Al Ain Football Club (;

transliterated Transliteration is a type of conversion of a text from one writing system, script to another that involves swapping Letter (alphabet), letters (thus ''wikt:trans-#Prefix, trans-'' + ''wikt:littera#Latin, liter-'') in predictable ways, such as ...

: Nady al-'Ayn) is a professional

football club In association football, a football club (or association football club, alternatively soccer club) is a sports club that acts as an entity through which association football teams organise their sporting activities. The club can exist either as ...

based in the city of

Al Ain Al Ain () is a city in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, and the seat of the administrative division of the Al Ain Region. The city is Oman–United Arab Emirates border, bordered to the east by the Omani town of Al-Buraimi. Al A ...

Abu Dhabi Abu Dhabi is the capital city of the United Arab Emirates. The city is the seat of the Abu Dhabi Central Capital District, the capital city of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, and the UAE's List of cities in the United Arab Emirates, second-most popu ...

, United Arab Emirates. It is one of many sport sections of the multi-sports club Al Ain Sports and Cultural Club (). The club was founded in 1968 by players from Al Ain, members of a Bahraini group of exchange students and the Sudanese community working in the

United Arab Emirates The United Arab Emirates (UAE), or simply the Emirates, is a country in West Asia, in the Middle East, at the eastern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is a Federal monarchy, federal elective monarchy made up of Emirates of the United Arab E ...

. The team quickly gained popularity and recognition throughout the country, being the team with the most trophies (38 in total). Al Ain is by far the most successful club in the UAE. Al Ain has won a record 14 UAE Pro League, 7 President's Cups, 5 Super Cups, 3 Federation Cups, two League Cup, two Abu Dhabi Championship, Joint League,

Gulf Club Champions Cup The AGCFF Gulf Club Champions League (), formerly known as the GCC Champions League, is a regional football competition governed by the Arab Gulf Cup Football Federation (AGCFF) for clubs from its eight member nations. The tournament was founde ...

and two

AFC Champions League The AFC Champions League Elite (abbreviated as the ACL Elite) is an annual continental club association football, football competition organised by the Asian Football Confederation, and contested by Asia's List of top-division football clubs i ...

and one Emirati-Moroccan Super Cup. The club is the first and only UAE side so far to win the AFC Champions League.

History

Foundation and early years

In the early 1960s, a group of young men learned the rules of the game by watching British soldiers playing football and formed their own team. The first pitch was very simple and small, taking the shape of a square sandy plot of land on the main street near the Clock Roundabout in Al Ain. In August 1968, the club was officially established, taking its name from the

city A city is a human settlement of a substantial size. The term "city" has different meanings around the world and in some places the settlement can be very small. Even where the term is limited to larger settlements, there is no universally agree ...

they lived. The founders thought it was necessary to have a permanent headquarters for the club and rented a house on the current Khalifa Road for club meetings. The club's founders took responsibility for all the club's affairs, from planning the stadium to cleaning the club headquarters and washing the kit. Sheikh

Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan (; 7 September 1948 – 13 May 2022) was the second president of the United Arab Emirates and the ruler of Abu Dhabi, serving from November 2004 until his death in May 2022. Khalifa was the eldes ...

was approached for assistance and he provided the club with a permanent headquarters in the Al Jahili district and a

Land Rover Land Rover is a brand of predominantly four-wheel drive, off-road capable vehicles, owned by British multinational car manufacturer Jaguar Land Rover (JLR), since 2008 a subsidiary of India's Tata Motors. JLR builds Land Rovers in Brazil ...

to serve the club and the team. Al Ain made a successful debut by beating a team made up of British soldiers and went on to play friendly matches against other Abu Dhabi clubs. In 1971, the team played their first match against international opposition when they were defeated 7–0 by the Egyptian club Ismaily in a friendly match for the war effort. In 1971, a group members of the club (Hadher Khalaf Al Muhairi, Saleem Al Khudrawi, Mohammed Khalaf Al Muhairi and Mahmoud Fadhlullah) broke away and founded Al Tadhamun Club. In 1971, Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan provided the club with new headquarters with modern specifications: the Khalifa Stadium in Al Sarooj district. On 10 November 1974, Al Ain combined with the breakaway Al Tadhamun, to form the ''Al Ain Sports Club''. The first board of directors of the club was formed after the merger under the chairmanship Mohammed Salem Al Dhaheri. The founders were Mohammed Saleh Bin Badooh and Khalifa Nasser Al Suwaidi, Saeed Bin Ghannoum Al Hameli, Abdullah Hazzam, Salem Hassan Al Muhairi, Abdullah and Mane'a Ajlan, Saeed Al Muwaisi, Nasser Dhaen, Abdullah Matar, Juma Al Najem, Ibrahim Al Mahmoud, Ibrahim Rasool and Ali Al Maloud and Ali Bu Majeed, who were the members of the Bahraini group of exchange students and Maamoun Abdulqader, Mahmoud Fadhlullah, Al Fateh Al Talib, Hussain Al Mirghani, Abbas Ali and Nasser, Abdullah Al Mansouri from the Sudanese and Saudi community working in the UAE.

