The plan

It has been quite a journey. When Srecko Katanec took charge of Uzbekistan in 2021 he introduced an effective 3-4-3 system, and his successors, Timur Kapadze and now Fabio Cannavaro, have decided to stick with it.

The first round of qualification was easy. In a four-team group they saw off Turkmenistan and Hong Kong and held Iran to two draws. The second round was favourable, too. Uzbekistan avoided being drawn against giants such as Japan, South Korea and Australia, and their away games were relatively nearby. Their away fixture against North Korea was played in Laos, with the Uzbekistan team arriving by chartered flight. Across both rounds of qualification, the White Wolves lost just one of their 16 games, a 3-2 defeat in Qatar. All four games against Iran, one of Asia’s heavyweights, ended in draws. Utkir Yusupov, Uzbekistan’s No 1 goalkeeper, made a particularly significant contribution to the side’s historic qualification, saving penalties in the two matches against North Korea.

The deterioration of Katanec's health during the qualifiers came as a surprise to everyone. The Slovenian was unable to fly to Tashkent for some of the matches as a result. "If I leave the national team for the third time due to health reasons, I will never return," Katanec said in the summer of 2024. He resigned in January 2025 and was replaced by Kapadze, who led the Uzbekistan Olympic team to Paris 2024 for the first time in history. Katanec said his successor "finished the meal I started to prepare". 

After securing a place at the World Cup, the Uzbekistan football association planned to bring in a foreign coach. Cannavaro was selected from several candidates and signed an initial two-year contract. "I’m happy to be given this opportunity, it is a great honour. I came here not to change everything, but to continue the work that has been started," the 2006 World Cup-winning captain said on the day he arrived last year, a few months after qualification had been assured.

The coach

Fabio Cannavaro played a total of 18 matches at the 1998, 2002, 2006 and 2010 World Cups, lifting the trophy in Germany. He’s second only to Gianluigi Buffon’s 176 caps for Italy. However, he has not achieved great results as a coach. In four years in charge of Guangzhou Evergrande he won just one Chinese Super League title, while his reign as China’s head coach lasted just two games. Then there were more short spells at Benevento, Udinese and Dinamo Zagreb. "I have played many games on the field where I thought I had given everything,” he has said. “But after hanging up my boots and starting my coaching career, I realised that 90 minutes on the field can never be compared to the life of a coach.”

Star player

Abdukodir Khusanov is by far the most recognisable face in the Uzbekistan side – the country’s first player to appear in the Champions League, Premier League or Ligue 1. His father, Khikmat Khoshimov, also played as a central defender. At 17, Khusanov went to play for Energetik-BGU Minsk in Belarus but could only train, with foreign players not allowed to play competitively until the age of 18. "In Belarus, I suffered away from my parents, often there were training sessions three times a day. If there was heavy snow in winter, we would clear the field ourselves and then train," he says. During a whirlwind 2023, when Khusanov won the Under-20 Asian Cup with Uzbekistan and earned his first senior cap, Lens came calling. Within 18 months the shy youngster was at Manchester City. “He is a top signing,” Pep Guardiola said. “He is so coachable. He is always training good and gives 100%.” The 22-year-old has won the FA Cup and League Cup this season.

One to watch

Born in 2007 in the Namangan region, Behruz Karimov has always been impatient to progress. "I've been playing football since I was six years old. When I was in high school, I was rejected by the Under-19 team of Navbahor because I was too young. After that incident, I started trying to prove that age is just a number." Last year was a great one for the teenage right-back. In March, he made his debut for Surkhan in the Uzbek top flight. In October, he scored his first goal. And last January, at the age of 18, he participated in the Under-23 Asian Cup, scoring against South Korea, and soon earned his first senior call-up. After breaking his toe playing for Surkhan in April he underwent surgery but recovered in time for the World Cup. A year ago, the 18-year-old would not have dreamed of this. “After the injury, I was very depressed, but everyone around me supported me. This also helped me get back on my feet faster.”

Unsung hero 

Dostonbek Khamdamov played for Uzbekistan at every youth level right through his teenage years, from winning the Under-16 Asian Cup in 2012 to repeating the feat at the Under-23 tournament in 2018. After his brilliant performances for Bunyodkor, Khamdamov, who was named the best young player in Asia in 2015, moved to Anzhi Makhachkala in Russia in 2018 but only played nine games. Back home with Pakhtakor, the winger has won five league titles and three Uzbek Cups across two spells. Having had a spell in the cold with the national team, Khamadov has found himself back in favour under Fabio Cannavaro. 

Probable starting XI

(5-2-3) Yusupov - Alijanov, Eshmurodov, Khusanov, Ashurmatov, Nasrullaev - Shukurov, Khamrobekov - Fayzullaev, Shomurodov, Urunov.

What to expect from fans at games?

Uzbek supporters travelled to a global football tournament for the first time in 2024, descending on Paris for the Olympics. No matter which country they go to, they leave behind only a good name – violence and disorder is not in their make-up. Their most famous song is: "The Temurids have come, the Baburids have come." This means that the descendants of Timur and Babur – two empire builders in Central Asia – have arrived, meaning business.

This article is part of JoySports' collaboration with The Guardian. The cooperation enables readers to access team news, previews, and more from all 48 teams that qualified for the FIFA World Cup 2026.