Uzbekistan men's national football team

History

Early history

Since 1992, Uzbekistan gained independence and a new Uzbek national team was organized. The national team held its first match in 1992, a game against Tajikistan, in the framework of the 1992 Central Asian Cup (the tournament was held once, initiated by FIFA). In 1992, Uzbekistan was also a member of the CIS national football team and instead participated in Euro 1992. The Uzbek national team did not play the following year.

Most of the republics became members of UEFA (Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Moldova, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan). While Uzbekistan also wanted to become a member of UEFA, the rest of Central Asia (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan), chose the Asian Football Confederation. In 2002, Kazakhstan became a member of UEFA for football development, but Uzbekistan chose to remain in the AFC.

In 1994, the Uzbekistan Football Federation was officially adopted by the AFC and FIFA. In the same year Uzbekistan won the Uzbekistan Independence Cup.

1990s

In the 1994 Asian Games, Uzbekistan were grouped with powerhouse Saudi Arabia, Thailand and Malaysia, alongside Hong Kong. After a 4–1 victory over the Saudis, Uzbekistan followed up with a 5–0 victory over Malaysia and a 1–0 win over Hong Kong before winning the group with a 5–4 win against Thailand. In the quarter-finals, Uzbekistan defeated Turkmenistan 3–0 to advance to the semi-finals where they faced South Korea. The Korean side included nine players that had already participated in the 1994 FIFA World Cup; despite this, Uzbekistan shocked South Korea with a 1–0 victory to advance to the final, its first ever final since gaining independence.

In their final game against China, Uzbekistan defeated the Chinese 4–2 to capture its first and only Asian honor two years after its creation.

In the 1996 AFC Asian Cup, Uzbekistan was grouped with Japan, China and Syria, and were eliminated in the group stage. Uzbekistan's first-ever attempt to qualify for the World Cup was in 1998. Grouped with Yemen, Cambodia and Indonesia in the first stage, Uzbekistan won every match except for the away fixture against Indonesia. Shortly after, the Uzbeks played South Korea, Japan and the UAE, and failed to qualify for the tournament.

2000s

The 2000 AFC Asian Cup saw the Uzbeks with Japan, Saudi Arabia and Qatar, gaining only a point against the latter with a draw. Uzbekistan participated in the first round in order to qualify for the 2002 FIFA World Cup in Japan and South Korea, and eventually made the second round. The group contained China, the UAE, Oman and Qatar, and the Uzbeks were unable to make any major breakthrough in the second round, losing twice to the UAE, and suffering two away defeats to China and Oman. An away draw to Qatar confirmed Uzbekistan's failure to qualify, despite a late win over already qualified China in the final match.

Uzbekistan failed to make further impact on the continental stage until they reached the last eight of the 2004 Asian Cup, topping their group after winning all matches, where they were beaten by Bahrain after a penalty shoot-out. The country would eventually defeat Iraq in the second qualifying round for the 2006 World Cup in Germany, with goals from Maksim Shatskikh and Alexander Geynrikh sending them through to the last eight. They were knocked out in the final stage of the Asian qualification to the 2006 World Cup after losing on the away goals rule to Bahrain. The result was subject to controversy as three games were played; the first, a 1–0 win for Uzbekistan was wiped out after FIFA declared the result void after a mistake by Toshimitsu Yoshida, a Japanese referee. The replay ended 1–1, and after the return finished 0–0, Uzbekistan were eliminated.

In the 2007 AFC Asian Cup, Uzbekistan advanced from the group stage by beating Malaysia 5–0 and China PR 3–0. However, Uzbekistan was knocked out of the tournament in the quarter-finals by losing to Saudi Arabia 2–1.

2010s

After having three foreign coaches (German Hans-Jürgen Gede, Englishman Bob Houghton and Russian Valeri Nepomniachi) in three years, the country turned to former Uzbekistan Olympic team coach Rauf Inileev. During qualification for the 2010 World Cup, Uzbekistan advanced to the fourth round of the Asian qualifiers after winning their first four matches, but finished last in Group A of the final round behind favorites Australia, Japan, Bahrain and Qatar, with four points from eight matches.

