48 questions, a 2026 World Cup Preview: Uzbekistan

One question for each 2026 World Cup team. Can Uzbekistan be good enough that Americans will have to actually learn something about Central Asia?

Would you love me in a Bentley? Would you love me on a $95 bus from downtown Boston to Gillette Stadium? Footnote is asking 48 questions, and they’re all about the 48 teams at the 2026 World Cup. This post is part of our Group K preview. You can also read previews of Colombia, Portugal, and DR Congo.

Can Uzbekistan be good enough that Americans will have to actually learn something about Central Asia?

If the average American knows anything about the former Soviet republics of Central Asia, the region that was once the center of the world in the days of the Silk Road, it’s probably Borat.

The main joke of the Sacha Baron Cohen comedy is that Kazakhstan — or really any country in that land of -stans¹This is actually a very clever and high brow joke because “-stan” is a suffix in Turkic languages that means “a place abounding with” or “land of,” which is why all the countries in that region are called “something-stan.” — is the epitome of a country that no one knows anything about, the perfect origin point for a fish out of water character who can arrive in America to make fun of our bizarre customs and general ignorance. 

And now, entering a country that if anything is more pound of its global ignorance than ever, come the region’s first ever Central Asian World Cup qualifiers: Uzbekistan.

The White Wolves have quietly been knocking on the door of the world’s biggest tournament for a few decades. Uzbekistan have long been the best team out of the cohort of former Soviet teams in Central Asia, but on a continental level that frequently meant they were the fifth or sixth best team in a confederation that only had 4.5 automatic spots at the tournament.

Generally, in between runs to the quarterfinals of the Asian Cup they would narrowly miss out on qualification for the World Cup. In 2018, Uzbekistan finished just two points behind South Korea for an automatic place at the tournament and missed out on a playoff against Australia on goal difference. In 2022, they underperformed but were still just one point away from the final round of Asian qualifying.

In the campaign to qualify for 2026, they left no room for error. Across two group stages of qualifying, they were more or less on par with Iran, traditionally one of the conference’s powerhouses.They were particularly impressive in the final round of qualifying, tallying 21 points and an unbeaten record against Iran. At the end, they were able to celebrate clinching their first World Cup with a runaway 3-0 home win over Qatar in the final match.

It’s easy to dismiss this Uzbekistan team as beneficiaries of an expanded tournament, and there’s some truth to that. But their results over the past year or so indicate that they are firmly in the middle class of global soccer teams.

Last fall, they won the CAFA Nations Cup, the regional championship for Central Asian teams. Once again, they faced Iran in the final. Once again, they played an even match, but this time they were able to steal a late winner in extratime.

They have also managed wins against Egypt and Gabon, and a draw against Venezuela in the time between qualifying for the World Cup and the start of the tournament. And sure, none of these teams are exactly Brazil, but they are solid teams with players whose names you would recognize from watching European leagues. 

ELO ratings have Uzbekistan at 40, which means that if you were to construct a 48-team World Cup based purely on which 48 teams have been playing the best over the past few years regardless of continent, the White Wolves would be there. They are, in short, a solid team.

Much of their recent success is built from two players at either end of the pitch and either end of their careers. 

Up top is the veteran Eldor Shomurodov. Uzbekistan’s all-time leading goalscorer was also one of the first players from the country to make a mark on Europe’s major leagues, transferring to Genoa in Serie A ahead of the 2020-2021 season. He quickly moved on to Roma, but he was mostly used as a substitute in the capital and was loaned out to smaller sides including Spezia and Cagliari.

But at 30 years old, Shmurodov found his footing in Europe this season. The striker put together a career-best year during a loan spell in Turkiye with Istanbul Başakşehir, finishing as the league’s joint-top scorer with 22 goals in just 34 appearances. 

Further back, Uzbekistan’s star centerback is just starting out. Abdukodir Khusanov became the first Uzbek player to play for a Premier League team when Manchester City brought him over from Lens last winter. Just 20 years old at the time, Khusanov was clearly not quite ready for England in 2025, with some shaky moments at the start of his career with City. 

But he has steadily gotten up to speed at the highest level of the game, and by the end of this season he was a mainstay alongside Marc Guehi at the heart of City’s defense. Khusanov started six of City’s final seven Premier League games last season, along with the FA Cup final.

Khusanov will likely be the face of Uzbek football for years to come. Uzbekistan frequently play with a back three, and Khusanov will likely be at the center of that unit alongside Rustam Ashurmatov, who was a reliable pillar of defence through qualifying and is one of the key Uzbekistan players with experience at the relatively higher level of the Russian Premier League. The third center back will probably be the experienced Umar Eshmurodov, who was also solid in qualifying but has only played club football in Uzbekistan and Malaysia. 

One wild card for Uzbekistan will be how head coach Fabio CannavaroO²h yeah also Uzbekistan are coached by Fabio Cannavaro, the legendary Italian center back and one of the only defenders ever to win the Balon D’Or. deploys Abbosbek Fayzullaev. The young winger is one of the only other players currently in a European league. Generally Fayzullaev is a substitute, and his energy off the bench might help Shumurodov generate chances late in games.

Mostly, though, this is a team light on European stars but heavy on professionals who have been through the battles together. The World Cup will be a step up for most players on Uzbekistan’s roster, but they have proven themselves capable against solid teams from other regions. That solid core, plus two star players entering the tournament in good form, mean that this might be the summer Americans finally learn about Central Europe.