United Arab Emirates men's national ice hockey team
Men's national ice hockey team representing the United Arab Emirates
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The United Arab Emirates national ice hockey team (Arabic: منتخب الإمارات العربية المتحدة لهوكي الجليد) is the national men's ice hockey team of the United Arab Emirates. It is operated under the UAE Ice Sports Federation and a member of the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF).[2] The UAE currently competes in Division II Group A tournament of the World Championships. As of 2025, it is currently ranked 32nd in the IIHF World Ranking and 5th in the Asian Ranking.[3][4]
Hamel Al-Qubaisi
| |
| Association | UAE Ice Sports Federation |
|---|---|
| General manager | Juma Al-Dhaheri Hamel Al-Qubaisi |
| Head coach | David Rich |
| Captain | Ali Al-Haddad |
| Most games | Juma Al-Dhaheri (113) |
| Top scorer | Juma Al-Dhaheri (108) |
| Most points | Juma Al-Dhaheri (227) |
| Home stadium | Abu Dhabi Ice Rink |
| Team colors | |
| IIHF code | UAE |
 | |
| Ranking | |
| Current IIHF | 32 ( 2) (26 May 2025)[1] |
| Highest IIHF | 32 (2025) |
| Lowest IIHF | 48 (2019) |
| First international | |
United Arab Emirates  4–0  Thailand(Changchun, China; 26 January 2007) | |
| Biggest win | |
United Arab Emirates 25–0  Bahrain(Astana, Kazakhstan; 31 January 2011) | |
| Biggest defeat | |
Kazakhstan  38–0 United Arab Emirates(Changchun, China; 27 January 2007) | |
| IIHF World Championships | |
| Appearances | 11 (first in 2010) |
| Best result | 31st (2024, 2025) |
| Asian Winter Games | |
| Appearances | 3 (first in 2007) |
| Best result | 6th (2007) |
| Arab Cup of Ice Hockey | |
| Appearances | 1 (first in 2008) |
| Best result |  1st (2008) |
| IIHF Challenge Cup of Asia | |
| Appearances | 9 (first in 2009) |
| Best result | 1st (2009, 2012, 2017) |
| Gulf Ice Hockey Championship | |
| Appearances | 4 (first in 2010) |
| Best result | 1st (2010, 2012, 2014, 2016) |
| International record (W–L–T) | |
| 92–39–1 | |
History
In June 2008, the UAE took part in the inaugural Arab Cup in Abu Dhabi, also involving the national teams of Algeria, Morocco, and Kuwait. They went on to finish first in the standings and won the gold medal after defeating Kuwait, 4–1. They won the gold in the 2009 IIHF Challenge Cup of Asia also in Abu Dhabi.
In 2010, the UAE became the first from an Arab nation to play in the IIHF World Championship when they participated in Division III.[5] Although the UAE was not ranked in the world rankings until they played against Ireland, Luxembourg, and Greece, and finished last in Group A with a record of four losses. Their new head coach was Teemu Taruvuori of Finland. In May 2010, the UAE participated in the Kuwaiti organized GCC Gulf Championship, finishing first after winning all three of their games.[6]
Withdrawal from 2011 and 2016 IIHF tournaments
The UAE decided to withdraw from the 2011 Division III tournament in Cape Town, South Africa because they refused to compete against Israel, who was also in the tournament. They also withdrew from the 2016 Division III tournament, with no reason cited.[7]
Tournament record
World Championships
| Year | Host | Result | GP | W | OTW | OTL | L |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1930 through 2009 | did not enter | ||||||
| 2010 |  Kockelscheuer | 46th place (4th in Division III A) | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 2011 |  Cape Town | Withdrew from tournament | |||||
| 2012 |  Erzurum | did not participate | |||||
| 2013 | Cape Town | 46th place (6th in Division III) | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 |
| 2014 | Kockelscheuer | 45th place (5th in Division III) | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| 2015 | İzmir | 46th place (6th in Division III) | 6 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 |
| 2016 | Istanbul | Withdrew from tournament | |||||
| 2017 |  Sofia | 47th place (7th in Division III, Relegated) | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| 2018 |  Sarajevo | 49th place (3rd in Division III Q) | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 2019 | Abu Dhabi | 47th place (1st in Division III Q, Promoted) | 5 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 2020 and 2021 | Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic[8][9] | ||||||
| 2022 | Kockelscheuer | 37th place (1st in Division III A, Promoted) | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2023 | Istanbul | 35th place (1st in Division II B, Promoted) | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2024 |  Belgrade | 31st place (3rd in Division II A) | 5 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 2025 | Belgrade | 31st place (3rd in Division II A) | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Total | 11/14 | 50 | 21 | 0 | 2 | 27 | |
