Uzbekistan qualifies for first-ever World Cup
Published
The party is on in Tashkent.
Uzbekistan qualified for the 2026 FIFA World Cup on Thursday after a 0-0 draw with the United Arab Emirates. It's the first time the Central Asian nation has qualified for the quadrennial tournament.
The draw puts Uzbekistan on 18 points, giving them an insurmountable lead over third-place UAE. Group leaders Iran have already qualified.
Uzbekistan also became the first debutants to qualify for next summer's tourney to be co-hosted by Canada, the United States and Mexico. Jordan joined them later in the day as fellow first-time qualifiers to the global event.
Most of the Uzbekistan squad plays in the Uzbekistan Super League, but there are also a handful of European-based players including Manchester City defender Abdukodir Khusanov and its team captain, Roma forward Eldor Shomurodov.
Uzbekistan joins hosts Canada, the United States and Mexico, as well as Iran, Japan, New Zealand and holders Argentina as the teams who have already punched their ticket into the 48-team field.