United FC (Dubai)
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| Full name | United Football Club Dubai | |||
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| Founded | 1 September 2022 | |||
| Stadium | ISD Stadium Pitch | |||
| President | Ilie Cebanu | |||
| Head coach | Andrea Pirlo | |||
| League | UAE First Division League | |||
| 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 First Division League, having been promoted from the UAE Second Division in the 2022–23 season.[1]
History
Founding
The club was founded in September 2022. It began its journey in UAE Second Division.[citation needed]
Season 2022/2023
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.[citation needed]
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.[citation needed]
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.[citation needed]
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 2022-2023 champions Shabab Al Ahli Club, the club with the most championships Al Ain FC and 2023 cup champions Sharjah FC.[citation needed]
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.[citation needed]
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 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 Pape Gueye,[4] who is the best goalscorer of the UAE Second Division League 2022/2023 and Moussa Ouedraogo who was chosen the MVP of United FC by the team. Quincy Promes[5] and Adrien Silva[6] were signed in the beginning of the season. The season started with the victory against Gulf United FC in UAE President Cup tournament. 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. [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]
Partnerships
In the summer of 2023, United FC signed the partnership deal with ISD. The ISD Stadium Pitch serves as home for United FC which is located in Dubai Sports City.
Also the football legends, Marco Materazzi and Luca Antonini, attended the first home game in 2023–2024 season.[citation needed]
Also United FC signed sponsorships and partnerships with LF Group, Fix Price Group.[citation needed]
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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Personnel
Current Technical Staff
| Position | Staff |
|---|---|
| Head Coach |  Andrea Pirlo
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| Assistant Coach | Roberto Baronio
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| Assistant Coach | Mauro Bertoni
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| Fitness Coach | Roberto De Bellis
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| Video Analyst | Simone Di Martino
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| Goalkeeper Coach |  Dimitrios Kalogerakos
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Management
| Position | Staff |
|---|---|
| President |  Ilie Cebanu
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| General Secretary |  Igor Bartyan
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Honours
- UAE Second Division League
- Promotion (1): 2022–23
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.