Temur Kapadze: "Tomorrow we will go on the field for a festive victory against Qatar"

On the eve of the final round of the 2026 World Cup qualifying round, Uzbekistan national team head coach Temur Kapadze and team captain Eldor Shomurodov held an open dialogue with journalists. Important statements were made at this press conference about the important match against Qatar that will take place tomorrow.

Temur Kapadze's statement:
— First of all, I would like to congratulate everyone on our last victory in the qualifying round. Now we have another important match ahead of us - the match against Qatar. We will try to show ourselves at our best in this match and finish the qualification in high spirits.

— The mood in the team is high, the players are hungry for victory. Injuries are natural for every team, but we are ready for this. Oston O'runov will not participate in tomorrow's match. Otabek Shukurov has a minor injury - we will consult with him and make a decision on whether he will play or not. We hope that these factors will not have a serious impact on tomorrow's match.

— On the way to the World Cup, we have achieved the desired result. However, we cannot be satisfied with this - there is serious pressure and responsibility in every match. The match against Qatar will be the same, but we want to please our fans with a victory.

— The team's scheme and tactics have been steadily formed in recent years. We have made adjustments to some points, the quality of the game is increasing. The team was able to overcome difficult situations through activity and discipline.

— In the last matches against Qatar, we failed - we will not forget this. However, today's national team is much stronger, more experienced and more passionate than the team at that time. This time we will go on the field to change history.

— We had to win the match against the UAE no matter what. We would have been satisfied with the draw, so we couldn't play good football in the match. We are also playing an attacking game. We will try to change our style in the next matches, maybe we will discover new players.

— When I played for the national team, we didn't have much difficulty against Qatar. We played well in the Asian Cup and the 3rd round of qualifying, but I think we lost because we were a little unlucky.

— I have met Srechko Katanes many times. We have a good relationship with him. He also played a big role in qualifying for the World Cup. When we met, I congratulated him on qualifying for the World Cup.

Shomurodov's thoughts:
— I congratulate the people of Uzbekistan on the victory. We will try to please the fans who come to the stadium with a good game. Qualifying for the World Cup is a big achievement, but we haven't had time to celebrate yet.

— We have an important match tomorrow. We will play in front of the fans and they expect us to win. That's why we want to win and give our people a double celebration. If I score a goal tomorrow, I haven't decided how I will celebrate yet.

— We have tried to give our all in every match. We want to open a new page for ourselves with a victory against Qatar. There is mutual trust and a single goal in the team — this is the most important key to success.