First titles and Entry to the Football League (1974–1997)

On 2 February 1974, the club won its first title, the Abu Dhabi League. On 13 November 1974, Sheikh Khalifa was named honorary president of Al Ain, in recognition of his continuing support for the club. On 21 May 1975, Sheikh Sultan bin Zayed Al Nahyan was elected Chairman of Board of Directors. In 1975, Al Ain won its second Abu Dhabi League. In the same year on 21 March 1975, the club played its first UAE President Cup losing 4–5 on penalties in the Round of 16 against Al Shaab after drawing 1–1 in normal time. In 1975–76 season, the team participated for the first time in the UAE Football League, finishing runners-up behind Al Ahli. Al Ain won its first League title in the 1976–77 season, after drawing 1–1 with Al Sharjah in the last match. In the following season, they finished runners-up to Al Nasr; Mohieddine Habita was the top scorer with 20 goals. In the 1978–79 season, Al Ain secure third place with 27 points in the league and defeated by Sharjah in the President Cup final.

Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan (born 11 March 1961), also known as MbZ, is an Emirati royal and politician who is serving as the third and current president of the United Arab Emirates and ruler of Abu Dhabi since 2022. Mohamed completed his edu ...

became president of Al Ain on 19 January 1979. Al Ain won the League again in the 1980–81 season and lost the President Cup final to Al Shabab of Dubai. In 1983–84, the team won Joint League Cup and followed with its third League title, becoming the second with Al Ahli to have won the championship three times. The team had the strongest attack with 35 goals, and Ahmed Abdullah, with 20 goals was the joint-winner of the Arab League Golden Boot award for top scorer, alongside Al Wasl striker Fahad Khamees. This season was the first season in which foreign players were excluded from the UAE League, a restriction which was opposed by Al Ain. After winning the League title in 1983–84 season, Al Ain failed to win any trophies until 1989 when they won the Federation Cup. In the following year they reached the final of the President Cup, losing to Al Shabab. The 1992–93 season began with several new signings: Saif Sultan ( Ittihad Kalba), Salem Johar (

Ajman Ajman ( '; Gulf Arabic: عيمان ''ʿYmān'') is the capital of the emirate of Ajman in the United Arab Emirates. It is the List of cities in the United Arab Emirates, fifth-largest city in UAE after Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah and Al Ain. Loca ...

), Saeed Juma (

Emirates Emirates may refer to: * United Arab Emirates The United Arab Emirates (UAE), or simply the Emirates, is a country in West Asia, in the Middle East, at the eastern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is a Federal monarchy, federal elective ...

). Al Ain won their fourth League title with three games left to play, after a 5–0 win at Al Khaleej. In the following season, they finished second in the

Football League The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional association football, football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, it is the oldest football league in Association football around the world, the w ...

and were runners-up the 1993 UAE Super Cup losing 2–1 against Al Shaab. They also reached the President Cup final but were beaten 1–0 by Al Shabab, failing for the fourth time to win the Cup. In 1994 and 1995, Al Ain lost two President Cup finals, finished second in the League, won the 1995 UAE Super Cup and lost out in the Asian Cup Winners' Cup second round to the Kuwaiti team Kazma. In the 1996–97 season, Al Ain were eliminated in the round of 16 of the President Cup by Hatta and finished fourth in the

The Golden Age (1997–2003)

Before the start of the 1997–98 season, the honorary board was formed on 7 June 1997. After this initiative, Al Ain won the league championship. In the following season, they won the President Cup and finished runner-up in the league and secured the third place in their second appearance in

Asian Club Championship The AFC Champions League Elite (abbreviated as the ACL Elite) is an annual continental club football competition organised by the Asian Football Confederation, and contested by Asia's top-division football clubs. It is the most prestigious cl ...

, after the

1985 The year 1985 was designated as the International Youth Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** The Internet's Domain Name System is created. ** Greenland withdraws from the European Economic Community as a result of a n ...

. Ilie Balaci took charge in 1999. He led them to their sixth League championship, while in the Asian Cup Winners' Cup they were eliminated by Al Jaish on the

away goals rule The away goals rule is a method of tiebreaking in association football and other sports when teams play each other twice, once at each team's home ground. Under the away goals rule, if the total goals scored by each team are equal, the team that ...

in the first round. In 2003, Al Ain contested the

competition. In the Group stage they won all three matches, beating Al Hilal of

Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in West Asia. Located in the centre of the Middle East, it covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula and has a land area of about , making it the List of Asian countries ...

, Al Sadd of

Qatar Qatar, officially the State of Qatar, is a country in West Asia. It occupies the Geography of Qatar, Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in the Middle East; it shares Qatar–Saudi Arabia border, its sole land b ...

and Esteghlal of

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...

. In the semi-final they were matched against the Chinese side Dalian Shide over two legs. In the first game, Al Ain won 4–2 at home, with Boubacar Sanogo scoring twice. In the return match in China Al Ain went 4–2 down with six minutes to play but won 7–6 on aggregate after a late goal by Farhad Majidi the Iranian legend. The final saw Al Ain face BEC Tero Sasana of

Thailand Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...

. In the home leg, Al Ain prevailed 2–0 with goals from Salem Johar and Mohammad Omar. At the

Rajamangala Stadium The Rajamangala National Stadium (; , ) is the national stadium of Thailand national football team. It is part of the Hua Mak Sports Complex, and is located in Hua Mak Subdistrict, Bang Kapi, Bangkok. Its official opening on 6 December 1998 co ...

on 11 October, Al Ain were beaten 1–0 by Tero Sasana, but won 2–1 on aggregate to become the first Emirati club to win the Champions League.

