Uzbekistan qualify for the 2026 World Cup! Central Asian nation, ranked 57th in the world, qualify for tournament for the very first time after avoiding defeat against United Arab Emirates

Heading into their penultimate FIFA World Cup qualification fixture, Uzbekistan only needed to avoid defeat against the UAE to reach the showpiece tournament in the United States next year. And after drawing 0-0 away at Al Nahyan Stadium in this third round stage of qualification, the White Wolves have qualified for the World Cup for the first time in the country's history.

This is a huge achievement for the Central Asian nation, who are ranked 57th in the world. In a group that included Iran, UAE, Qatar, Kyrgyzstan, and North Korea, Uzbekistan have finished second behind favourites Iran and created a special bit of history for themselves.

Following the breakup of the Soviet Union, Uzbekistan did not see its national team take part in a World Cup qualifying campaign until 1997. Fast forward to the present and now they are off to compete with 47 other nations at the 2026 World Cup.

Uzbekistan round off their World Cup qualifying campaign at home to Qatar on Tuesday, with head coach Timur Kapadze's side looking to secure another win in front of their home fans.