Dalić facing a major decision: UAE lead the race, but Saudi Arabia and South Korea remain in contention
As of early August 2026, Zlatko Dalić had still not officially confirmed a new appointment following his departure as head coach of the Croatian national team. According to information from Sportske novosti, the United Arab Emirates are currently the most serious option, while Saudi Arabia and South Korea are also being mentioned as possible destinations. The final choice could involve much more than the appointment of a single head coach, as the arrival of a larger group of Croatian experts and the creation of a long-term national-team project are being considered.
Zlatko Dalić is facing one of the most important professional decisions of his career. After almost nine years at the helm of the Croatian national football team, a period marked by two World Cup medals and a UEFA Nations League final, the Croatian coach is choosing a new job for the first time since 2017 without any obligations toward a national association. His standing on the market has been further strengthened by the fact that he led Croatia through three consecutive World Cup cycles and achieved results that placed him among the most successful national-team coaches of his generation. For that reason, interest is coming not only from clubs but also from national associations seeking a recognisable name for a new four-year cycle. Nevertheless, as of 1 August, there had been no official confirmation that Dalić had signed a contract with any new employer.
The United Arab Emirates currently hold the advantage
According to Sportske novosti, the offer from the United Arab Emirates remains the most concrete and is regarded in football circles as the leading option. The same source states that the contract could be worth around five million euros per year, although that financial figure has not been officially confirmed by either Dalić or the United Arab Emirates Football Association. Media outlets from several countries had already reported during July that an agreement was close or had even been reached in principle, but the absence of an official announcement shows that the negotiations, at least formally, have not been concluded. Under such circumstances, it is necessary to distinguish serious interest and advanced talks from a signed contract. At present, it is therefore most accurate to describe the UAE as the favourite rather than as Dalić's confirmed next employer.
Additional uncertainty has been created by reports that Saudi Arabia and South Korea have entered the race. Sportske novosti states that interest from those national teams has become increasingly pronounced in recent days, but there has been no official confirmation from their football associations regarding a formal offer. It is also unclear whether Dalić's negotiating team is using the existence of several options to improve the terms of a potential agreement with the UAE or whether the coach is genuinely considering several different projects on an equal footing. People from his inner circle have so far communicated very little with the public, so the gap between verified facts and market speculation remains wide. That is precisely why the final decision could come quickly, but its substance cannot be regarded as certain in advance.
The new job could develop into a broader Croatian project
One of the most interesting elements of the potential appointment is not only Dalić's role but also the composition of his coaching staff. According to the available information, people who participated in the final part of his tenure with Croatia could continue working with him. That group is said to include Danijel Subašić, Dražen Ladić, Marjan Mrmić and analyst Marc Rochon, while Vedran Ćorluka and fitness coach Luka Milanović are also among the possible collaborators. Such a model would allow Dalić to enter the new system with a team familiar with his working methods, communication patterns and division of responsibilities. For a national association seeking rapid change, this would mean taking over an already well-coordinated professional structure rather than merely appointing one famous coach.
In the event of a move to the United Arab Emirates, the project could be even broader, according to Sportske novosti. Branko Ivanković is being mentioned as a possible director or coordinator within the local association's system, while Igor Bišćan could take charge of one of the important development national teams. According to the same source, Bišćan has been offered the position of head coach of the under-23 Olympic team, while a position with the under-20 national team is also open. None of those appointments has yet been officially confirmed, but the possibility itself shows that the discussions are not focused solely on the senior team's results in a handful of matches. The potential objective would be to connect the senior national team, youth categories, working methodology and long-term player identification within a more unified football system.
Such an organisation would also carry clear risks. The arrival of a larger number of experts from the same football environment could accelerate the establishment of common standards, but success would depend on adapting to the local culture, existing coaches, club interests and the rules of the national association. National-team football in the Gulf states is often under intense pressure to deliver short-term results, so long-term development plans can conflict with expectations of immediate victories. Dalić would therefore have to align his proven model of dressing-room management with a significantly different player pool and institutional environment. If he were granted authority to shape the broader project, the responsibility would be greater, but the scope for genuine influence would also be considerably wider.
A return to an environment he knows well
The UAE would not be an unfamiliar environment for Dalić. Before taking charge of Croatia, he worked for years in the Middle East, including appointments in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. In an earlier profile of his career, FIFA pointed out that from 2010 onward he built his coaching path precisely in those two countries, allowing him to gain an understanding of local football before establishing a global reputation with Croatia. He left his deepest mark at Al Ain, one of the most important clubs in the UAE. The Asian Football Confederation states that he took charge of the club in March 2014, won the UAE President's Cup and the national league title, and reached the AFC Champions League final in 2016.
That experience is an important reason why the UAE option appears logical. Dalić understands how professional football operates there, the relationship between clubs and the association, public expectations and the specific challenges of managing teams composed of domestic and naturalised players. At the same time, he would return to the UAE with a much stronger international standing than he had when he left Al Ain in 2017. In the meantime, he led Croatia to the 2018 World Cup final, third place in 2022 and the 2023 Nations League final, while FIFA described him following his resignation in July 2026 as Croatia's most successful national-team coach. For the UAE association, such a profile represents a combination of familiarity with the local environment and experience at the highest level of international football.
Dalić's working methods also suit the challenge of a national team seeking stability. During his tenure with Croatia, he built a team whose identity was based on continuity, hierarchy, trust in experienced players and strong internal cohesion. That model cannot simply be replicated with another national team, particularly when there is no generation comparable to the Croatian group led by Luka Modrić. Nevertheless, experience in managing the pressure of major tournaments, knockout matches and long qualifying cycles can be an important advantage. The UAE are not merely seeking a coach to select the starting eleven, but someone capable of raising the competitive culture of the entire national team.
