Uzbekistan has unveiled its final squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, marking the country’s first appearance at football’s biggest tournament. The national team, led by Italian head coach Fabio Cannavaro, will compete at the tournament hosted by the U.S., Canada and Mexico.
The squad announcement follows Uzbekistan’s historic qualification campaign, which saw the team become the first Central Asian nation to reach the FIFA World Cup finals.
Uzbekistan secured qualification during the AFC Asian Qualifiers after a consistent run of results in the second and third qualifying rounds. The decisive moment came on 5 June 2025, when the team earned a goalless draw against the United Arab Emirates in Abu Dhabi, securing a top-two finish in their group and a direct place at the World Cup.
During the qualification process, Uzbekistan faced teams including Iran, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Turkmenistan and Hong Kong at different stages of the AFC qualifiers. The team finished its campaign strongly with a 3–0 victory over Qatar in Tashkent.
FIFA described the achievement as a historic breakthrough after several decades of near misses in previous qualification campaigns.
Uzbekistan will compete in Group K at the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The team is scheduled to face Colombia on 18 June, Portugal on 23 June and the Democratic Republic of the Congo on 28 June.
Football analysts have highlighted Uzbekistan’s disciplined defence as one of the team’s key strengths throughout qualification, with players such as Abdukodir Khusanov and Eldor Shomurodov expected to play leading roles during the tournament.
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Uzbekistan will launch a new digital financial platform from 1 July aimed at simplifying access to finance for entrepreneurs, as part of broader efforts to support small businesses, encourage innovation and accelerate private sector development.
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