The Improbables · Nation to Glory

Take UAE to Glory

“patient project-builders”

The press pack calls UAE quietly funded, quietly improving, and files them as patient project-builders. The bookmakers put them in the improbables at 1000/1 and drifting.

▶ Play as UAE

The bookmakers

The Improbables — 1000/1 and drifting

The federation's target

Compete with dignity — a point gets framed

Your spine, as your predecessor's notes describe it

In goal, a keeper the project built first. At the back, a defender with immaculate positioning data. Running midfield, a No. 10 the whole Gulf claims. Up front, Adnan Al Talyani, but louder.

One World Cup, forty-odd decisions, no second leg. Pick the shape, name the squad, make the calls from the touchline, and see how far UAE can go. Free to play, one sitting, no sign-up.

▶ Play as UAE

The Favourites · 6/1 – 12/1

ArgentinaBrazilFranceEnglandSpainGermanyPortugalNetherlands

The Contenders · 16/1 – 40/1

ItalyBelgiumCroatiaUruguayMoroccoColombiaUSAMexicoJapanSwitzerlandDenmarkSenegal

The Dark Horses · 66/1 – 150/1

NorwayAustriaUkraineTurkeySwedenPolandSerbiaSouth KoreaAustraliaIranEcuadorNigeriaEgyptAlgeriaScotlandHungaryCzechiaGreeceIvory CoastCanada

The Outsiders · 250/1 – 500/1

WalesPeruChileParaguayTunisiaCameroonGhanaMaliCosta RicaQatarSaudi ArabiaSlovakiaSloveniaRomaniaIrelandNorth MacedoniaBosnia & HerzegovinaGeorgiaFinlandIceland

The Improbables · 1000/1 and drifting

AlbaniaNorthern IrelandIraqUAEUzbekistanJordanBurkina FasoDR CongoSouth AfricaCape VerdePanamaJamaicaHondurasEl SalvadorVenezuelaBoliviaNew ZealandChinaOmanHaiti