Asian Winter Games
Arab Cup/GCC Gulf Championship
| Year | Host | Result | GP | W | OTW | OTL | L |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arab Cup (2008) | |||||||
| 2008 | Abu Dhabi | 1st place | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| GCC Gulf Championship (2010–2016) | |||||||
| 2010 |  Kuwait City | 1st place | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2012 | Abu Dhabi | 1st place | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2014 | Kuwait City | 1st place | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2016 |  Doha | 1st place | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| GCC Games (2022) | |||||||
| 2022 | Kuwait City | 1st place | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 6/6 | 26 | 24 | 2 | 0 | 0 | |
Challenge Cup of Asia
| Year | Host | Result | GP | W | OTW | OTL | L |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 |  Hong Kong | did not participate | |||||
| 2009 | Abu Dhabi | 1st place | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2010 |  Taipei City |  2nd place | 5 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 2011 | Kuwait City | 2nd place | 5 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 2012 |  Dehradun | 1st place | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2013 | Bangkok | 6th place | 5 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| 2014 | Abu Dhabi | 2nd place | 5 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 2015 | Taipei City | 2nd place | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 2016 | Abu Dhabi | 2nd place | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 2017 | Bangkok | 1st place | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2018 |  Pasay | did not participate | |||||
| 2019 |  Kuala Lumpur | ||||||
| 2020 |  Singapore | ||||||
| Total | 9/13 | 42 | 31 | 2 | 2 | 7 | |
All-time record against other nations
Last match update: 5 May 2025[10]
| Positive balance (more Wins) | |
| Neutral balance (Wins = Losses) | |
| Negative balance (more Losses) |
| Team | GP | W | T | L | GF | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Algeria | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 6 |
 Australia | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 5 |
| Bahrain | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 60 | 2 |
 Belgium | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 3 |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 27 | 14 |
| Bulgaria | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 12 | 13 |
| Chinese Taipei | 10 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 39 | 39 |
 Croatia | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
 Georgia | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 19 | 26 |
 Greece | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 11 |
| Hong Kong | 9 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 37 | 27 |
 Iceland | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 2 |
| India | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 |
 Iran | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 6 |
 Ireland | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 15 |
 Israel | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 12 | 9 |
| Kazakhstan | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 38 |
| Kuwait | 17 | 17 | 0 | 0 | 83 | 19 |
 Kyrgyzstan | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 8 | 30 |
| Luxembourg | 7 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 19 | 48 |
 Macau | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 22 | 0 |
| Malaysia | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 46 | 7 |
 Mexico | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 4 |
 Mongolia | 8 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 38 | 12 |
 Morocco | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 |
 Netherlands | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 |
 New Zealand | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 1 |
 North Korea | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 6 | 33 |
 Oman | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 47 | 9 |
| Qatar | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 28 | 3 |
 Saudi Arabia | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 19 | 2 |
| Serbia | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 9 |
| Singapore | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 30 | 6 |
| South Africa | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 23 |
| Thailand | 13 | 10 | 0 | 3 | 58 | 39 |
| Turkey | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 21 | 19 |
 Turkmenistan | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 10 | 8 |
| Total | 137 | 92 | 1 | 44 | 708 | 490 |
