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Head to head · Checked November 2026

UAE vs
Kuwait

The UAE vs Kuwait in ice hockey: the Gulf’s two IIHF full members side by side on players, rankings, rinks, 2027 World Championships and leagues.

See the tale of the tapeAll comparisons
4–0
Tale of the tape, UAE–Kuwait
5
UAE federations, leagues and clubs
1
Kuwait federations, leagues and clubs
Measure by measure

The tale of the tape

Ahead on 4
UAE
Ahead on 0
Kuwait
  • IIHF membership
    United Arab Emirates: Full
    Since 2001
    Kuwait: Full
    Since 2009
  • Registered players
    United Arab Emirates: 651 (ahead)
    Kuwait: 437
  • Men’s world ranking
    United Arab Emirates: #36 (ahead)
    Kuwait: #52
  • Women’s world ranking
    United Arab Emirates: —
    Kuwait: —
  • IIHF-size indoor rinks
    United Arab Emirates: 11 (ahead)
    Kuwait: 1
  • Men’s Worlds 2027
    United Arab Emirates: Div II A (ahead)
    Hosts, in Al Ain
    Kuwait: Div IV A
    Hosts, in Kuwait City
  • Women’s Worlds 2027
    United Arab Emirates: —
    Kuwait: —
  • Domestic competition
    United Arab Emirates: EIHL
    Kuwait: KIHL
    Six teams, 2026–27

Membership, players, rankings and rinks are the figures each federation reports to the IIHF, as shown on its iihf.com member page in November 2026. The 2027 tournaments are the IIHF’s own entry lists. Amber marks the side that is ahead.

The difference

How they compare

These are the Gulf’s two IIHF full members. The Emirates joined in 2001 and Kuwait in 2009. Both were due to host a men’s World Championship tournament in April 2026, and the IIHF cancelled both, citing the situation in the region. Both host again in 2027: the Emirates Division II Group A in Al Ain, and Kuwait Division IV Group A in Kuwait City.

The Emirates are ahead on most of what the IIHF measures: 651 registered players to Kuwait’s 437, 11 IIHF-size indoor rinks to one, and a men’s world ranking of 36th to Kuwait’s 52nd. Their men play two divisions apart, but both won bronze at their last World Championship, in 2025: the Emirates in Division II Group A in Belgrade, and Kuwait in Division IV in Yerevan, its third medal in a row there.

Kuwait’s numbers have a different shape. Of its 437 registered players, 150 are senior women, more than the Emirates’ 125, although neither country has a women’s world ranking. Its league, run by the Kuwait Winter Games Club, has six men’s teams in 2026–27, and Warriors won a third straight title in 2025–26. The Emirates have the Emirates Ice Hockey League, and more clubs than anyone in the region.

Who plays where

Leagues and clubs

Gulf

United Arab Emirates

Also playing, with no official account we could find: Abu Dhabi Storms, Shaheen, Al Ain Theebs, Bedouins.

Gulf

Kuwait

  • Federation · Bayan

    Kuwait Winter Games Club

    The IIHF lists its account for Kuwait’s member body, the Kuwait Ice Hockey Association. It held the country’s first national 3x3 championship in May 2026, and Kuwait City hosts the 2027 IIHF World Championship Division IV Group A.

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Common questions

UAE vs Kuwait, answered

Which is better at ice hockey, the UAE or Kuwait?

The Emirates, on the IIHF’s measures. Their men are ranked 36th in the world to Kuwait’s 52nd, and play Division II Group A at the 2027 World Championships, two divisions above Kuwait’s Division IV Group A. The Emirates also report more registered players (651 to 437) and more IIHF-size indoor rinks (11 to one).

Do the UAE and Kuwait host IIHF tournaments in 2027?

Both do, and each plays the tournament it hosts: Al Ain hosts the men’s World Championship Division II Group A, and Kuwait City hosts Division IV Group A. Both were also due to host in 2026, when the IIHF cancelled the two tournaments because of the situation in the region.

Are UAE and Kuwait IIHF members?

United Arab Emirates has been a full member of the IIHF since 2001. Kuwait has been a full member of the IIHF since 2009.

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Beyond the numbers

Middle East hockeyFederations, leagues and clubs across the region, country by country.OpenHockey in EgyptHow the game took hold, rink by rink and programme by programme.OpenTournamentsCup runs and invitationals across the calendar.OpenJoin the leagueLace up, volunteer, or bring a club into the EHL.Open