As Uzbekistan Prepares for the World Cup, What’s Next for Uzbek Football? |
Crossroads Asia | Society | Central Asia
As Uzbekistan Prepares for the World Cup, What’s Next for Uzbek Football?
The current decade could become the first golden era of Uzbek football, exemplified by two youth championships and participation at the upcoming World Cup.
Within a month, the Uzbek football team will make its debut at the FIFA World Cup as the only representative from Central Asia and the Caucasus. This is an important achievement that underscores the positive momentum of Uzbek football across both the men’s and women’s national squads.
Uzbekistan is in a tough group, with three difficult opponents: Colombia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Portugal. The good news for fans of Uzbekistan is that the squad is composed of players already in top-level leagues. The best example is Abdukodir Khusanov, currently playing for Manchester City; in fact, Khusanov is the first-ever Uzbek player in the English Premier League (EPL). At the time of writing, Manchester City coach Pep Guardiola said Khusanov is doing “better” following an injury. He had a “tough knock against Beto when he played Everton. He’s better,” Guardiola said recently.
According to Transfermarkt, which tracks player market values, Khusanov is valued at $41 million (35 million euro). Because of his youth, skill, and success in the EPL, it is no surprise that a recent profile about Khusanov by The Athletic compared him to Portuguese superstar Cristiano Ronaldo. The article explained that Khusanov, age 22, is the Uzbek squad’s “best player, both in defense with his rapid pace and exceptional reading of the game.”
Meanwhile, Abbosbek Fayzullaev plays for İstanbul Başakşehir in Turkiye, where he plays alongside Eldor Shomurodov, the nation’s all-time top scorer and a former player for Roma in Italy. Khusniddin Alikulov also plays in Turkiye’s Süper Lig, for Çaykur Rizespor.
The future looks bright for the Uzbek national team, as a new generation of football players is on the rise. The country won the AFC U-17 Asian Cup in 2025, playing with nine men against Saudi Arabia in the final.
As for the women’s national squad, the country reached the quarterfinals at the recently concluded 2026 AFC Women’s Asia Cup in Australia. The squad advanced from the group stage but, unfortunately, lost in dramatic fashion to South Korea (6-0). The Central Asian country will host the 2029 Women’s Asia Cup. Hopefully, playing in front of a home crowd will help the squad, led by Captain Lyudmila Karachik, go further. As with the men’s squad, the future appears bright as Uzbekistan’s U17 women’s team won the CAFA (Central Asian Football Association) Championship in Tajikistan in........