'Nearly men of Asian football' - Uzbekistan's rise to the World Cup

Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Uzbekistan qualified for their first World Cup with a goalless draw against the UAE For the first time in World Cup history, Central Asia will have representation after Uzbekistan created history on 5 June 2025. A 0-0 draw with the United Arab Emirates triggered wild scenes in Tashkent and beyond as Uzbekistan's participation in the 2026 World Cup was confirmed. The White Wolves are not a traditional footballing powerhouse, but qualifying for the World Cup has been a long time coming, with numerous heartbreaks along the way making their 2026 journey all the more special. The nation had earned the tag of Asian football's "nearly men", having narrowly missed out on three World Cups this century, but the slate can be wiped clean as Uzbekistan embark on a new journey this summer. Before their Group K opener against Colombia, Uzbekistan football expert Conor Bowers told BBC Sport that, for the country, qualification is as "significant as winning it would be for nations like England". Bowers said: "Uzbekistan have historically always been the nearly men of Asian football, having missed out on previous tournaments due to poor refereeing decisions in 2006 World Cup qualifying and utter self-sabotage before the 2022 World Cup. "The success of qualification has already begun to create noticeable results domestically, with new football clubs being created, previously defunct clubs re-emerging and the number of professional clubs in the country increasing by 36% from the years 2025 to 2026 alone." Drawn in a group alongside Portugal, Colombia and fellow debutants DR Congo, expectations around what Uzbekistan can produce in the World Cup have understandably risen. But Bowers said: "Qualification was the goal. Anything more than that will be seen as an additional bonus." Khusanov named in Uzbekistan's World Cup squad Published2 JuneUzbekistan: Asia's 'heartbreak' team finally reach the World Cup Qualification 'not been overnight success story'In 2006, when they placed 45th in the Fifa rankings - five places lower than they are now - Uzbekistan controversially lost a two-legged intercontinental play-off against Bahrain. A 1-0 first-leg home win was ordered to be replayed in full because the referee incorrectly awarding a free-kick to the visitors when an Uzbekistan attacker encroached during a team-mate's penalty. They drew the replay 1-1, and it was 0-0 in the away leg, meaning an away-goals defeat - something Uzbekistan fans will never forget. In 2014 Uzbekistan missed out on goal difference to South Korea. Then in 2018 they were two points short of qualifying for the tournament in Russia, with South Korea edging them out again after the two sides drew 0-0 in Tashkent in the final group game. It is no wonder qualifying for 2026 drew such jubilation, but it was merely a reflection of the progress in Uzbekistani football in the past decade. "The qualification to the World Cup has not been an overnight success story, with it being the goal of a long-term development plan to increase the standards of Uzbek football as a whole," said Bowers. "New expectations when it comes to stadium standards, coaching, opening up of Uzbek football association academies in multiple regions of the country and further youth development, among others, has raised the level of professionalism occurring within the domestic game. "This has had a trickle-down impact on success initially at both youth level - Under-17 and Under-20 Asian Cup winners, Olympic qualification, Under-17 World Cup qualification, among other youth finals and semi-finals on an continental level - and senior level. "The Uzbekistan FA has recently opened up a national training centre outside Tashkent similar in concept to St Georges' Park to provide national teams of all levels high standards of facilities for training." Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Abdukodir Khusanov started last season's Carabao Cup and FA Cup finals as Manchester City won both Manchester City signed Uzbekistan defender Abdukodir Khusanov in January 2025 from Lens for a fee worth £34m. A relatively unknown 20-year-old at the time, Khusanov's stature in the City side and in the Premier League means he is already the face of Uzbekistani football. But paving the way for Khusanov, now 21, was Server Djeparov - the only Uzbek to be crowned Asian footballer of the year. He did this not once, but twice. Recognised by his famous mullet, Djeparov had trials at Chelsea and was a part of the Uzbekistan side that missed out on the World Cup three times. But now, there is a new hero in Khusanov and Bowers compares the impact in his home nation to that of David Beckham in England in the early 2000s. He said: "Khusanov's rise from Minsk to Manchester has been incredible and his impact on Uzbek football relative to his age and experience is difficult to measure. "Uzbekistan has had players play for big historical European clubs like Roma and Dy

'Nearly men of Asian football' - Uzbekistan's rise to the World Cup

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'Nearly men of Asian football' - Uzbekistan's rise to the World Cup

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