 | This article needs to beupdated. Please help update this to reflect recent events or newly available information.(October 2019) |
| Season | 2017–18 |
|---|---|
| Champions | Al Ain (13th title) |
| Relegated | Hatta |
| 2019 AFC Champions League | Al Ain Al Wahda Al Wasl Al Nasr |
| 2018 FIFA Club World Cup | Al Ain |
| Matches | 228 |
| Goals | 391 (1.71 per match) |
| Average goals/game | 1.71 |
| Top goalscorer |  Marcus Berg (25) |
| Biggest home win | Al Ain 7–0Ajman (3 February 2018) |
| Biggest away win | Hatta 1–5Al Nasr (17 November 2017) Al Nasr 0–4Al Ain (21 April 2018) |
| Highest scoring | Al Ain 6–2Hatta (21 January 2018) Al Ain 6–2Al Wahda (1 March 2018) |
| Longest winning run | Al Nasr (6 games) |
| Longest unbeaten run | Al Ain (16 games) |
| Longest winless run | Al Dhafra (13 games) |
| Longest losing run | Emirates (6 games) |
| Highest attendance | Al Ain 6–2Al Wahda (20,786) |
| Lowest attendance | Hatta 1–2Dibba Al Fujairah (501) |
| Average attendance | 418 |
2018–19 → | |
The2017–18UAE Pro League was the 43rd season of top-level football in theUnited Arab Emirates.[1]Al-Jazira are the defending champions after winning their second title last season.
Ajman andDubai both got promoted on 22 April 2017 after beatingFujairah 3–2 andRas Al Khaimah 2–0. On 3 May 2017,Baniyas were the first team to get relegated from2016–17 season after drawing 4–4 againstEmirates.Ittihad Kalba were the last team to get relegated after losing toAl-Ain 2–1 and bothEmirates andDibba Al-Fujairah didn't lose in the same week. In July 2017,Al Ahli,Al Shabab andDubai merged to formShabab Al Ahli Dubai.
On 20 April 2018,Hatta lost toAl Wasl 2–0 and were the first team to get relegated. On 21 April 2018,Al Ain were crowned champions for the 13th time after destroyingAl Nasr 4–0. On the final day,Emirates were relegated after drawing againstAl Nasr 2–2. In May 2012, it was decided that since the league needs 14 teams for next season,[2] the bottom two teams of this season would have to face 3rd and 4th-placed team of the 2nd division to see who will secure spots for next season.
| Club | Home city | Stadium | Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ajman | Ajman | Ajman Stadium | 5,537 |
| Al-Ain | Al-Ain | Hazza Bin Zayed Stadium | 22,717 |
| Al-Dhafra | Madinat Zayed | Al Dhafra Stadium | 5,020 |
| Al-Jazira | Abu Dhabi | Mohammad Bin Zayed Stadium | 42,056 |
| Al-Nasr | Dubai | Al-Maktoum Stadium | 12,000 |
| Al-Wahda | Abu Dhabi | Al Nahyan Stadium | 12,000 |
| Al-Wasl | Dubai | Zabeel Stadium | 8,439 |
| Dibba Al-Fujairah | Fujairah | Fujairah Club Stadium | 10,645 |
| Emirates | Ras Al-Khaimah | Emirates Club Stadium | 5,200 |
| Hatta | Hatta | Hamdan Bin Rashid Stadium | 5,000 |
| Shabab Al Ahli | Dubai | Dubai Club Stadium | 7,500 |
| Sharjah | Sharjah | Sharjah Stadium | 11,073 |
| Rank | Emirate | Number of teams | Teams |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Dubai | 4 | Shabab Al Ahli Dubai, Al Nasr, Al Wasl, Hatta |
| 1 |  Abu Dhabi | 4 | Al Ain, Al Dhafra, Al Jazira, Al Wahda |
| 2 |  Sharjah | 1 | Sharjah |
| 2 |  Ajman | 1 | Ajman |
| 2 | Ras al-Khaimah | 1 | Emirates |
| 2 |  Fujairah | 1 | Dibba Al Fujairah |
Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined underFIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
| Team | Head coach | Captain | Kit manufacturer | Shirt sponsor |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ajman |  Ayman Elramady | Abdullah Malallah | Uhlsport | Ajman Bank |
| Al-Ain |  Zoran Mamić | Omar Abdulrahman | Nike | First Gulf Bank |
| Al-Dhafra |  Gjoko Hadžievski |  Issam El Adoua | Adidas | Adnoc |
| Al-Jazira |  Henk ten Cate | Ali Khasif | Adidas | IPIC |
| Al-Nasr |  Ivan Jovanović | Tareq Ahmed | Nike | Emirates NBD Dubai Silicon Oasis |
| Al-Wahda |  Laurențiu Reghecampf | Ismail Matar | Adidas | Al-Wahda Mall |
| Al-Wasl |  Rodolfo Arruabarrena | Waheed Ismail | Macron | Saif Belhasa Holding |
| Dibba Al-Fujairah |  Paulo Comelli | Abdullah Nasser | Uhlsport | Uhlsport |
| Emirates |  Nizar Mahrous | Sebastián Sáez | Uhlsport | Al Naeem City Center |
| Hatta | Abdelmajeed Alzarooni | Mahmoud Hassan | Macron | Macron |
| Shabab Al-Ahli | Mahdi Ali | Majed Naser | Nike | Skydive Dubai |
| Sharjah | Abdulaziz Mohamed | Eisa Ahmed | Macron |