New Era (2016–''present'')

In December 2018, Al Ain which celebrated the 50th anniversary participating in the 2018 FIFA Club World Cup, representing the host nation as the reigning champions of the UAE Pro-League. Al Ain beat

Team Wellington Team Wellington Football Club was an association football club based in the suburb of Miramar in Wellington, New Zealand. They competed in the ISPS Handa Premiership. Team Wellington had traditionally been one of the most successful football c ...

from

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

in the first round and

Espérance de Tunis :''See also Esperance (disambiguation)'' Espérance is one of the two French language, French words that can be translated into "hope", the other being "espoir". Whereas the latter is closer to the idea of "dream" or "fantasy" and corresponds to mo ...

of 2018 CAF Champions League champions to enter semifinal. On 18 December 2018, Al Ain defeated

Copa Libertadores The CONMEBOL Libertadores, also known as Copa Libertadores de América (), is an annual continental club football competition organized by CONMEBOL since 1960. It is the highest level of competition in South American club football. The tournam ...

champions River Plate by penalties hosted in their home stadium

Hazza Bin Zayed Stadium The Hazza bin Zayed Stadium () is a multi-purpose stadium, located in the city of Al-Ain, Abu Dhabi, the UAE. It is the home stadium of Al-Ain FC of the UAE Pro-League. The stadium holds 22,717 spectators and opened in 2014. The stadium was nam ...

to enter the final for the first time in team history and became the first Emirati club to reach the decisive match. On 22 December during the

2018 FIFA Club World Cup Final The 2018 FIFA Club World Cup final was the final match of the 2018 FIFA Club World Cup, an international club association football tournament hosted by the United Arab Emirates. It was the 15th final of the FIFA Club World Cup, a FIFA-organised t ...

, Al Ain lost 4–1 to

UEFA Champions League The UEFA Champions League (UCL) is an annual club association football competition organised by the UEFA, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) that is contested by List of top-division football clubs in UEFA countries, top-divisio ...

winners

Real Madrid Real Madrid Club de Fútbol (), commonly referred to as Real Madrid, is a Spanish professional Football club (association football), football club based in Madrid. The club competes in La Liga, th ...

at the Zayed Sports City Stadium in

with Japanese player Tsukasa Shiotani scoring the only goal for the club. In the

2023–24 AFC Champions League The 2023–24 AFC Champions League was the 42nd edition of Asia's premier club football tournament organized by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), and the 21st and final under the AFC Champions League title, as the competition would be rebra ...

campaign, Al Ain was drawn with Saudi Arabia club Al Fayha, Uzbekistan side Pakhtakor and Turkmenistan side Ahal FK. Al Ain than finished the group as group leaders with 5 wins, 0 draws and 1 losses which saw the club qualified to the Round of 16. Al Ain then faced Uzbekistan club Nasaf in which Al Ain won 3–0 on aggregate to qualify to the quarter-finals. Al Ain then faced Saudi Arabian giants Al Nassr, containing multiplies world renowned superstars, like

Cristiano Ronaldo Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro (; born 5 February 1985) is a Portuguese professional Association football, footballer who plays as a Forward (association football), forward for and Captain (association football), captains both Saudi Pr ...

Sadio Mané Sadio Mané (born 10 April 1992) is a Senegalese professional footballer who plays as a forward or left winger for Saudi Pro League club Al-Nassr and the Senegal national team. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest African players o ...

, Alex Telles, David Ospina, Aymeric Laporte, Marcelo Brozović and Talisca. Al Ain won the first leg 1–0 at home but suffered a 4–3 away defeat after extra time, which saw the game being tied 4–4 on aggregate leading to a penalty shootout. Al Ain managed to win 3–1 on penalties, thus seeing them qualified to the semi-finals against another Saudi Arabian giants, Al Hilal. On 17 April 2024, Al Ain won Al Hilal 4–2 at home, with Moroccan Soufiane Rahimi scoring a hat-trick in the match for the club. However, Al Ain suffered an 2–1 away defeat to Al Hilal but managed to qualify to the 2023–24 AFC Champions League final 5–4 on aggregate, thus seeing them face Japanese Yokohama F. Marinos where they’d suffer a 2-1 defeat in the first leg. However, in the second leg they’d go on to win 5-1 and win 6-3 on aggregate making them champions of Asia.

Club rivalries

Abu Dhabi Classico (Al Ain vs Al Wahda)

Al Ain–Shabab Al Ahli rivalry

Al Ain–Sharjah rivalry

Crest, colours, logo

Crests

Al Jahili Fort is considered as a symbol of the club, because it reflects the history of the city and also was the formal home of Sheikh

Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan (; 6 May 1918 – 2 November 2004) was an Emirati royal, politician, philanthropist and the founder of the United Arab Emirates. Zayed served as the governor of Eastern Region from 1946 until he became ...

since 1946 when he was a ruler's representative. It officially became a crest for the club in 1980. They import a two stars in their emblem because of their AFC Champions League's 2x winners (2003 and 2023).

