Oljas Abrayev rates Uzbekistan national team's chances highly

As the intense matches of the 2026 World Cup, hosted by the USA, Mexico, and Canada, are about to begin, experts from neighboring countries are also following our representatives' historic steps with great interest. In particular, Oljas Abrayev, Chairman of the Kazakhstan Professional Football League, analyzed the potential and prospects of the Uzbekistan national team participating in the 2026 World Cup in an interview with local media.

Highlighting the current strengths of our representatives, the experienced expert specifically noted the internal atmosphere and balance within the team:

— "The current Uzbekistan national team shows clear mutual understanding, genuine unity, and perfect balance in every line of the squad. Along with experienced leaders who have passed many tests, there are also enough talented young generation players ready to step onto the big stage."

Furthermore, the presence of legionnaires, i.e., players performing in prestigious foreign leagues, significantly increases the overall quality and efficiency of the main team on the pitch," said Oljas Abrayev.

Our stars at European standard level

During his speech, the Kazakh expert highly praised the results of the two main stars of Uzbek football today — Abdukodir Khusanov and Eldor Shomurodov, emphasizing that they fully meet European criteria.

In particular, he noted that young defender Abdukodir Khusanov has firmly secured a place in the main rotation system of Manchester City, considered one of the most powerful clubs not only in the English Premier League but in the entire world, and is constantly developing by gaining invaluable experience there.

He also specifically touched upon the performance of our striker Eldor Shomurodov in the Turkish Super Lig:

— "Shomurodov won the title of the season's top scorer according to the results of the Turkish championship. Most importantly, he was able to surpass such giants of world football as Victor Osimhen and Mauro Icardi in terms of productivity. This is a truly great success. Undoubtedly, both Khusanov and Shomurodov are high-level performers who can meet the highest European standards today."

Opponents are strong, but we are in no hurry to predict

Assessing the overall chances at the World Cup, the expert reminded that it is wrong to draw conclusions in advance in football, because many factors such as the physical condition of players, fatigue after domestic championships, and simple sporting luck play a role in major tournaments.

In his opinion, our representatives are awaited in Group K by teams with vast experience such as Portugal and Colombia, which are very serious and constantly participate in World Cups (both teams have participated in the WC 6 times). Nevertheless, Oljas Abrayev, as a representative of a neighboring country, expressed his sincere support for Uzbekistan and wished our players luck.

The intense matches of our national team in the group stage will start in the coming days. We remind our fans of the match schedule once again:

Follow every step of our national team overseas, historic victories, the hottest opinions from Oljas Abrayev and other international experts, as well as exclusive analyses with us on Zamin pages!