Uzbekistan is close to playing against the Russian national team — details

15 October 2026, 06:54·59·Sport

The Uzbekistan national football team may play a friendly match against the national teams of Russia or Saudi Arabia during the FIFA days in November 2026. Odil Ahmedov, Vice President of the Uzbekistan Football Association (UFA), stated that negotiations on this issue are in their final stages.

According to reports by Sport24.ru, negotiations with the Russian Football Union (RFU) have progressed significantly, and the parties are very close to reaching an agreement.

Odil Ahmedov: "We are on the verge of reaching an agreement"

A representative of the UFA leadership clarified the current status of the negotiations and the choice of opponent:

Dialogue with Russia: "Indeed, we are in talks with the Russian Football Union, and we are very close to an agreement on organizing a friendly match between the national teams of Uzbekistan and Russia in November. The desire to play against this opponent arose as early as the summer months, and now we continue to discuss all the details," said Odil Ahmedov;
The Saudi Arabia option and security: "For now, we are in negotiations with two potential opponents — Russia and Saudi Arabia. According to the plan, the match against the Saudis was supposed to take place in Riyadh, but for security reasons, we proposed moving the match to Tashkent. The Saudi side has not yet agreed to this condition," he added;
Where the match will take place: If the Saudi option does not materialize, the match against Russia will most likely be held in Tashkent. At the same time, the Russian side has also expressed a desire to host the match on its home turf, so discussions regarding the venue are ongoing;
Final decision with Cannavaro: "To reach a final agreement, we need to discuss all matters together with our national team's head coach Fabio Cannavaro. We hope to successfully organize this prestigious match in November."

The national team's autumn results

Under the guidance of Fabio Cannavaro, the Uzbekistan national team went through a series of serious tests in September and October:

Confident victories: In matches held in Tashkent, our players defeated Iran, considered one of Asia's leading teams, 3:1, and Syria 4:1;
Away test: In their latest friendly match, our team played away against South Korea and lost 0:2.

The international friendly matches to be held in November will serve as an important testing ground for further improving the playing style of the national team under the new coaching staff and for gathering international ranking points.