Logo

3 colors purple, gold and white are used in Al Ain club logo. Inside the logo, the name of the club is engraved in Arabic and English. In the middle of the logo, there is an image of Al Jahili Fort Castle, and at the end of the logo, the date of the club's establishment is written. Above the logo, two golden stars can be seen which means winning two championship positions in

Kits and colours

The team began playing in green and white in 1968. After merging with Al Tadhamon in 1974, their red colour became Al Ain's from season 1974–75 until the start of season 1976–77. During the first team training camp in Morocco in 1977, a friendly tournament was held by Moroccan club

Wydad Casablanca Wydad Athletic Club (, ), often known outside Morocco as Wydad Casablanca, is a Moroccan sports club based in Casablanca. Wydad AC is best known for its professional football team that competes in Botola, the top tier of the Moroccan football ...

with the

Nice Nice ( ; ) is a city in and the prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes department in France. The Nice agglomeration extends far beyond the administrative city limits, with a population of nearly one million Sporting CP Sporting Clube de Portugal (), otherwise referred to as Sporting CP or simply Sporting (particularly within Portugal), or as Sporting Lisbon in other countries,

, and

Anderlecht Anderlecht (; ) is one of the List of municipalities of the Brussels-Capital Region, 19 municipalities of the Brussels-Capital Region, Belgium. Located in the south-western part of the region, it is bordered by the City of Brussels, Forest, B ...

. Al Ain admired Anderlecht's purple colors, and an idea came to change Al Ain's colors to purple. The idea was presented to Sheikh Hamdan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, who agreed to change the club colors officially to the purple with the beginning of the season 1977–78. ;Notes

Kit suppliers and shirt sponsors

Grounds

Al Ain first playground was set up on the main street near the Clock Roundabout in

. Took the shape of a square sandy plot of land. In 1971, Al Ain moved to new stadium in Al Sarouj district at a cost of £40,290. On 18 June 1978, the new stadium named after honorary president Khalifa Bin Zayed known as Sheikh Khalifa International Stadium. The stadium underwent a renovation in 2002 and increased its capacity to 12,000 people and as of the 2006–07 season all the Al Ain matches are played in this stadium. The stadium went through another significant upgrade and renovation, to prepare for the

2019 AFC Asian Cup The 2019 AFC Asian Cup (or commonly called the Asian Cup 2019) was the 17th edition of the men's AFC Asian Cup, the quadrennial international association football, football championship of Asia organised by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) ...

, hosted in the UAE. As of 14 January 2014, Hazza bin Zayed been Al Ain home ground.

Honours

* *

Minor titles

* Abu Dhabi Championship ** Winners (2): 1973–74, 1974–75

Awards & recognitions

* Globe Soccer for The Best Middle East Club: 2024

Doubles and trebles

* Doubles: ** League and President's Cup (1): 2017–18 ** League and League Cup (1): 2021–22 ** President's Cup and Federation Cup/ League Cup (3): 2004–05, 2005–06, 2008–09 * Trebles: ** League,

Super Cup A super cup is a competition, in association football, basketball, handball, volleyball and rugby union which often forms the 'curtain raiser' to a season, and typically involves only two teams who have qualified through success in other competi ...

and Champions League (1): 2002–03

Players

Current squad

Out on loan

Personnel

Current technical staff

{, class="wikitable" , - ! style="color:#FFFFFF; background: #7300E6; border:2px solid #D8B31B;", Position ! style="color:#FFFFFF; background: #7300E6; border:2px solid #D8B31B;", Name , - , Head coach , Vladimir Ivić , - , Assistant coaches , Miloš Veselinović
Ahmed Abdullah
Abdulla Khaseeb Alnasri
Salem Al-Kaabi , - , Chief analyst , , Carles Martínez , - , Analyst , Jamal Al-Karbi , - , Goalkeeping coaches , Christos Kelpekis , - , Fitness coach , Nikolaos Amanatidis , - , U-21 team head coach , Ismail Ahmed , - , Physiotherapist , Santiago Thompson
Felipe Perseu Pianca
Abdelnasser Aljohny , - , Club Doctor , Nikos Tzouroudis , - , Nutritionist , Ricardo Pinto , - , Scout , Daniele Di Napoli , - , Team manager , Ahmed Al Shamsi , - , Team supervisor , Abdullah Al Shamsi

Management

{, class="wikitable" , - ! style="color:#FFFFFF; background:#7300E6; border:2px solid #D8B31B;", Position ! style="color:#FFFFFF; background:#7300E6; border:2px solid #D8B31B;", Name , -

Board of directors

{, class="wikitable" , - ! style="color:#FFFFFF; background:#7300E6; border:2px solid #D8B31B;", Office ! style="color:#FFFFFF; background:#7300E6; border:2px solid #D8B31B;", Name , -

