Former Footballer Shares Views on Uzbekistan's Group Prospects

Ahead of the Uzbekistan national team's match against Colombia in the 2026 World Cup group stage, various experts are providing predictions and analyses. The prospects of our national team in their historic World Cup debut are generating great interest not only in Uzbekistan but also among the international football community.

One such opinion was shared by Aleksandr Gatskan, one of the legends of the Russian club FC Rostov. He stated that he is paying special attention to the Uzbekistan national team's participation in the World Cup and will be following all their matches.

There is another important reason for Gatskan's interest in the Uzbekistan national team. He played alongside Uzbek striker Eldor Shomurodov at FC Rostov. Therefore, the former footballer did not hide that he will primarily be rooting for his former teammate at the 2026 World Cup.

During his time at FC Rostov, Eldor Shomurodov proved himself to be a hardworking, team-oriented, and dangerous player in the attacking line. Gatskan is one of the players who knows his potential well.

The expert gave a cautious assessment of Uzbekistan's chances in the group. In his view, to advance to the next stage, our national team will primarily fight for third place.

"I think they will fight for third place in the group," Aleksandr Gatskan told journalists.

This assessment was made considering that Uzbekistan will face challenging opponents in the group. The "White Wolves" will compete against Colombia, Portugal, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. All three opponents possess a distinct style, high physical fitness, and international experience.

At the same time, the new tournament format allows some teams that finish third to advance to the play-off stage. For this reason, the third place mentioned by Gatskan could be a goal of practical significance for Uzbekistan.

The first match against Colombia is of great importance on this path. Any positive result achieved in the historic debut will give the players confidence and improve the team's psychological state ahead of the subsequent matches.

Aleksandr Gatskan's intention to watch all of Uzbekistan's matches also demonstrates the international interest surrounding our national team. It is natural that Eldor Shomurodov's former teammates and coaches will follow his actions at the World Cup with particular attention.

For Uzbekistan, the 2026 World Cup is not just about participation. It is a long-awaited historic opportunity, a new stage for national football, and a grand stage to demonstrate its potential to the whole world.

As Gatskan noted, the fight for third place in the group will not be easy. However, our national team possesses teamwork, great motivation, and a character to fight until the end. Fans expect the players to play fearlessly, with discipline and courage.

Now all attention is focused on the historic match against Colombia. Uzbekistan will strive to show its potential on the pitch and achieve a result better than the experts' predictions.