Referees announced for Uzbekistan’s matches against UAE and Qatar

The referees for Uzbekistan's upcoming matches against the United Arab Emirates and Qatar in the third round of the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers have been announced. The Football Association of Uzbekistan confirmed the appointments.

The UAE vs. Uzbekistan match will be officiated by Australian referee Shaun Evans. He will be assisted on the sidelines by his compatriots George Lakrindis and Owen Goldrick. Jonathan Barreiro has been appointed as the fourth official, while Alexander King will serve as the Video Assistant Referee (VAR).

For the Uzbekistan vs. Qatar match, a team of Chinese referees will be in charge. Ma Ning will serve as the main referee, with assistants Joyu Fei and Zhang Cheng on the wings. Jin Jingyuan will act as the fourth official, and Fu Ming will be in charge of VAR duties.

Uzbekistan’s match against the UAE will take place on June 5 at Al Nahyan Stadium in Abu Dhabi, with kickoff scheduled for 21:00 Tashkent time. The match against Qatar will follow on June 10, kicking off at 18:45 Tashkent time.

Currently, Uzbekistan sits in second place in Group A with 17 points from eight matches. The UAE holds third place with 13 points, while Qatar is in fourth with 10 points. A draw against the UAE would be enough to secure Uzbekistan’s qualification for the next stage of the World Cup.