New history has been created in Uzbek football: how did FIFA react?

After the Uzbekistan national team tied with the UAE in an important match and secured a place in the 2026 World Cup, FIFA paid special attention to this achievement on its official website. The international federation recognized the historical significance of this event for the football of our country and emphasized the value of this achievement using the example of many legendary names from the past.

According to the FIFA report, over the past decades, Uzbek football stars such as Server Dzeparov, Odil Akhmedov, Ignatiy Nesterov and Maksim Shatskikh, despite spending all their strength for the national team, were unable to achieve their historic dream - a place in the World Cup. Among them was Timur Kapadze, who holds a special place in the history of the country's football. However, fate has its own game - it was Timur Kapadze who, as a coach, managed to do what he could not do as a player and imprinted his name on the pages of eternal history.

Kapadze, who played 119 matches for the national team as a player, now leads our national team to the World Cup as a coach at the age of 43. This has earned him respect not only among Uzbek fans, but also among the world football community.

The Uzbek national team has suffered several painful and bitter defeats in the qualifying rounds for Germany-2006 and Brazil-2014, leaving them on the brink of the World Cup. Each time, regret and despair have remained in the hearts of football fans, but this time the 0:0 draw in a tense and nervous match in Abu Dhabi was a turning point in history.

This historic result is significant not only for Uzbekistan, but also for the entire Central Asian region, as it is the first time that Uzbekistan has qualified for the World Cup. Although the history of football in the region spans a century, no national team has been able to achieve this feat until now.

At the same time, the country's football has also experienced many hardships. The plane crash of the Pakhtakor team, which participated in the championship of the former Soviet Union in 1979, remained the saddest event in the history of Uzbek football. After that, for many years, great work was carried out to restore and develop the football system in the country.

As a result of these efforts, modern football academies were established in the country, and youth national teams began to show high results in world tournaments. Over the past fifteen years, Uzbekistan's youth team has twice reached the quarterfinals of the U-17 World Cup, and the U-20 team recently reached the 1/8 finals of the World Cup in Argentina. The Olympic team achieved another historic result by participating in the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.

FIFA has also specifically recognized the talents of the younger generation in the Uzbek national team. In particular, Abbosbek Fayzullaev won the love of the fans with his speed and tireless efforts, while Abdukodir Khusanov, with his strong will, strength and leadership skills, managed to prove himself not only in local teams, but also in the English grand club - Manchester City.

Thus, the historic success of our national team has caused great recognition not only among Uzbek fans, but also among the international football community. Now the world football community has begun to watch with great interest Uzbekistan's debut at the World Cup next year in the USA, Canada and Mexico. This historic event is being perceived as a great step confirming the beginning of a new era in Uzbek football.