They only needed one point on their visit to Abu Dhabi, and the White Wolves did not fail on this occasion. The Uzbekistan national team secured a draw against the United Arab Emirates and confirmed their qualification for the FIFA World Cup 2026 for the first time in their history. A milestone for the Central Asian republic, which will see its country among the 48 best teams on the planet.
Timur Kapadze’s men managed to withstand the attacks of an Emirati team that tried to exhaust their chances to qualify for the World Cup in the third round of the Asian qualifiers. And the final whistle brought a total outburst of joy both on the pitch of the Al Nahyan stadium in Abu Dhabi and in the streets of Tashkent, which came to a standstill to watch their national team.
After the dissolution of the USSR, Uzbek football did not see its national team participate in a World Cup qualification until 1997. The qualifiers for France 98 were the first step on a World Cup journey full of disappointments for Uzbekistan… until these qualifiers.
Under the leadership of Slatko Katanec first and Timur Kapadze later, the White Wolves became one of the most solid teams on the Asian continent. As proof, their record in these World Cup qualifiers: out of 14 matches played, Uzbekistan has only lost one. The rest, nine wins and four draws.
📸 – – AFP or licensors
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