Uzbekistan
Uzbekistan make their tournament debut, an extraordinary first for a Central Asian nation that has spent two decades knocking on the door. Srečko Katanec, the legendary Slovenian coach who took over in 2024, has built a tactical, defensively-disciplined side. Eldor Shomurodov (Roma), Igor Sergeyev and Otabek Shukurov form the attack; Abbosbek Fayzullaev (CSKA Moscow) is the rising creative star; Khusniddin Aliquliev anchors the back. The White Wolves qualified directly from AFC for the first time after expanding to 8.5 Asian places — the format change finally rewarded long-built Uzbek football infrastructure. Group K with Portugal, DR Congo and Colombia is brutal but Uzbekistan are organised enough to compete. A point would be a national triumph; advancing would rewrite Central Asian footballing history.
Upcoming matches
Group K standings
| # | Teams | MP | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Portugal | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2 | DR Congo | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 3 | Uzbekistan | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 4 | Colombia | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |