Afghanistan posted 170 for 4, led by Ibrahim Zadran 48 and Rahmanullah Gurbaz 40, with Karim Janat providing late acceleration.
UAE fought back strongly, with Muhammad Waseem scoring 44 and Asif Khan a valiant 40, keeping the chase alive until the final over.
Fareed Ahmad held his nerve in the last over, defending 16 runs to secure a thrilling four-run victory for Afghanistan.