Al-Wasl Football Club () is an Emirati professional football club based in Zabeel, Dubai that competes in the UAE Pro League.
The club plays its home games at Zabeel Stadium. Al-Wasl is among the most successful clubs in the United Arab Emirates, having won eight UAE Pro League titles, most recently in the 2023–24 season.
The club gained significant international attention in 2011 and 2012, while Diego Maradona was the club's head coach.
History Foundation The concept of establishing a football club in Zabeel emerged in 1958 following meetings among local residents. 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 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 Ahmed 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 won 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 Club 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 club was later renamed Al-Wasl, meaning 'connection' in Arabic, which was a historical name for the city of Dubai, 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 won the UAE President's Cup for the first time, defeating Al Khaleej (now Khor Fakkan Club) 2–0. Al Wasl also finished second in the league, three points behind Sharjah. The club's consistent finishes near the top of the league standings during this period reflected its status as one of the leading teams in Emirati football.
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.
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.
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 During the 2000s decade, Al Wasl won only three championships, but still gave good performances.
Al Wasl lost the final of the President's Cup in 2000 to Al Wahda, and finished the league in 7th place. The club's star player Zuhair Bakhit retired from football in 2002, having spent his entire career in Al Wasl; other stars at the club during this decade included Rachid Daoudi of Morocco and Farhad Majidi of Iran, both of whom are regarded as international legends of their respective countries.
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. The following two seasons were disappointing, with Al Wasl finishing mid-table.
Under the leadership of Brazilian Zé Mário, the club, seemingly out of nowhere, took the 2006–07 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 lifted the President's Cup, after defeating Al Ain by 4–1 in the Zayed Sports City Stadium, becoming one of the only clubs to achieve the double.
Al Wasl made their AFC Champions League debut in the 2007–08 season, 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.