Spartak Legend Igor Ledyakhov Evaluates National Team's Performance

Igor Ledyakhov, a famous former footballer and expert who won the Russian championship three times with Spartak Moscow, shared his thoughts on the current strength and potential of the Uzbekistan national team following their debut in the 2026 World Cup group stage.

Although our representatives lost 1:3 to Colombia in the first round, the Russian specialist highly praised the team's historic achievement.

The match against Colombia and a historic debut

Igor Ledyakhov noted that despite the defeat in the first World Cup match, the Uzbekistan national team deserves great respect.

Igor Ledyakhov on Uzbekistan's World Cup participation:

«For Uzbekistan, simply reaching the final stage of the 2026 World Cup is a huge achievement. It's true that in the first game against Colombia, they didn't look very confident on the pitch. But Uzbekistan must still be respected, as they have qualified for and are participating in the World Cup for the first time in their history».

Uzbekistan and Russia: Who is stronger now?

Ledyakhov gave a calm and objective answer to the question most discussed among football fans today: «Is Uzbekistan currently stronger than the Russian national team?»

• Balance of power: According to the specialist, the levels of both national teams are currently very close.

• Growth in Uzbekistan: Football is developing systematically in Uzbekistan, and local players are actively participating in prestigious European competitions to gain experience.

• Russia's problem: Russian football is currently deprived of the opportunity to objectively and accurately assess its true level due to international isolation.

Stars in the spotlight: Shomurodov and Fayzullayev

Speaking about the stars of Uzbek football well-known to Russian fans, Ledyakhov acknowledged their high level, but reminded that Russia also has players capable of providing a worthy response:

• Eldor Shomurodov — who successfully represented Rostov in the Russian Premier League and is now leading as the national team captain.

• Abbosbek Fayzullayev — a talent who left a great impression on Russian football through his brilliant performances at CSKA Moscow.

«We also have enough talented young men, but the main problem is that in the current situation, we cannot see their exact level on the international stage», the expert added.

Ahead — a super-match against Portugal

In the 2nd round of the 2026 World Cup group stage, the Uzbekistan national team awaits an extremely serious and important match against one of the giants of world football — Portugal. Having learned from the mistakes in the match against Colombia, our representatives will take the field to secure their first points in the next round. We wish Fabio Cannavaro's pupils luck in the upcoming intense encounter!