Managerial history

^* Served as caretaker coach. {, class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; display:inline-table;" ! style="color:#FFFFFF; background: #7300E6; border:2px solid #D8B31B;", No. ! style="color:#FFFFFF; background: #7300E6; border:2px solid #D8B31B;", Nationality ! style="color:#FFFFFF; background: #7300E6; border:2px solid #D8B31B;", Head coach ! style="color:#FFFFFF; background: #7300E6; border:2px solid #D8B31B;", From ! style="color:#FFFFFF; background: #7300E6; border:2px solid #D8B31B;", Until ! style="color:#FFFFFF; background: #7300E6; border:2px solid #D8B31B;", Honours , - , 1 , , align=center, ^* , , 1968, , 1971 , , - , 2 , , align=center, , , 1971 , , 1973 , , - , 3 , , align=center, , , 1973, , 1976 , 2 Abu Dhabi Championship , - , 4 , , align=center, , , 1976, , 1978 , 1 Championship , - , 5 , , align=center, , , 1978, , 1979 , , - , 6 , , align=center, , , 1979, , 1980 , , - , 7 , , align=center, ^* , , 1980, , 1982 , 1 Championship , - , 8 , , align=center, , , 1982, , 1984 , 1 Championship,
1 Joint League , - , 9 , , align=center, , , 1984, , 1986 , , - , 10 , , align=center, , , 1986, , 1986 , , - , 11 , , align=center, , , 1986, , 1988 , , - , 12 , , align=center, , , 1988, , 1990 , 1 Federation Cup , - , 13 , , align=center, , , 1990, , 1992 , , - , 14 , , align=center, , , 1992, , 1992 , , - , 15 , , align=center, , , 1992, , 1995 , 1 Championship , - , 16 , , align=center, , , 1995, , 1995 , 1 Supercup , - , 17 , , align=center, , , 1995, , 1996 , , - , 18 , , align=center, , , 1996, , 1996 , , - , 19 , , align=center, Yusri Abdul Ghani* , , 1996, , 1997 , , - , 20 , , align=center, , , 1997, , 1997 , , - , 21 , , align=center, , , 1997, , 1998 , 1 Championship , - , 22 , , align=center, , , 1998, , 15 November 1998 , , - , 23 , , align=center, , , 15 November 1998, , 10 May 2000 , 1 President's Cup
1 Championship , - , 24 , , align=center, , , 29 June 2000, , November 2000 , , - , 25 , , align=center, , , November 2000, , March 2001 , 1 Gulf Club Champions Cup , - , 26 , , align=center, , , March 2001, , 4 January 2002 , 1 President's Cup , - , 27 , , align=center, ^* , , 6 January 2002, , 8 January 2002 , , - , 28 , , align=center, , , 8 January 2002, , 15 June 2002 , 1 Championship , - , 29 , , align=center, , , 14 July 2002, , 1 June 2004 , 2 Championships,
1 Champions League,
1 Supercup , - , 30 , , align=center, , , July 2004, , 21 Oct 2004 , , - , 31 , , align=center, ^* , , 23 Oct 2004, , Jan 2005 , 1 Federation Cup {, class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; display:inline-table;" ! style="color:#FFFFFF; background: #7300E6; border:2px solid #D8B31B;", No. ! style="color:#FFFFFF; background: #7300E6; border:2px solid #D8B31B;", Nationality ! style="color:#FFFFFF; background: #7300E6; border:2px solid #D8B31B;", Head coach ! style="color:#FFFFFF; background: #7300E6; border:2px solid #D8B31B;", From ! style="color:#FFFFFF; background: #7300E6; border:2px solid #D8B31B;", Until ! style="color:#FFFFFF; background: #7300E6; border:2px solid #D8B31B;", Honours , - , 32 , , align=center, , , Jan 2005, , Jan 2006 , 1 President's Cup , - , 33 , , align=center, ^* , , Jan 2006, , June 2006 , , 1 President's Cup,
1 Federation Cup , - , 34 , , align=center, , , June 2006, , Nov 2006 , , - , 35 , , align=center, ^* , , Nov 2006, , January 2007 , , - , 36 , , align=center, , , 7 January 2007, , 1 June 2007 , , - , 37 , , align=center, , , 9 July 2007, , 22 Dec 2007 , , - , 38 , , align=center, , , 25 Dec 2007, , 2 Dec 2009 , 1 League Cup,
1 President's Cup,
1 Supercup , - , 39 , , align=center, ^* , , 2 Dec 2009, , 6 Dec 2009 , , - , 40 , , align=center, , , 6 Dec 2009, , 14 April 2010 , , - , 41 , , align=center, ^* , , 14 April 2010, , 20 Dec 2010 , , - , 42 , , align=center, ^* , , 20 Dec 2010, , 30 Dec 2010 , , - , 43 , , align=center, , , 30 Dec 2010, , 6 June 2011 , , - , 44 , , align=center, , , 6 June 2011, , 6 July 2013 , 2 Championships,
1 Supercup , - , 45 , , align=center, , , 29 July 2013, , 13 Sept 2013 , , - , 46 , , align=center, ^* , , 13 Sept 2013, , 27 Sept 2013 , , - , 47 , , align=center, , , 27 Sept 2013, , 8 March 2014 , , - , 48 , , align=center, , , 8 March 2014, , 23 January 2017 , 1 Championship,
1 President's Cup,
1 Supercup
1 Emirati-Moroccan Super Cup , - , 49 , , align=center, ^* , , 23 January 2017, , 1 February 2017 , , - , 50 , , align=center, , , 1 February 2017, , 30 January 2019 , 1 Championship,
1 President's Cup , - , 51 , , align=center, ^* , , 30 January 2019, , 18 February 2019 , , - , 52 , , align=center, , , 18 February 2019, , 26 May 2019 , , - , 53 , , align=center, , , 1 June 2019, , 21 December 2019 , , - , 54 , , align=center, ^* , , 21 December 2019, , 5 January 2020 , , - , 55 , , align=center, , , 5 January 2020, , 11 May 2021 , , - , 56 , , align=center, , , 6 June 2021, , 27 May 2023 , 1 Championship,
1 League Cup , - , 57 , , align=center, , , 27 May 2023, , 8 November 2023 , , - , 58 , , align=center, , , 14 November 2023, , ''6 November 2024'' , 1 Champions League

Record

Recent seasons

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, GS , rowspan="7" colspan="2", — , style="text-align:left",

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Omar Abdulrahman, , 11 , style="text-align:left", Abdulhameed Al Mistaki*
Ahmed Abdullah*
Alexandre Gallo , - , 2011–12 , bgcolor=, 1, , bgcolor=gold, 1st, , 22, , 17, , 4, , 1, , 52, , 16, , +36, , 55 , QF , GS , colspan="2", — , style="text-align:left", Asamoah Gyan, , 27 , rowspan="2" style="text-align:left", Cosmin Olăroiu , - , 2012–13 , bgcolor=, 1, , bgcolor=gold, 1st, , 26, , 20, , 2, , 4, , 74, , 26, , +48, , 62 , SF , GS , bgcolor=gold, C ,

