White Wolves: Uzbekistan's Long Road To The Soccer World Cup
- By Amos Chapple
On June 17, Uzbekistan will become the first ever Central Asian nation to compete in the FIFA World Cup after multiple previous attempts to reach the coveted football contest.
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An Uzbekistan soccer fan sounds a traditional trumpet during a World Cup qualifying match in Tashkent in June 2025.
Uzbekistan fans will descend on Mexico City Stadium on June 17 to watch their team become the first Central Asian country to play at the FIFA World Cup. The team's opening match against Colombia marks the pinnacle, thus far, of Uzbekistan’s century-long love affair with football.
Uzbekistan fans will descend on Mexico City Stadium on June 17 to watch their team become the first Central Asian country to play at the FIFA World Cup. The team's opening match against Colombia marks the pinnacle, thus far, of Uzbekistan’s century-long love affair with football.
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A lineup of “veterans of Uzbek soccer” photographed in the 1940s.
Organized football first emerged in Uzbekistan’s Ferghana region at the beginning of the 20th century, reportedly after locals watched Russian soldiers playing a casual version of the sport.
Organized football first emerged in Uzbekistan’s Ferghana region at the beginning of the 20th century, reportedly after locals watched Russian soldiers playing a casual version of the sport.
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A Ukrainian striker (right) in action against Uzbekistan during the 1979 Summer Spartakiad in the Ukrainian Socialist Soviet Republic.
Soviet Uzbekistan's national football team was created in 1928 and later earned the nickname, the White Wolves, in part for their white uniforms.
Soviet Uzbekistan's national football team was created in 1928 and later earned the nickname, the White Wolves, in part for their white uniforms.
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Locals in Khalkabad in front of a banner promoting a match between their town’s football team and Moscow’s CSKA in 1981.
Football was easy to pick up for many young Uzbeks already familiar with the centuries-old Uzbek game called Qarabtep, in which a weighted clump of animal hide is kept in the air with kicks.
Football was easy to pick up for many young Uzbeks already familiar with the centuries-old Uzbek game called Qarabtep, in which a weighted clump of animal hide is kept in the air with kicks.
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A match between Tashkent's Pakhtakor and a team from Turakurgan in 1978.
Amid a thriving domestic football scene, the country was left reeling after an August 1979 plane crash in which the entire first-team squad of Tashkent’s Pakhtakor team (seen here in striped shorts) was killed.
Amid a thriving domestic football scene, the country was left reeling after an August 1979 plane crash in which the entire first-team squad of Tashkent’s Pakhtakor team (seen here in striped shorts) was killed.
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Uzbekistan's Alexey Nikolaev (in white) leaps for the the ball during a World Cup playoff match against Bahrain in October 2005.
Uzbekistan has attempted to reach the World Cup five times since gaining its independence from the USSR, sometimes coming agonizingly close. Its most controversial near miss came in 2005, when a refereeing error in the first leg of the playoff against Bahrain led FIFA to order a replay. Bahrain ultimately advanced on away goals.
Uzbekistan has attempted to reach the World Cup five times since gaining its independence from the USSR, sometimes coming agonizingly close. Its most controversial near miss came in 2005, when a refereeing error in the first leg of the playoff against Bahrain led FIFA to order a replay. Bahrain ultimately advanced on away goals.
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Boys play football against a painted goal in Bukhara in October 2007.
Since the 2010s, Uzbekistan has poured hundreds of millions of dollars into football stadiums throughout the country and a system of talent scouting that has recently borne fruit.
Since the 2010s, Uzbekistan has poured hundreds of millions of dollars into football stadiums throughout the country and a system of talent scouting that has recently borne fruit.
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Manchester City's 22-year-old defender Abdukodir Khusanov, pictured celebrating his team's FA cup win in May 2026, is the highest profile of some 20 Uzbeks currently contracted to foreign clubs. Several of those young professionals, including Khusanov, will play in Uzbekistan's 2026 World Cup campaign.
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Uzbekistan's head coach at the 2026 World Cup will be Fabio Cannavaro (pictured) who captained his native Italy to victory in the 2006 World Cup.
The veteran told reporters ahead of Uzbekistan's World Cup debut that "the stage is tough. I try to explain to them to enjoy it because it's the first time, we don't have anything to lose." But he added, "we know that we need to fight."
The veteran told reporters ahead of Uzbekistan's World Cup debut that "the stage is tough. I try to explain to them to enjoy it because it's the first time, we don't have anything to lose." But he added, "we know that we need to fight."
