Uzbekistan celebrates 2026 World Cup qualification with 3–0 victory

On June 10, the Uzbekistan national team faced off against Qatar in the final match of the World Cup qualifiers. The “White Wolves,” who had already secured their spot in the 2026 FIFA World Cup, marked the occasion with a resounding 3–0 victory in front of President Shavkat Mirziyoyev and thousands of fans.

Uzbekistan took the lead in the 28th minute when Azizbek Turgunbaev scored a spectacular goal. The first half was largely controlled by the home team. Qatar’s Abdulaziz Hatem was shown a yellow card for rough play in the 33rd minute, and seven minutes later, Bassam Al-Rawi received a booking for a foul on Abbosbek Fayzullaev. Despite several more promising opportunities for Uzbekistan, the score remained 1–0 at halftime.

The second half began with continued dominance from the hosts. Multiple attacking moves kept the pressure on Qatar. However, in the 62nd minute, goal-scorer Azizbek Turgunbaev sustained an injury and was substituted by Jamshid Iskanderov. In the 67th minute, a Qatari player committed a foul against an Uzbek player, prompting captain Akram Afif to protest the referee’s decision and receive a yellow card. Afif was soon substituted.

In the 84th minute, Hojimat Erkinov and Abdurauf Buriev came on to replace Odiljon Khamrobekov and Jaloliddin Masharipov. Just two minutes later, Eldor Shomurodov doubled the lead with a goal in the 86th minute—an achievement celebrated from the stands by President Mirziyoyev. Then, in the 91st minute, substitute Igor Sergeev sealed the win by scoring Uzbekistan’s third goal.

The match ended 3–0, as Uzbekistan celebrated both the win and their qualification for the 2026 World Cup.