, GS , style="text-align:left", Asamoah Gyan, , 32 , - , 2013–14 , bgcolor=, 1, , 6th, , 26, , 12, , 7, , 7, , 52, , 33, , +19, , 43 , bgcolor=gold, C , GS , bgcolor=silver, RU ,

, bgcolor=FFFFCC, QF , style="text-align:left", Asamoah Gyan, , 45 , style="text-align:left", Jorge Fossati
Ahmed Abdullah*
Quique Flores

Zlatko Dalić Zlatko Dalić (; born 26 October 1966) is a Croatian people, Croatian professional Association football, football Manager (association football), manager and former Football player, player. He has been the manager of the Croatia national football ...

, - , rowspan="3", 2014–15 , rowspan="3", 1, , bgcolor=gold rowspan="3", 1st, , rowspan="3", 26, , rowspan="3", 18, , rowspan="3", 6, , rowspan="3", 2, , rowspan="3", 62, , rowspan="3", 19, , rowspan="3", +43, , rowspan="3", 60 , rowspan="3", QF , rowspan="3", GS , rowspan="3" bgcolor=silver, RU , - ,

, SF , rowspan="2" style="text-align:left", Asamoah Gyan, , rowspan="2", 24 , rowspan="3" style="text-align:left",

, - ,

, R16 , - , 2015–16 , 1, , bgcolor=silver, 2nd, , , 26, , 18, , 3, , 5, , 53, , 24, , +29, , 57 , bgcolor=silver, RU , GS , bgcolor=gold, C ,

, bgcolor=FFFFCC, QF , Emirati-Moroccan Super Cup , bgcolor=gold, C , style="text-align:left", Douglas, , 18 , - , rowspan="2", 2016–17 , rowspan="2", 1, , rowspan="2", 4th, , rowspan="2", 26, , rowspan="2", 17, , rowspan="2", 4, , rowspan="2", 5, , rowspan="2", 58, , rowspan="2", 37, , rowspan="2", +21, , rowspan="2", 55 , rowspan="2", QF , rowspan="2", GS , rowspan="4", — , rowspan="2", W ,

, bgcolor=silver, RU , rowspan="4" colspan="2", — , rowspan="2" style="text-align:left", Caio Lucas, , rowspan="2", 18 , rowspan="2" style="text-align:left",

Joško Španjić*
Zoran Mamić , - ,

, bgcolor=FFFFCC, QF , - , rowspan="2", 2017–18 , rowspan="2", 1, , rowspan="2" bgcolor=gold , 1st, , rowspan="2", 22, , rowspan="2", 16, , rowspan="2", 5, , rowspan="2", 1, , rowspan="2", 65, , rowspan="2", 23, , rowspan="2", +42, , rowspan="2", 53 , rowspan="2" bgcolor=gold, C , rowspan="2", QF , rowspan="2", — ,

, QF , rowspan="2" style="text-align:left",

Marcus Berg Bengt Erik Markus Berg (; born 17 August 1986) is a Swedish former professional association football, footballer who played as a striker (association football), striker. He is currently assistant coach for Allsvenskan club IFK Göteborg. Beginn ...

, , rowspan="2", 35 , rowspan="2" style="text-align:left", Zoran Mamić , - ,

, R16 , - , 2018–19 , 1, , 4th, , 26, , 14, , 4, , 8, , 45, , 35, , +10, , 46 , R16 , QF , bgcolor=silver, RU , R32 ,

, GS ,

FIFA Club World Cup The FIFA Club World Cup (FIFA CWC) is an international men's association football competition organised by the ''Fédération Internationale de Football Association'' (FIFA), the sport's global sports governing body, governing body. The compe ...

, bgcolor=silver, RU , style="text-align:left", Caio Lucas, , 17 , style="text-align:left", Zoran Mamić
Željko Sopić*
Juan Garrido , -bgcolor="lightpink" , 2019–20 , 1, , 2nd, , 19, , 11, , 4, , 4, , 46, , 21, , +25, , 37 , ''Finalists'' , SF , — , rowspan="5" bgcolor=#F8F9FA, — , bgcolor=#F8F9FA,

, bgcolor=#F8F9FA, GS , rowspan="5" colspan="2" bgcolor=#F8F9FA, — , bgcolor=#F8F9FA style="text-align:left", Kodjo Laba, , bgcolor=#F8F9FA, 28 , bgcolor=#F8F9FA style="text-align:left", Ivan Leko
Ghazi Fahad*

Pedro Emanuel Pedro Emanuel dos Santos Martins Silva (born 11 February 1975), known as Pedro Emanuel, is a Portuguese retired Association football, footballer who played mainly as a Defender (association football)#Centre-back, central defender, currently Manag ...

