The Uzbekistan national team, in preparation for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, may play the next friendly matches with various opponents. Well-known football specialist Alisher Nikimbaev expressed his thoughts on this matter. According to him, the upcoming FIFA days will be a very important stage for the national team.
South America and Europe focus
As Nikimbaev emphasized, during the September FIFA days the main focus will be on South American teams. Earlier, it was reported that there might be a friendly match against Uruguay in November. At the same time, there is also a possibility of playing against European teams. In UEFA qualification, there are groups with an odd number of teams, so some teams have rest days during FIFA dates. The top candidates for November are Norway and the Czech Republic, both with a high chance of qualifying for the World Cup.
Possibility of matches with African teams
According to the specialist, until November almost all African national teams will also have free time, as they will only have playoff matches left. Egypt and Morocco could be good opponents for Uzbekistan. Therefore, it is recommended to wait until September to know exactly which teams will be available.
Windows before the World Cup
Before the 2026 World Cup, there will also be FIFA days in June, and by that time 90% of team rosters should be known. At that time, the possibilities for choosing opponents will expand greatly, and many teams will be looking for sparring partners. After the draw, teams will choose opponents based on their groups, and there may even be interested teams from Asia.
Goal – to advance from the group
In Nikimbaev’s opinion, the Uzbekistan national team must fight to advance from the group at the 2026 World Cup. In the updated format, there will be 48 teams, and third-place finishers will also reach the playoffs. In his estimation, Uzbekistan will be in the fourth pot, but there is not much difference between the third and fourth pots – everything will depend on the draw.
In conclusion, during FIFA days Uzbekistan has the opportunity to play against strong and mid-level teams from various confederations, which will be valuable experience in preparing for the World Cup.
Read 'Zamin' on Telegram!
