Eternal dream expected to come true in the summer

A difficult and exciting week for Uzbek football is coming to an end. In the remaining seven days, the Uzbek national team has come closer than ever to the World Cup, but everything is left for June. In the hot summer, in hot games, the eternal dream of more than 37 million people can be realized.  

Assalamu alaikum. Sports digest on QALAMPIR.UZ with the facts surrounding the last matches of the Uzbek national team in the World Cup qualifiers.

Uzbekistan drew with Iran on the road

On March 25, in Tehran, within the framework of the 8th round of the 3rd qualifying round of the 2026 World Cup Asian Region, a fighting 2:2 score was recorded in the Uzbekistan-Iran match.  

In the 16th minute of the match, Hojimat Erkinov opened the scoring. At the beginning of the second half, namely in the 52nd minute, Taremi equalized the score. In the 53rd minute, Abbos Fayzullaev scored a goal from a free kick, making the score 2:1. In the 83rd minute, Taremi scored again, making the score 2:2. During the match, Uzbekistan goalkeeper Utkir Yusupov made several saves. The score remained unchanged until the end of the match, and the match ended in a tense draw.  

After the 8th round, Iran cashed in on its World Cup qualification ahead of schedule, while Uzbekistan increased its points to 17, taking 2nd place and still maintaining a good chance of qualifying for the World Cup.

Uzbekistan's main pursuer won

On the night of March 26, North Korea played against the UAE in the 8th round of the 3rd qualifying round of the Asian region of the World Cup, and lost 2:1.  

The UAE opened the scoring in the first half. In the second half, the DPRK players equalized the score. In the added time of the main time, that is, in the 90+8 minutes, the Emiratis scored the winning goal.  

Thus, the UAE increased its points to 13 and reduced the gap with Uzbekistan to 4. North Korea has 2 points and the Koreans have officially said goodbye to the World Cup.

Kyrgyzstan defeated Uzbekistan's pursuer in the group

On March 25, in the 8th round of the 3rd Asian qualifying round for the World Cup, Kyrgyzstan hosted Qatar at home and won 3:1.  

In the match in Bishkek, Kichin, Tishenko, and Shukurov scored for the Qataris, while Suhail from Qatar scored. The final score was 3:1, and Kyrgyzstan defeated Uzbekistan's pursuer in the group.

Draw was a fair result - Kapadze

The coach of the Uzbekistan national team, Temur Kapadze, believes that the draw in the match against Iran was a fair result. He spoke about this at a press conference after the match.  

"First of all, I would like to congratulate Iran on qualifying and wish them good luck. As for the match, it was an interesting match, we prepared well. Both teams played well. Both we and the opponent had good chances. Of course, we could have won. But from the point of view of the game, a draw was a fair result. We will now prepare for the next matches. Big thanks to the guys and the fans," said Kapadze.  

How are Uzbekistan's chances of qualifying for the World Cup assessed?

The Uzbekistan national team has a 96 percent chance of qualifying for the 2026 World Cup in the 3rd round of qualifying. This was reported by "We Global".  

According to the source, Kapadze's team has a 3.1 percent chance of qualifying for the World Cup with 1st place, and a 92.9 percent chance of qualifying for the World Cup with 2nd place. Iran, who drew with Uzbekistan, booked their place in the biggest football tournament in four years ahead of schedule.  

Uzbekistan's closest rival in the group, the United Arab Emirates, is given a mere 4 percent chance of qualifying for the World Cup in the third round.  

The Emirates are expected to finish third in Group A and advance to the fourth round of qualifying.

"Galatasaray" targets Abbosbek Fayzullaev

Galatasaray, one of the most prominent Turkish clubs, is interested in Abbosbek Fayzullaev, a midfielder for the Uzbek national team and CSKA Moscow. This was reported by Markaj News.  

According to the source, "Galatasaray" is seriously interested in Fayzullaev's transfer. The Turkish club is currently monitoring the situation surrounding the Uzbek player.  

It is worth noting that the 21-year-old has not only become one of CSKA's key players this season, but also one of the main players in the Uzbekistan national team.  

For information, Fayzullaev joined the Moscow club in 2023, and his current contract with the team runs until the summer of 2026. The player's price is estimated at 8 million euros on the "Transfermarkt" portal.