US Security Services Subject Uzbekistan National Team to Strict Screening

Only a few days remain until the start of the most prestigious football festival on the planet, eagerly awaited by the entire world — the 2026 FIFA World Cup. However, in the run-up to the tournament, intensified security measures by official US agencies, one of the host nations, including excessively long border checks and interrogations, are causing unexpected inconveniences for several national teams.

Unfortunately, one of the events sparking the biggest debates and discussions in the global sports community involves the delegation of our beloved Uzbekistan national team. The renowned ESPN TV channel's famous journalist Luis Carlos Largo posted a special video clip on social media. The video shows our representatives undergoing extremely thorough searches with specially trained sniffer dogs and modern metal detectors before their recent friendly match against the Netherlands national team in New York City. These images provoked sharp outrage among social media users and millions of Uzbek football fans. Many fans consider such treatment of athletes completely excessive and unjustified.

The situation was further complicated by additional information disseminated by the internationally popular Motivaciones Fútbol football page. It noted that the Uzbekistan national team faced an unprecedentedly strict and cold security protocol in the US, even for a simple friendly match. It is reported that one of the airport security officers in New York rudely ordered an official representative of our national team to stand at a distance from their personal luggage and bags.

To date, neither the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA), the Uzbekistan Football Association (UFA), nor the relevant US government agencies have issued any official response or statement regarding this controversial incident. Nevertheless, heated debates continue in the virtual world about such double standards and policies towards participants from certain countries.

Recall that the historic '2026 World Cup' matches are being hosted for the first time across the pitches of three major countries — the USA, Mexico, and Canada. Due to the format change, the tournament will feature 48 of the strongest national teams for the first time. This top-tier Mundial will officially kick off on June 11 with a match between the national teams of Mexico and the Republic of South Africa (RSA). The total prize fund for the tournament is set at a record $655 million. We wish our representatives huge victories at the World Cup despite all difficulties!

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