, - , 2020–21 , 1, , 6th, , 26, , 11, , 8, , 7, , 39, , 33, , +6, , 41 , R16 , First Round , rowspan="2", — ,

, QS , style="text-align:left", Kodjo Laba, , 13 , style="text-align:left",

, - , 2021–22 , bgcolor=, 1, , bgcolor=gold, 1st, , 26, , 20, , 5, , 1, , 57, , 17, , +40, , 65 , QF , bgcolor=gold, C , rowspan="2" colspan="2", — , style="text-align:left", Kodjo Laba, , 31 , style="text-align:left", Serhiy Rebrov , - , 2022–23 , bgcolor=, 1, , bgcolor=silver, 2nd, , 26, , 16, , 6, , 4, , 67, , 31, , +36, , 54 , bgcolor=silver, RU , bgcolor=silver, RU , bgcolor=silver, RU , style="text-align:left", Kodjo Laba, , 31 , style="text-align:left", Serhiy Rebrov , - , 2023–24 , bgcolor=, 1, , bgcolor="#cc9966", 3rd, , 26, , 14, , 3, , 9, , 54, , 37, , +17, , 45 , Quarter-finals , bgcolor=silver, RU , — ,

, bgcolor=gold, C , style="text-align:left", Soufiane Rahimi, , 23 , style="text-align:left", Alfred Schreuder

Hernán Crespo Hernán Jorge Crespo (; born 5 July 1975) is an Argentine professional football coach and former player. He was most recently the head coach of UAE Pro League club Al Ain. A prolific striker, Crespo scored over 300 goals in a career spanning ...

{, class="wikitable" , - , bgcolor=gold, Champions , style="background:silver", Runners-up , style="background:#cc9966", 3rd place , style="background:LemonChiffon", Advanced to next round but the cup continued in next season Notes

Most appearances

:''As of match played 25 May 2024'' ''The below list is since the professional era starting in 2008–09.''
''Bold indicates player is still active at club level.'' {, class="wikitable sortable" , - !scope=col style="color:#FFFFFF; background: #7300E6; border:2px solid #D8B31B;", Rank !scope=col style="color:#FFFFFF; background: #7300E6; border:2px solid #D8B31B;", Player !scope=col style="color:#FFFFFF; background: #7300E6; border:2px solid #D8B31B;", Years !scope=col style="color:#FFFFFF; background: #7300E6; border:2px solid #D8B31B;", Total , - , 1 , , 2013– , 389 , - , rowspan="2", 2 , Mohanad Salem , 2008–2021 , 331 , - , Mohammed Abdulrahman , 2008–2021 , 331 , - , 4 , Ismail Ahmed , 2008–2021 , 328 , - , 5 , Bandar Al-Ahbabi , 2010– , 241 , - , 6 , , 2008–2018 , 231 , - , 7 , Mohamed Ahmed , 2012–2023 , 212

Top goalscorers

''Updated 21 January 2025.''
''Note: this includes goals scored in all competitions.'' {, class="wikitable sortable" , - !scope=col style="color:#FFFFFF; background: #7300E6; border:2px solid #D8B31B;", Rank !scope=col style="color:#FFFFFF; background: #7300E6; border:2px solid #D8B31B;", Player !scope=col style="color:#FFFFFF; background: #7300E6; border:2px solid #D8B31B;", Years !scope=col style="color:#FFFFFF; background: #7300E6; border:2px solid #D8B31B;", Goals(League goals only) , - , 1 , Ahmed Abdullah , 1978–1995 , 185(122) , - , 2 , Kodjo Fo-Doh Laba , 2019–''present'' , 140(113) , - , 3 , Asamoah Gyan , 2011–2015 , 128(95) , - , 4 , Matar Al Sahbani , 1983-?? , 93(37) , - , 5 , Majid Al Owais , 1992–2001 , At least 90(86) , - , 6 , Mohieddine Habita , 1976–1983 , 71(57) , - , 7 , Omar Abdulrahman , 2008–2018 , 62(39) , - , 8 , Salem Johar , 1992–2005 , 60(53) , - , 9 , Soufiane Rahimi , 2019– , 60(33) , - , 10 , Saif Sultan , 1992–2005 , 55(45)

Top scorers in Asian competitions

''Since 2002–03 AFC Champions League, includes goals scored in qualifying play-off''
''Statistics correct as of 6 December 2024'' {, border="0" class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;font-size:95%" !scope=col style="color:#FFFFFF; background: #7300E6; border:2px solid #D8B31B;", R !scope=col style="color:#FFFFFF; background: #7300E6; border:2px solid #D8B31B;", Player !scope=col style="color:#FFFFFF; background: #7300E6; border:2px solid #D8B31B;", TOTAL , - , rowspan=3, 1, , align=left, Omar Abdulrahman , , rowspan=3 align=center, 18 , - , align=left, Asamoah Gyan , - , align="left" , Soufiane Rahimi , - , 4 , align="left" , Kodjo Fo-Doh Laba , , align=center, 10 , - , 5, , align="left" ,

, , align="center" , 9 , - , rowspan=2, 6, , align=left, Boubacar Sanogo , , rowspan=2 align=center, 7 , - , align=left, Ibrahim Diaky , - , rowspan=2, 8, , align=left, Nenad Jestrović , , rowspan=2 align=center, 6 , - , align=left, Caio Lucas , - , rowspan=4, 10, , align=left, Mohamed Abdulrahman , , rowspan=4 align=center, 5 , - , align=left, Douglas , - , align=left, Danilo Asprilla , - , align=left, Subait Khater

Asian

Overview

{, class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align: center;" , - !Competition!!Played!!Won!!Drew!!Lost!!GF!!GA!!GD!!Win% , - , align=left, , - , align=left, , - class="sortbottom" ! * GF = Goals For. GA = Goals Against. GD = Goal Difference.

