“It’ll be tough and difficult for us due to the quality of the opponents,” said the 55-year-old Portuguese tactician. 

“Logistically it’s not a bad one for us. This is important because sometimes our players are not used to traveling a lot and we don’t need any adaptations.

“The target is that (to reach the World Cup). We should think about what we can do to reach the goal and how we can do it.”

Bento knows what it takes to coach a team at the FIFA World Cup, having guided Korea Republic in the 2022 edition, and the additional berths for the upcoming tournament means he can dream of a second successive appearance on the global stage.

“We know that the opportunity is bigger than before but it’s not just for us but for the other teams as well.

“Uzbekistan, for example, is thinking the same as us, even Qatar as they participated in the last World Cup as hosts.”

The former Portugal international said it is important for UAE to hit the ground running when they open their Group A campaign against reigning AFC Asian Cup™ champions Qatar on September 5.

“I haven’t seen the full schedule but the first two games will be very tough - against Qatar away and (Islamic Republic of) Iran at home.

“So we need to be patient because the first two games are going to be difficult but we will give our best and be as competitive as we can.”

Also in the group are Uzbekistan, Kyrgyz Republic and DPR Korea, with the top two finishers to seal automatic qualification to the FIFA World Cup 2026, co-hosted by Canada, Mexico and the United States.