Uzbekistan

Uzbekistan are the first Central Asian nation — and one of four debutants in 2026 — to appear at a FIFA World Cup, ending seven failed qualification campaigns since independence in 1991.

Abdukodir Khusanov, born on 29 February 2004, is the squad's only Premier League player and the most valuable player in Asia at €50 million — a leap from virtual obscurity to global stardom in under 18 months.

Fabio Cannavaro is attempting to join an ultra-exclusive club: coaches who won the World Cup as a player AND a manager — only Didier Deschamps has done it.

The squad kit is made by 7Saber, a homegrown Uzbek sportswear brand — making Uzbekistan one of very few World Cup teams wearing a domestic label rather than a global sportswear giant.

Eldor Shomurodov scored 44 goals in 91 appearances for Uzbekistan and joins the tournament as the nation's all-time leading scorer, yet faces the strongest group-stage opposition of any AFC debutant in memory: Portugal and Colombia.

Uzbekistan's 2006 World Cup playoff against Bahrain was annulled and replayed by FIFA order after the referee botched a penalty call — they had won the original match 1-0, but the replay ended 1-1 and they went out on away goals.

In their first major tournament after independence, Uzbekistan shocked Asia by winning the 1994 Asian Games football gold in Hiroshima, beating China 4-2 in the final.