Al-Nahyan visited Qatar for the tournament, marking the first time that he had travelled to the country since a four-nation boycott and blockade of Doha over a political dispute.

The United Arab Emirates leader was invited by Qatar's ruling emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, in a thaw of relations.

Al-Nahyan, who became his country's de facto ruler in 2014 before becoming the official President in May this year, was widely considered as one of the main architects of the boycott of Qatar by Bahrain, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the UAE that began in 2017.

"The official visit of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed to the sisterly State of Qatar today and his meeting with His Highness Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad is another step towards strengthening solidarity and joint Gulf action," diplomatic advisor to the Emirati President, Anwar Gargash, wrote on Twitter.

"The path of cooperation, integration and coordination is a strategic Emirati choice towards achieving common Gulf aspirations."

UAE state media reported that Al-Nahyan said that Qatar's hosting of the tournament, the first time it has ever been held in the Middle East, was "a success and honour for all Gulf states and the wider Arab world".

The UAE ended its three-and-a-half-year embargo of Qatar in January 2021 and agreed to fully restore diplomatic ties after they were severed in June 2017.

The UAE had accused Qatar of supporting terrorism after messages broadcast by the state-run Qatar News Agency criticised Saudi Arabia and cast Iran and the Muslim Brotherhood in a positive light.

Qatar denied that it was responsible and claimed the news agency was hacked.

The four countries censored all Qatari news outlets while the UAE expelled all Qatari nationals living in the Emirates, prohibited its citizens from travelling to Qatar, and closed off its airspace and territorial waters to Qatar.

Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Egypt's President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, and the UAE's vice-president Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum all attended the World Cup Opening Ceremony in Doha last month.

Al-Nahyan is also due to meet Israeli President Isaac Herzog who landed in Abu Dhabi yesterday after visiting Bahrain, which along with the UAE forged ties with Israel in 2020.