The draw for the next World Cup, which will be held in stadiums in the USA, Canada, and Mexico from June 11 to July 19, 2026, was held, and 48 national teams were officially divided into groups. For the Uzbekistan national team, this draw presented serious challenges - our team ended up in the same group as Portugal, led by Cristiano Ronaldo, and Colombia, led by James Rodriguez.
The fourth participant in Group "K" is expected to be one of the Democratic Republic of Congo, New Caledonia, or Jamaica that are eliminating from the playoffs. At a time when interest in the World Cup is growing day by day, football analysts and experts are also studying and assessing the situation of each group.
In this regard, the well-known Russian specialist Valery Nepomnyashiy, who headed Pakhtakor and the Uzbekistan national team in 2006, also expressed his opinion.
He noted that our players, despite strong opponents, have the opportunity to become a surprise in the group:
- Frankly, Uzbekistan is not the favorite in its group. However, teams that have nothing to lose always play freely, without pressure, and confidently. The Uzbekistan national team has already proven itself. Therefore, they can produce any unexpected result. In my opinion, regardless of which country the fourth opponent is, Uzbekistan has sufficient opportunities to defeat it," the expert noted.
As is known, this time the coach preparing our national team for the World Cup is the Italian Fabio Cannavaro, who won the World Cup and the Ballon d'Or during his playing career. He himself is working on raising the team to a new level in terms of skill, physical training, and tactics.
The Uzbekistan national team's first World Cup match will be against Colombia on June 18th. This match is considered one of the most important matches in the group.
Our team will also play against Portugal on June 23rd. This game is undoubtedly of great interest - playing against a squad led by Ronaldo is every footballer's dream.
The final match of the group stage will be played on June 27 against the team that advanced to the playoffs.
In general, Uzbekistan faces serious challenges, but with ambition, enthusiasm, and strong preparation, our team has the opportunity to make a historic surprise.
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