Gianni Infantino met with Shavkat Mirziyoyev: big plans for football

A new stage of international cooperation in Uzbek football was discussed. On September 30, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev received FIFA head Gianni Infantino. The meeting focused in particular on holding the 2027 FIFA U-20 World Cup at a high level in Uzbekistan and Azerbaijan, as well as opening a FIFA regional office in the country.

This dialogue was marked as another significant international event for Uzbek football.

Main topic — the U-20 World Cup

The youth football world championship was at the center of the meeting.

In October 2025, the FIFA Council decided that Uzbekistan and Azerbaijan would jointly host the 2027 U-20 World Cup. A special program of organizational measures for preparations for the competition has also been approved by the Uzbek side.

FIFA also assessed the FIFA Series 2026 tournament held in Uzbekistan as an important organizational preparation phase ahead of the 2027 U-20 World Cup.

Cooperation with FIFA will expand further

During the conversation, issues of developing joint programs aimed at popularizing football, especially among youth, were also discussed.

Attention was also paid to improving the system of football organization and management, identifying talented youth, and developing their potential.

Plans to expand cooperation in training coaches, referees, managers, sports doctors, and technical specialists based on international standards were also reviewed.

Will a FIFA office open in Tashkent?

Another important issue at the meeting was accelerating the process of opening a FIFA regional office for Central Asian countries in Tashkent.

This idea had previously been raised in negotiations between Uzbekistan and FIFA. The issue of opening a FIFA regional office for Central Asia in Tashkent was also discussed at the September 2025 meeting.

Special attention is now being paid to speeding up work in this direction.

FIFA tournaments in Uzbekistan may increase

The dialogue also discussed the organization of major FIFA tournaments and events in Uzbekistan.

In recent years, the country has been expanding its experience in hosting international football competitions. In 2024, Uzbekistan hosted the FIFA Futsal World Cup for the first time. The 2026 FIFA Series was assessed as a competition that once again demonstrates the country's potential to organize major football events.

Now, a large part of the focus is directed toward the 2027 U-20 World Cup.

The new stage of dialogue between Uzbekistan and FIFA covers not only hosting major competitions, but also developing young players, specialists, and football infrastructure.