Abdukodir Khusanov helps Uzbekistan reach 2026 World Cup with 0-0 draw
abdukodir khusanov stood in the middle of a result that changed Uzbek football on 5 June 2025. Uzbekistan qualified for their first World Cup after a 0-0 draw with the United Arab Emirates, a finish that sent scenes through Tashkent and beyond.
The point was enough to secure Uzbekistan's place at the 2026 World Cup, ending a run of near misses that had defined the country’s recent qualifying history. Central Asia will have World Cup representation for the first time in World Cup history.
Tashkent after the 0-0 draw
The goalless draw in Tashkent mattered because Uzbekistan had spent years coming close without crossing the line. Conor Bowers, an Uzbekistan football expert, said before Uzbekistan's Group K opener against Colombia that qualification was the goal and anything more would be an additional bonus.
Bowers also said, "Uzbekistan have historically always been the nearly men of Asian football, having missed out on previous tournaments due to poor refereeing decisions in 2006 World Cup qualifying and utter self-sabotage before the 2022 World Cup." He added that the qualification was "significant as winning it would be for nations like England."
Uzbekistan's near misses
The long road to this result included several painful exits. Uzbekistan were 45th in the Fifa rankings in 2006, then controversially lost a two-legged intercontinental play-off against Bahrain after winning the first leg 1-0 at home, seeing the match ordered to be replayed in full, drawing the replay 1-1 and then drawing 0-0 in the away leg.
Uzbekistan missed out on the 2014 World Cup on goal difference to South Korea. In 2018, Uzbekistan drew 0-0 with South Korea in Tashkent in the final group game of qualifying and missed out by two points.
What comes after qualification
Qualification has already started to reshape football in Uzbekistan. New football clubs have been created, previously defunct clubs have re-emerged, and the number of professional clubs in Uzbekistan increased by 36% from 2025 to 2026.
Bowers said, "The qualification to the World Cup has not been an overnight success story, with it being the goal of a long-term development plan to increase the standards of Uzbek football as a whole." Uzbekistan will now go to a group with Portugal, Colombia and fellow debutants DR Congo, carrying the weight of a first appearance and the expectation that came with the country’s long wait.