| Team | Outgoing manager | Date of vacancy | Manner of departure | Pos. | Incoming manager | Date of appointment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Al-Nasr | Dan Petrescu | 26 May 2017 | End of contract | Pre-season |  Cesare Prandelli | 26 May 2017[3] |
| Al-Wahda |  Javier Aguirre | 31 May 2017 | Laurențiu Reghecampf | 2 June 2017 | ||
| Hatta | Gjoko Hadžievski | 6 October 2017 | Sacked | 11th | Nizar Mahrous | 6 October 2017 |
| Sharjah |  José Peseiro | 15 October 2017 | 11th | Abdulaziz Mohamed | 15 October 2017[4] | |
| Emirates |  Ivan Hašek | 31 October 2017 | 10th |  Noureddine Abidi (caretaker) | 1 November 2017 | |
| Shabab Al-Ahli | Cosmin Olăroiu | 2 December 2017 | End of contract | 4th | Mahdi Ali | 2 December 2017 |
| Emirates | Noureddine Abidi (caretaker) | 5 January 2018 | End of caretaker spell | 11th | Nour Al Obaidi | 5 January 2018 |
| Al-Dhafra | Mohammad Kwid | 13 January 2018 | Sacked | 12th | Gjoko Hadžievski | 13 January 2018 |
| Al-Nasr | Cesare Prandelli | 19 January 2018 | 4th | Ivan Jovanović | 19 January 2018 | |
| Hatta | Nizar Mahrous | 20 April 2018 | Signed byEmirates | 12th | Abdelmajeed Alzarooni | 20 April 2018 |
| Emirates | Nour Al Obaidi | 20 April 2018 | Sacked | 11th | Nizar Mahrous | 20 April 2018 |
Restricting the number of foreign players strictly to four per team, including a slot for a player fromAFC countries. A team could use four foreign players on the field during each game including at least one player from the AFC country.
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Al Ain(C) | 22 | 16 | 5 | 1 | 65 | 23 | +42 | 53 | Qualification to the2018 FIFA Club World Cup first round and the2019 AFC Champions League group stage |
| 2 | Al Wahda | 22 | 14 | 4 | 4 | 50 | 29 | +21 | 46 | Qualification to the2019 AFC Champions League group stage |
| 3 | Al Wasl | 22 | 12 | 5 | 5 | 42 | 27 | +15 | 41 | |
| 4 | Al Nasr | 22 | 11 | 4 | 7 | 30 | 24 | +6 | 37 | Qualification to the2019 AFC Champions League play-off round |
| 5 | Shabab Al Ahli | 22 | 7 | 10 | 5 | 25 | 18 | +7 | 31 | |
| 6 | Sharjah | 22 | 8 | 5 | 9 | 26 | 30 | −4 | 29 | |
| 7 | Al Jazira | 22 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 34 | 36 | −2 | 28 | |
| 8 | Ajman | 22 | 7 | 5 | 10 | 25 | 36 | −11 | 26 | |
| 9 | Dibba Al Fujairah | 22 | 5 | 6 | 11 | 21 | 36 | −15 | 21 | |
| 10 | Al Dhafra | 22 | 4 | 6 | 12 | 24 | 42 | −18 | 18 | |
| 11 | Emirates(Q) | 22 | 4 | 5 | 13 | 20 | 39 | −19 | 17 | Qualified for the UAE Pro-League Play Off |
| 12 | Hatta(Q) | 22 | 4 | 4 | 14 | 30 | 52 | −22 | 16 |
| Home \ Away | AIN | DHA | JAZ | NAS | WAH | WAS | AJM | DAF | EMI | HAT | SAD | SHR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Al Ain | 5–0 | 2–2 | 2–1 | 6–2 | 2–2 | 7–0 | 4–0 | 3–0 | 6–2 | 2–1 | 3–3 | |
| Al Dhafra | 1–2 | 2–2 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 0–0 | 2–0 | 0–1 | 2–5 | 1–2 | 2–0 | |
| Al Jazira | 2–3 | 3–1 | 2–4 | 2–4 | 0–0 | 2–1 | 2–2 | 3–1 | 2–1 | 0–0 | 3–1 | |
| Al Nasr | 0–4 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 1–2 | 0–2 | 0–1 | 3–1 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 1–2 | |
| Al Wahda | 0–1 | 1–1 | 4–1 | 1–0 | 4–3 | 2–3 | 5–0 | 2–1 | 3–1 | 0–0 | 3–0 | |
| Al Wasl | 1–3 | 3–0 | 1–1 | 1–2 | 2–1 | 2–2 | 3–2 | 3–1 | 2–0 | 3–0 | 2–1 | |
| Ajman | 2–3 | 3–1 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 2–2 | 0–2 | 2–1 | 3–2 | 1–0 | 1–3 | 0–1 | |
| Dibba Al Fujairah | 0–0 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 0–2 | 1–3 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 1–0 | 2–2 | 0–1 | 1–1 | |
| Emirates | 0–2 | 3–3 | 1–0 | 2–2 | 1–4 | 1–4 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 4–0 | 0–2 | 0–0 | |
| Hatta | 0–3 | 1–2 | 2–3 | 1–5 | 0–1 | 2–2 | 1–0 | 1–2 | 2–2 | 1–1 | 3–1 | |
| Shabab Al Ahli | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–1 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 4–0 | 4–1 | 0–1 | |
| Sharjah | 3–1 | 2–0 | 1–2 | 0–0 | 2–3 | 1–2 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 1–0 | 1–3 | 0–0 |
Because the League 2018–2019 season needs 14 teams, the bottom two teams of year and the 3rd and 4th place team of the 2nd division will have to face each other to see who will secure the final two spots this year.
Fujairah won 3–1 on aggregate.
Emirates won 1–0 on aggregate.
