Uzbekistan steps onto the World Cup stage for the first time on Thursday, opening against Kolumbien with Fabio Cannavaro in charge and a target that reaches beyond mere participation. The team’s minimum aim is the knockout round, a demand that sits on top of a debut built through one of the strongest qualifying runs in the field.
Cannavaro took over in October, after Uzbekistan had already done the hard part by winning promotion to the tournament. The side lost only one of 16 qualification matches and finished second in its group behind Iran, then sealed its place with a June 2025 victory over Qatar in the final qualifier. That result was followed by a gift that said as much about the mood around the team as any speech: 40 BYD electric cars were lined up on the sideline of a football pitch, one for each squad member and staff recipient.
The scale of support has not come from football alone. Uzbekistan’s development has been driven by investment from the state and the federation, part of a wider push under President Schawkat Mirsijojew, who has ruled authoritatively since 2016. The project has already produced visible results at younger levels, including a U-17 side that drew 2:2 with Spanien, beat England in the round of 16 and then lost 0:1 to Frankreich at the U-17 World Cup three years ago. One year later, the U 23 team reached the Olympic football tournament for the first time by finishing second at the Asian Championship.
That record helps explain why the line from inside the camp is so ambitious now. Qualification was a breakthrough, but not the finish line. Even with a World Cup debut secured, Uzbekistan is being measured against a knockout-round standard, and the opening match against Kolumbien will give the first real clue about whether that expectation is grounded or simply a statement of intent.
There is another reason this debut draws attention. Uzbekistan’s group also includes the Democratic Republic of Congo and Portugal, which means Cannavaro’s team cannot treat the opener as a soft landing. The coach who arrived in October has been handed a squad that already knows how to survive pressure, but a debut at this level is judged quickly. If Uzbekistan leaves the opening stretch with a result, the knockout-round target starts to look like a plan rather than a slogan.
For now, the question is less whether Uzbekistan belongs at the World Cup than how far its rise can go in a group that offers little room for a slow start. The team has earned the right to talk about advancing; Thursday will show whether that ambition can survive the first test.