In the 2011 AFC Asian Cup, Uzbekistan ended in fourth place, their all-time best result in the tournament. After getting past the group stage and quarter-finals, the Uzbek team lost their first opportunity to reach the Asian Cup final when Australia thrashed them 6–0 in the semi-final game. Several days later, they were defeated again by South Korea in the third place match 3–2.

In qualification for the 2014 FIFA World Cup, Uzbekistan advanced to Asia's fourth round after winning their group in the third round over Japan. Uzbekistan finished with 16 points (five wins and one draw), more than any other team in the third round, including an impressive 1–0 away win against Japan. In the fourth round, Uzbekistan finished third in Group A behind Iran and South Korea, and lost to South Korea (14 points) on goal difference, and would eventually play Jordan in the fifth round to determine the AFC participant in the intercontinental play-off. On 10 September 2013, with the two teams drawn at the end of the second leg, Jordan eventually progressed to the intercontinental play-off after winning 9–8 on penalties.

In the 2015 Asian Cup, Uzbekistan advanced to the quarter-finals after finishing as runners-up in Group B, won by China. The team was knocked out of the tournament in the quarter-finals after losing 2–0 in extra time to South Korea.

Uzbekistan continued their quest to head to the World Cup during 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification, but their campaign had been shattered with a 4–2 defeat to North Korea. However, the Uzbeks soon bounced back and won the last remaining matches to top the group and qualified to the 2019 AFC Asian Cup as well as the last round. Once again, Uzbekistan in the last round, missed an opportunity when they finished fourth, behind Iran, South Korea and Syria, when Uzbekistan could only manage a 0–0 draw to the South Koreans in the last match.

2020s

In the second qualifying round for the 2022 FIFA World Cup, Uzbekistan suffered another disappointment by failing to qualify for the final round. The White Wolves accumulated five wins and three defeats. Moreover, Uzbekistan's failure was also compounded by the fact that North Korea, originally in Group H of the same round, surprisingly withdrew due to the COVID-19 pandemic, in which FIFA and the AFC then ruled North Korea's results as null and void. This caused Lebanon to qualify ahead of Uzbekistan, since Lebanon's original results against North Korea were a draw and a loss.

Uzbekistan took part in the third qualifying round for the 2023 AFC Asian Cup. Designated as the host country of Group C (due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Asia), the Central Asians won all three games and finished top of their group without conceding a goal, confirming their qualification for the tournament. Uzbekistan was placed in Group B with Australia, Syria and India. Prior to the tournament, Uzbek all-time top goalscorer Eldor Shomurodov sustained a leg injury, ruling him out of the squad. Uzbekistan drew 0–0 in their opening game against Syria and won against India 3–0. In their last match against Australia, Uzbekistan drew 1–1 to seal a place in the round of 16 as the second-placed team in their group. They faced Thailand, whom they managed to beat 2–1. In the quarter-finals, they faced hosts Qatar. With the match drawn 1–1 after extra time, Uzbekistan lost 3–2 in the penalty shoot-out.

Uzbekistan were unbeaten throughout their entire second qualifying round for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, winning four matches and drawing two, and entered the third qualifying round as second place in the group. In the third round, the team qualified for the World Cup for the first time in history, with one match to spare after an away goalless draw with the United Arab Emirates. This makes Uzbekistan the first Central Asian nation, as well as the third former republic after Russia and Ukraine, to qualify for the World Cup.

Uzbekistan entered the 2025 CAFA Nations Cup, where the team won the title after a draw against Oman and victories over Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan and a last-minute extra-time victory over Iran 1–0 in the final.

Team image

Nicknames

The Uzbekistan national team has received several nicknames by supporters and media. The most common one used is "The White Wolves" (Uzbek: Oq boʻrilar / Оқ бўрилар), while also being called "Asian Italy" (Uzbek: Osiyo Italiyasi / Осиё Италияси) due to the similarity of colors (white and blue) of Italy and Uzbekistan, as well as similar tactics (defensive football) of these teams.