The main objective would be the 2030 World Cup
The United Arab Emirates have appeared at the World Cup only once, in Italy in 1990. At the Asian level, the senior national team's greatest achievements include second place at the 1996 Asian Cup and third place in 2015. Despite major investments in club football, infrastructure and international coaches, the national team has failed for decades to qualify for the biggest tournament again. Ending that run would therefore be the central criterion used to assess any new head coach. Should Dalić accept the offer, the expectation would be to build a team capable of qualifying for the 2030 World Cup.
Failure to qualify for the 2026 tournament further intensified the need for a new beginning. According to data from FIFA and the Asian Football Confederation, the UAE played against Iraq in the final phase of the Asian qualifiers. The first match in Abu Dhabi ended 1-1, while Iraq won the return leg in Basra 2-1 through a penalty scored deep into stoppage time. The 3-2 aggregate victory sent Iraq into the intercontinental play-offs, while the UAE were denied the opportunity to return to the World Cup. That outcome showed that the national team can remain competitive until the closing stages of a cycle, but also that it lacks stability at decisive moments.
The road to 2030 will not depend solely on the head coach. Key factors will include player development at domestic clubs, the quality of competition, the availability of young footballers, the approach toward naturalised players and the alignment of the calendar with the national team's needs. Dalić would have to assess the existing squad quickly, define the core of the team and simultaneously create space for a new generation. The number of training sessions in international football is limited, so progress mainly depends on clearly defined roles, a simple tactical framework and strong communication. These are precisely the areas in which he earned the greatest recognition during his tenure with Croatia.
Saudi Arabia offers a different kind of pressure, South Korea a different kind of ambition
A potential offer from Saudi Arabia would represent a project involving greater financial and performance pressure. In recent years, Saudi football has invested substantial resources in the domestic league, infrastructure and international visibility, while the senior national team regularly expects to qualify for the World Cup and deliver a competitive performance at the Asian Cup. Dalić knows the environment from an earlier stage of his career, which would reduce the adjustment period. On the other hand, working with a national team possessing a larger player pool and higher immediate expectations would provide less time for gradual development. Since the Saudi association has not publicly confirmed negotiations, the scope and seriousness of that option cannot currently be assessed reliably.
South Korea would be a significantly different sporting and cultural challenge. It is a national team with a long tradition of World Cup appearances, a developed youth system and a large number of players competing in European leagues. A new head coach there would be expected not only to progress safely through the Asian qualifiers but also to make advances in the knockout stages of major tournaments. Dalić's experience of tournament football, extra time, penalty shoot-outs and managing experienced stars would be relevant to such a project. Nevertheless, as in the case of Saudi Arabia, the available information is currently based on media reports, without a publicly presented contract or decision by the association.
The choice between those options is therefore not merely a question of salary. The UAE could offer Dalić the greatest influence over the entire system and the possibility of assembling a familiar coaching staff. Saudi Arabia would probably mean greater immediate pressure and work in a football environment that is changing rapidly. South Korea would offer a stable national-team foundation and clear international expectations, but also the need to adapt to a different football culture. In all three cases, these are national projects measured by qualification and performance at the biggest tournaments, not merely by results in friendly matches.
A decision following the end of Croatia's most successful cycle
Dalić took charge of the Croatian national team in October 2017 during the closing stages of qualification for the World Cup in Russia. At his first major tournament, he reached the final, where Croatia lost to France, and four years later in Qatar the team finished third. In June 2023, the team played in the UEFA Nations League final against Spain and lost after a penalty shoot-out. FIFA announced that Dalić had resigned in early July 2026, less than a week after Croatia were eliminated by Portugal in the World Cup round of 32. That brought an end to an almost nine-year tenure that significantly increased his value on the international market.
His next job will therefore also be viewed as a test of whether his success can be transferred. With Croatia, he worked with an exceptional generation, stable dressing-room leadership and players who had competed at the highest European level for years. With a new national team, he will not have the same squad or the same history of relationships, so he will have to demonstrate whether he can build a similar level of organisation under different circumstances. Bringing in a large part of his former staff could ease the transition, but it cannot replace player quality or the system responsible for developing them. That is precisely why his authority, the duration of the contract and the association's willingness to commit to long-term work will be just as important as the financial terms.
According to Sportske novosti, Dalić is expected to take part in a football camp in Livno on 10 August, a project bearing his name that has been held since 2022. By then, it may be clearer whether he will arrive there as a free agent or as the new head coach of one of the interested national teams. The United Arab Emirates currently hold the advantage, but official confirmation remains the only boundary between a likely scenario and a completed deal. After almost a decade of continuity on the Croatian bench, Dalić's new decision will determine not only the next phase of his career but also the scale of the project he is prepared to undertake.
Sources:
- Sportske novosti - information about the current offers, the potential coaching staff and the broader project in the United Arab Emirates (link)
- FIFA - official overview of Dalić's departure as Croatia head coach and the results achieved during his tenure (link)
- FIFA - report on the second-leg match between Iraq and the United Arab Emirates in qualification for the 2026 World Cup (link)
- Asian Football Confederation - confirmation of Iraq's 3-2 aggregate victory and the UAE's elimination from the 2026 qualifying cycle (link)
- Asian Football Confederation - information about Dalić's tenure at Al Ain, domestic trophies and the 2016 AFC Champions League final (link)
- UEFA - official record of the 2023 Nations League final between Croatia and Spain (link)