11.06.2025

President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev attended the national football team of Uzbekistan match at the Bunyodkor Stadium on June 10.

The final game of the World Cup qualifying stage became a true celebration of Uzbek football. But our players had already secured their place in the World Cup: for the first time in history, Uzbekistan’s national team will participate in the FIFA World Cup!

A dream cherished for many years by millions of fans has become a reality. Until now, the team participated in seven qualifying campaigns, but something was always missing — an inconvenient schedule, goal difference, or just a bit more skill.

To eliminate room for excuses, strength and infrastructure were needed. By the Decree of the President dated March 16, 2018, a football development program for 2018–2022 was adopted. Football academies for children and youth were established in 14 regions of the country, where talented young people are selected, professionally trained and prepared as a reserve for the national teams. The quality of training and tournaments has improved. Special attention has been given to the preparation of coaches, referees and specialists.

On December 4, 2019, the President signed a Decree “On measures to bring the development of football in Uzbekistan to a completely new stage”. The document envisioned the development of clubs, training of international specialists, organization of modern training and teaching processes for national teams and hosting of prestigious competitions in the country. A decree of the President dated April 8, 2023, on the comprehensive development of both mass and professional football was also of great significance.

Due to such a focused and systematic approach, the first major results began to appear. In 2018, our U-23 team became the champion of Asia in China, and in 2023 the U-20 team repeated this success at the tournament held in Tashkent. Hosting tournaments under the auspices of FIFA and the AFC also began in the country.

In 2024, a new chapter in Uzbek football began — for the first time in history, the youth under 23 national team participated in the Olympic Games.

The success continues this year as well. In April, our players under 17 won the Asian Cup in Saudi Arabia and secured a spot in the World Cup. And now, the main national team has achieved a historic victory.

Uzbekistan competed in Group “A” of the third qualifying round. For nearly a year, our team competed against Iran, Qatar, the UAE, Kyrgyzstan and North Korea. On June 5  the match against the UAE ended in a draw. By the end of the 9th round, the national team had accumulated 18 points and secured a spot in the World Cup ahead of schedule.

In his congratulatory message, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev noted that our footballers demonstrated true courage and resilience in turning the dream of the Uzbek people into a reality.

- I am confident that this historic victory will further unite our people on the path toward noble goals, become a source of inspiration and an example for thousands of our young people, and contribute to strengthening the international standing of the New Uzbekistan, – emphasized the Head of State.

And indeed, this historic victory united and delighted the entire nation. The final match of the qualifying stage – Uzbekistan vs. Qatar – turned into a true celebration.

In front of the eyes of the devoted fans, the Uzbekistan national team demonstrated complete dominance and achieved a victory with a score of 3:0.

In accordance with the Decree of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan dated June 6, for the country’s first-ever qualification for the World Cup and for the contribution to instilling a spirit of love for sports and national pride in the youth, a group of footballers and coaches from the Uzbekistan’s national team were awarded state honors. A ceremony of awarding the honors took place after the match. 

The Head of State presented honorary titles, orders and medals to the athletes. In addition, the players and specialists were gifted BYD brand cars.

The football celebration concluded with a drone show and fireworks.

The World Cup of 2026 will be held from June 11 to July 19 in the United States, Canada and Mexico. 48 teams will participate in the tournament, divided into 12 groups. The teams advancing to the next stage will be the ones who took the first and second places, as well as the top 8 among the third places. Our people eagerly await new victories from our players.