring a goal from the halfway line. This goal was called "the fastest equaliser in football history."[citation needed]
2010s
The 2010s are considered the worst decade for Al Wasl as a club, as not a single trophy was won during this period. The team went into a state of decline and would constantly finish in either the mid-table or the bottom, but was still far from relegation.
In 2010, Ultras Junoon was founded. Ultras Junoon is the first Ultras group in the Gulf, having been established before all other groups of the same Ultras culture elsewhere.[citation needed]
In the 2010–11 season, Al Wasl reached the semi-finals of both the Etisalat Cup and President's Cup, and finished sixth in the league. The top scorer for the team was Fran Yeste, with 16 goals across all competitions.
In May 2011, 1986 World Cup winner Diego Maradona was appointed as the club's new coach.[2] This deal was shocking, and expectations were set high for the club. Diego's stay at Al Wasl was difficult; they finished eighth in the league that season, were eliminated in the League Cup semifinals, and eliminated in the President's Cup quarterfinals. The team had a good campaign in the 2012 GCC Champions League, and were on course to winning the title for the second time in 3 years, after a 3-1 first leg victory away from home over Bahraini club Al-Muharraq.[3] However, in the second leg at home, Al Wasl lost the title on penalties, after the Bahraini club won the match 3–1, which was facilitated by Al Wasl having two players sent off.[4]
Diego was very popular with the fans, and was great at building bonds between himself and his players during his tenure. Al Wasl shirt sales increased all across the UAE and even worldwide[citation needed]. By the end of the season, Maradona was sacked, but he remained a club legend.[5] Two of the players he brought to the club, Juan Manuel Olivera and Mariano Donda, finished as the club's topscorers that season.
2012–13 was worse than the previous season; the team finished ninth in the league, were knocked out of the President's Cup round of 16, and were eliminated in the first round of the Etisalat League Cup. They went through three different managers this season. The first was French coach Bruno Metsu, who resigned in October 2012 after contracting colon cancer. He was succeeded by another French coach, Guy Lacombe.[6] Lacombe was dismissed after less than four months in charge, with the decision being made after a 4–0 loss against Al Ahli.[7] His successor was Emirati Eid Baroot, who eventually finished off the season with average results.
In the 2013–14 season, Al Wasl's new kit sponsor was Adidas. Shikabala returned from his loan back to Al Zamalek, and this was Donda's last season with Al Wasl. In the 2014–2015 season, Al Wasl signed two new Brazilian players and future club Icons, Caio Canedo and Fábio Lima. They went on to provide a spectacular first season at Al Wasl, despite the team finishing 6th. The team qualified to the GCC Champions League and during that tournament, it was cancelled, and the team did not proceed.
In 2015–16, Al Wasl finished 6th once again. They qualified to the GCC Champions League, but it was again cancelled, due to the Kuwaiti FA being suspended from FIFA and due to a lack of a sponsor for the tournament.
In the 2016–17 season, Al Wasl gave one of its best performances in recent times. The new coach Rodolfo Arruabarrena was introduced to the team, and the club performed greatly during his tenure. Waheed Ismail was the club captain, and Caio and Lima gave notable performances. Other notable players include Hassan Zahran, Ali Salmon, and Hugo Viana. Al Wasl finished second behind Al Jazira during the end of the league, but gained qualification the AFC Champions League for the following season. During this season, an iconic game happened and one of the greatest comebacks of UAE football history. Al Wasl was losing 3–0, but returned to make the result 4–3 in the last minutes. Al Wasl won the game with the highest score for this season, winning 8–0 against dibba al Fujairah.
Al Wasl finished third in the following season, and gained qualification to the AFC Champions League once again. During this season, Al Wasl made it to the final of the UAE President's Cup but lost 2–1 to Al Ain. They qualified to the final of the league cup, but lost to Al Wahda.
In the 2018–19 season, Al Wasl finished 9th in the league, but gave a good run in the Arab Champions League, notably taking down Egyptian giants Al Ahly on away goals, but getting eliminated in the quarter final.
The 2019–2020 season was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
2020s
In the 2020–21 season, Al Wasl ended the season with a 9th-place finish.
In the 2021–22 season, and after the campaign by the Al Wasl Fans, there was a change in the administration and board of directors of the club after poor results and bad relations between the club and its fans for the past few years. The new administration, led by His excellency Mr Ahmad Bin Shafar, was debuting. There was an immediate change in the team's spirit and performance, and a greater attendance effort from the fans. A 6th-place finish was an improvement from the previous season.
In the 2022–23 season, Al Wasl had one of the greatest fan displays in the UAE league, and everyone was hopeful that the team would return to its former glory. Al Wasl reached the semi-final of the President's Cup, narrowly losing 1–0 to Al Ain across two legs. The team also finished 4th in that season.
The 2023–24 season was, by far, the most successful season for the team in the past decade. Al Wasl lost only one game in the league, and has maintained first place since the start of the season. Al Wasl defeated rivals Shabab Al Ahli 3 times in one month, with a total score of 8–3 goals across all performances. Al Wasl also lifted the Presidents Cup on May 17, after a victory against their derby rivals al Nasr 4–0, in front of a sold-out stadium of 25,000 fans. Al Wasl eventually clinched their 8th UAE Pro League title, following a 3–0 victory over second-place Shabab Al Ahli, with two games remaining.[8]
In the 2024–25 season, Al Wasl was faced with a huge season. This was because they had to defend their league title as well as compete in five more competitions (President's Cup, ADIB Cup, AFC Champions League Elite, EMAAR Super Cup, UAE-Qatar super shield). Al Wasl started the season with a last minute draw to Kalba, but won their next game against Dibba Al Hisn, and managed to win later in their first ACL Elite against Uzbekistan giants Pakhtakor. They then defeated rivals Al Nasr 3–1 at home in the Dubai Derby. After this game, the team's level started to drop, and they lost to reigning Asian champions Al Ain 4–2 away in the league. In Asia, they lost 2–0 to Saudi giants Al Ahli at home. They once again lost in the league to Khor Fakkan 4–3 after a comeback from the guests due to a red card. However, the team began to pick up its pace and knocked Al Wahda out of the President's Cup with a 3–1 victory. Al Wasl then signed with Nigerian Isaac Success, who would only compete locally with Al Wasl after the winter transfer window opened, as for the time being, he was only allowed to play in the AFC Champions League Elite. Al Wasl won their third game in Asia against Al Gharafa 2–1 with a goal from the new player, Isaac Success, in the 93rd minute.
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Rivalries
Al Wasl's main competitors are Al Nasr, who they compete with in the Bur Dubai Derby, and Al Ain, who they challenge in the 'UAE Classico'.[9][10]
Current squad
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As of 16 July 2025
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
Unregistered players
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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.
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Honours
Domestic competitions
Regional competitions
- GCC Champions League[14]
- Arab Club Champions Cup
- Qatar–UAE Super Shield
Winner: (1) 2024_25
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Performance in AFC competitions
- AFC Champions League: 3 appearances
- Asian Club Championship: 4 appearances
Coaching staff
Managerial history
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* Served as caretaker coach.
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Pro-League record
Notes^ 2019–20 UAE football season was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Arab Emirates.
Key
- Pos. = Position
- Tms. = Number of teams
- Lvl. = League
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See also
References
External links
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