Uzbequistão na Copa do Mundo FIFA: perfil e história do time

Explore o caminho dos Lobos Brancos até a qualificação para a primeira Copa do Mundo da FIFA. Siga o caminho até o torneio com as últimas novidades sobre jogos, grupo e treinador.

• O Uzbequistão vai para a Copa do Mundo FIFA pela primeira vez
• Garantiu sua qualificação histórica em junho de 2025
• Os Lobos Brancos serão liderados pelo vencedor italiano da Copa do Mundo, Fabio Cannavaro

Three-and-a-half decades after they gained independence and with seven, often heartbreaking, failed qualification campaigns in their wake Uzbekistan have finally reached the promised land.

From the mid-air disaster that wiped out a generation of talent from leading club side Pakhtakor in 1979 through to a pair of agonising defeats at the final stage of continental qualifiers, tragedy and disappointment have long been woven through the fabric of Uzbek football.

Now a new chapter is about to written after the White Wolves secured passage to FIFA World Cup 2026™ on the back of a consistent run of form through the second and third rounds of the AFC preliminaries.

A loss on away goals against Bahrain – after a match they had won had to be replayed due to a refereeing error – saw the nation fail at the fifth and final stage of AFC qualifiers for Germany 2006.

Foi na mesma fase que perderam para Jordan de forma igualmente dolorosa, oito anos depois. The fifth round fixture would determine which Asian nation would advance to the FIFA Play-Off Tournament and after scores were locked at the end of the home and away fixtures a penalty shoot-out would determine which nation progressed.

Through the first nine attempts each nation missed just the once, including a successful effort by the man who would qualify them for the current edition, Timur Kapadze. In the end it was defender Anzur Ismailov, still going strong at club level in his 40s, who would miss the tenth effort and ensure that the White Wolves’ heartache would remain.

A dozen years later a squad containing several members who were toddlers when the first of those two dramatic qualification exits occurred finally sent Uzbekistan through to the global finals.

In contrast to the exceptional manner in which they had previously fallen, it was a scoreless draw against United Arab Emirates in Abu Dhabi that finally delivered the nation passage to the sport’s top table.

It was an achievement that eluded national icons, including the mercurial Server Djeparov, Odil Ahmedov and Ignatiy Nesterov, but the current generation now get a chance to make a strong first impression in North America.

Uzbekistan head coach: Fabio Cannavaro

Given it was one of the nation’s most iconic players, the aforementioned Kapadze, who led Uzbekistan through their successful qualification campaign it was something of a surprise when the former midfielder was moved aside in October 2025.

With Kapadze stepping back to an assistant coach role, the Uzbekistan Football Association (UFA) have placed their trust in Fabio Cannavaro to lead the nation in North America.

Announcing the appointment the UFA noted that it had leaned heavily on the former World Cup winning defender’s playing career as a decisive factor in their decision.

“The Uzbekistan Football Association has signed a contract with Fabio Cannavaro – a renowned specialist, one of the best defenders of his generation, a three-time World Cup participant, and the winner of the 2006 FIFA World Cup. The Italian coach will lead our national team in preparation for the upcoming World Cup, which will take place in the USA, Canada, and Mexico,” read the UFA statement.

With fellow Italians Eugenio Albarella, Francesco Troise and Antonio Chimenti working alongside him, Cannavaro is set to join a select group of men who have both played and coached at the global showpiece.

Uzbekistan’s World Cup 2026 fixtures and group

• 17 de junho: Uzbequistão x Colômbia - Estádio da Cidade do México
• 23 de junho: Portugal - Uzbequistão - Houston Stadium
• 27 de junho: Congo RD - Uzbequistão - Atlanta Stadium

Explore pacotes de hospitalidade para os jogos da Copa do Mundo da FIFA 2026™ no Uzbequistão

Calendário completo de jogos da Copa do Mundo de 2026

How Uzbekistan qualified for World Cup 2026

Tendo participado da segunda fase das eliminatórias da AFC, o Uzbequistão começou de forma impressionante. Empates com a potência continental IR Irã na segunda e sexta jornadas, aliados a quatro vitórias, levaram os Lobos Brancos a avançar para a terceira eliminatória.

Com três vitórias e um empate nas primeiras quatro partidas, o time começou bem, antes de uma derrota por 3-2 fora de casa, no Catar, na quinta rodada, fazer com que seu caminho para a progressão retrocedesse um passo.

Os dois gols dessa derrota vieram da estrela Abbosbek Fayzullaev e o dinâmico atacante mais uma vez desencadearia uma sequência que deixou seu país invicto nas cinco partidas restantes.

O jogador de 22 anos marcou na vitória por 1 a 0 sobre a Coreia do Norte, no neutro Laos, e novamente no empate de 2 a 2 com o IR Irã, em Teerã, que colocou o país à beira da qualificação.

A história foi então feita quando eles empataram sem gols contra os Emirados Árabes Unidos, em Abu Dhabi, em 5 de junho de 2025, para finalmente garantir uma passagem para a tabela principal do esporte.

Uzbekistan’s World Cup history

• Confederação: AFC
• Primeira Copa do Mundo: 2026

Main images courtesy of the AFC