Participations

{, width=80% class="wikitable" style="text-align:" , - ! width=20%, Competition ! width=5%,

1995 1995 was designated as: * United Nations Year for Tolerance * World Year of Peoples' Commemoration of the Victims of the Second World War This was the first year that the Internet was entirely privatized, with the United States government ...

! width=5%,

1999 1999 was designated as the International Year of Older Persons. Events January * January 1 – The euro currency is established and the European Central Bank assumes its full powers. * January 3 – The Mars Polar Lander is launc ...

! width=5%,

2000 2000 was designated as the International Year for the Culture of Peace and the World Mathematics, Mathematical Year. Popular culture holds the year 2000 as the first year of the 21st century and the 3rd millennium, because of a tende ...

! width=5%,

2001 The year's most prominent event was the September 11 attacks against the United States by al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror. The United States led a Participan ...

! width=5%,

2002 The effects of the September 11 attacks of the previous year had a significant impact on the affairs of 2002. The war on terror was a major political focus. Without settled international law, several nations engaged in anti-terror operation ...

! width=5%,

2003 2003 was designated by the United Nations as the International Year of Fresh water, Freshwater. In 2003, a Multi-National Force – Iraq, United States-led coalition 2003 invasion of Iraq, invaded Iraq, starting the Iraq War. Demographic ...

! width=5%,

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and Its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 60 ...

! width=5%,

2005 2005 was designated as the International Year for Sport and Physical Education and the International Year of Microcredit. The beginning of 2005 also marked the end of the International Decade of the World's Indigenous Peoples, Internationa ...

! width=5%,

2006 2006 was designated as the International Year of Deserts and Desertification. Events January * January 1– 4 – Russia temporarily cuts shipment of natural gas to Ukraine during a price dispute. * January 12 – A stampede during t ...

! width=5%,

2007 2007 was designated as the International Heliophysical Year and the International Polar Year. Events January * January 1 **Bulgaria and Romania 2007 enlargement of the European Union, join the European Union, while Slovenia joins the Eur ...

! width=5%,

2010 The year saw a multitude of natural and environmental disasters such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the 2010 Chile earthquake. The 2009 swine flu pandemic, swine flu pandemic which began the previous year ...

! width=5%,

2011 The year marked the start of a Arab Spring, series of protests and revolutions throughout the Arab world advocating for democracy, reform, and economic recovery, later leading to the depositions of world leaders in Tunisia, Egypt, and Yemen ...

! width=5%,

2013 2013 was the first year since 1987 to contain four unique digits (a span of 26 years). 2013 was designated as: *International Year of Water Cooperation *International Year of Quinoa Events January * January 5 – 2013 Craig, Alask ...

! width=5%,

2014 The year 2014 was marked by the surge of the Western African Ebola epidemic, West African Ebola epidemic, which began in 2013, becoming the List of Ebola outbreaks, most widespread outbreak of the Ebola, Ebola virus in human history, resul ...

! width=5%,

2015 2015 was designated by the United Nations as: * International Year of Light * International Year of Soil __TOC__ Events January * January 1 – Lithuania officially adopts the euro as its currency, replacing the litas, and becomes ...

! width=5%,

2016 2016 was designated as: * International Year of Pulses by the sixty-eighth session of the United Nations General Assembly. * International Year of Global Understanding (IYGU) by the International Council for Science (ICSU), the Internationa ...

! width=5%,

2017 2017 was designated as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development by the United Nations General Assembly. Events January * January 1 – Istanbul nightclub shooting: A gunman dressed as Santa Claus opens fire at the ...

! width=5%,

2018 Events January * January 1 – Bulgaria takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, after the Estonian presidency. * January 4 – SPLM-IO rebels loyal to Chan Garang Lual start a raid against Juba, capital of ...

! width=5%,

2019 This was the year in which the first known human case of COVID-19 was documented, preceding COVID-19 pandemic, the pandemic which was declared by the World Health Organization the following year. Up to that point, 2019 had been described as ...

! width=5%,

2020 The year 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of even ...

! width=5%,

2021 Like the year 2020, 2021 was also heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, due to the emergence of multiple Variants of SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19 variants. The major global rollout of COVID-19 vaccines, which began at the end of 2020, continued ...

! width=5%,

2024 The year saw the list of ongoing armed conflicts, continuation of major armed conflicts, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Myanmar civil war (2021–present), Myanmar civil war, the Sudanese civil war (2023–present), Sudane ...

, - align=center , Asian Cup Winners' Cup , , 2R , , , , 1R , , , , QF , - align=center , Club Championship / Champions League , , , , bgcolor=cc9966, 3rd , , , , 2R , , , , bgcolor=gold, C , , QF , , bgcolor=silver, RU , , QF , , GS , , GS , , GS , , GS , , SF , , R16 , , bgcolor=silver, RU , , QF , , R16 , , GS , , GS , , QS , , bgcolor=gold, C * ''QS'' : ''Qualifying Stage'', ''1R/2R'' : ''First/Second round'', ''GS'' : ''Group Stage'', ''R16'' : ''Round of 16'', ''QF'' : ''Quarterfinals'', ''SF'' : ''Semifinal'', ''RU'' : ''Runner-up'', ''C'' : ''Champions''

References

External links

*
Al Ain FC
on Arabian Gulf League official website
Al Ain FC
on AFC official website {{DEFAULTSORT:Al Ain Association football clubs established in 1968 1968 establishments in the Trucial States Football clubs in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi Ain Multi-sport clubs in the United Arab Emirates AFC Champions League Elite winning clubs