Uzbekistan is also called the "Huma birds" (Uzbek: Humo qushlari / Ҳумо қушлари); the mythical Huma bird is the national bird of Uzbekistan, and is depicted on the state emblem of Uzbekistan. The Huma bird is depicted on the emblem of the National Olympic Committee of the Republic of Uzbekistan. Another nickname is the "Turanians" (Uzbek: Turonliklar / Туронликлар), as Uzbekistan is located in the center of the ancient region of Turan.

Rivalries

Kazakhstan national team is considered to be the main rival of the Uzbekistan national team. This rivalry dates back to the time of the Soviet Union, when both countries were part of the 15 republics that made up the Union. The rivalry between Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan was evident at all levels, from grandiose construction projects to football. The two countries' top football clubs, Pakhtakor Tashkent and Kairat Almaty, competed for the title of the strongest club in Central Asia. In the 1990s, both countries were part of the AFC, and Uzbekistan performed better than Kazakhstan. In 2002, Kazakhstan joined the UEFA, and the intensity of the rivalry decreased as the national teams and clubs primarily played friendly matches. However, fans and the football community in Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan continue to compare their national teams and clubs. Objectively, Uzbekistan has surpassed Kazakhstan in terms of football development, becoming the main football country in the region. During the Soviet era, Uzbekistan's national team also had some rivalry with Ukraine and Georgia.

In addition to Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan competes with the national team of Tajikistan from the Central Asian countries, as well as to a lesser extent with the national teams of Turkmenistan and Kyrgyzstan. Over the past 15 years, rivalry with the Iran national team has become especially important, and the Iran national team can be considered Uzbekistan's second main rival. The matches against South Korea, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the UAE are also of great importance.

Kit sponsorship

In qualifying tournaments, the team usually wears a normal plain jersey of the kit sponsor and only has the logo of the Uzbekistan Football Association printed on it.

Home stadium

From its formation in 1992 until the end of 2012, the main home stadium of the Uzbekistan national football team was the Pakhtakor Central Stadium in Tashkent, built and opened in 1956. This stadium is also the venue for Pakhtakor Football Club. During the Soviet Union, this stadium was home for the Uzbekistan SSR national team. It was reconstructed in 1996, 2008 and 2012 and currently holds 35,000 spectators, previously at 55,000 spectators. The team also uses Milliy Stadium (formerly known as Bunyodkor Stadium), built in 2012 and accommodating 34,000 spectators. This stadium is also a home for the Bunyodkor Football Club.

Home record

Last updated: 24 September 2026. Statistics include official FIFA-recognised matches only.

Results and fixtures

The following is a list of match results in the last 12 months, as well as any future matches that have been scheduled.

Win

Draw

Loss

Fixture

Coaching staff

As of 24 September 2026

Players

Current squad

The following 32 players were called up to the friendly matches against Iran, Syria and South Korea, held between 24 September and 6 October 2026.

Caps and goals correct as of 27 June 2026, after the match against DR Congo.

Recent call-ups

The following players have been called for the last 12 months and are still eligible to represent.

Player records

As of 24 September 2026

Players in bold are still active with Uzbekistan.

Competitive record

Asian Games

Football at the Asian Games has been an under-23 tournament since 2002.

Head-to-head record

As of 24 September 2026 after the match against Iran.

Positive Record

Neutral Record

Negative Record

FIFA ranking history

As of 20 July 2026

FIFA-ranking yearly averages for Uzbekistan (1994–2024)

Legend:

Best ranking Worst ranking Best mover Worst mover

Honours

Intercontinental

Afro-Asian Cup of Nations

Runners-up (1): 1995

Continental

Asian Games1

Gold Medal (1): 1994

Regional

CAFA Nations Cup

Champions (1): 2025

Runners-up (1): 2023

Friendly

FIFA Series (1): 2026

Al Ain International Cup (1): 2025

Nowruz Cup (1): 2022

Merdeka Tournament (1): 2001

Awards

CAFA Nations Cup Fair Play Award (1): 2023

Summary

Notes

Competition organized by OCA, officially not recognized by FIFA.