The year 2026 always shaped up to be a significant one for Uzbek football, and with the national team’s excitement ramping up ahead of a first FIFA World Cup appearance in just over a month’s time, final preparations start in earnest over the coming weeks with an extended pre-tournament training camp.
In anticipation, the domestic season was set on pause at the weekend, bringing to a close an intense and at times uneven opening eleven rounds of the Super League campaign that sets the backdrop to Fabio Cannavaro’s initial squad selection.
On the pitch, there has been a degree of continuity in Uzbek domestic football. Last season’s leading pair, Neftchi and Pakhtakor, have once again set the early pace and appear likely to contest the title in the latter season run in.
Off-the-pitch, however, familiar structural issues remain. Efforts by the federation to modernise and privatise the game continue, but progress is slow, with financial uncertainty still casting a long shadow as the country’s football edges towards greater international visibility.
That visibility, in many ways, is well earned. A decade of gradual development has unquestionably raised standards across the domestic game, which led to their historic World Cup qualification, alongside the emergence of a growing talent pipeline. Yet this trajectory is not without its contradictions.
In a media landscape that is starting to discover Uzbekistan for the first time, perceived national improvements aren’t always achieved consistently.
This is perfectly summed up by Uzbekistan’s man of the moment Abdukodir Khusanov, a player who will shine the light for modern day improvements made in his country’s football, who ironically had to move abroad to Belarus to fully capitalise on his undisputed talents.
For all the positive steps made in the domestic game, the league remains a distant way off where it needs to be to ensure this summer isn’t just a one off.
The compressed start to the season reflects these competing priorities. With Fabio Cannavaro set to convene his expanded squad in the coming days, the fixture schedule has been condensed to accommodate a lengthy, and what many hope will be a well-prepared training camp.
While the compressed domestic fixture list produced competitive and often engaging matches, it also highlighted ongoing challenges. Several clubs continue to play away from their home venues due to infrastructure upgrades, officiating standards remain concerningly inconsistent, while financial instability continues to plague many of the league’s leading teams.
The withdrawal of funding from Neftegaz, the country’s largest public gas supplier, on the eve of the new season, further exposed the fragility and unevenness of the domestic game’s funding model. Established clubs such as Nasaf Qarshi and Bunyodkor were forced into late adjustments ahead of the season, relying more heavily on youth than once envisaged.
Bunyodkor, despite a strong start to their campaign, alongside Dinamo Samarkand have both faced widely reported wage delays, with the latter seeing foreign players severing their contracts early ahead of the domestic break. Nasaf, meanwhile, have yet to play at home this season and have drifted into mid-table obscurity, a notable decline for a side more accustomed to competing for honours on a continental stage.
In contrast, reigning champions Neftchi have begun to cement their standard at the top of the table. Under new coach Islom Ismoilov, they have built on last season’s title with a more assertive, attack-minded approach, underpinned by notable squad depth.
The 33-year-old coach, who is about to become the youngest coach in the modern AFC Champions League era later this year, has turned the dial on what was a solid and effective title winning side from last season, to one that is starting to flex its undoubted muscle.
Their control on matches has become more consistent, although Tashkent giants Pakhtakor remain close behind. Kamoliddin Tajiev’s side are the only team to have defeated Neftchi so far this campaign and trail their El Clasico rivals by just two points. While less expansive and eye-catching, they retain a level of experience and resilience that keeps them firmly in contention, with Dostonbek Khamdamov’s improved form a timely development for both club and country alike.
Beyond the leading pair, there may already be a discernible gap that is difficult to bridge. In the chasing pack, Buxoro, however, have become the most surprising challenger, with an impressive, if a little chaotic, youthful side – led by new international call up Sherzhod Esanov, alongside Navbahor, under Timur Kapadze, who may in the end offer a more sustained push for continental places in the long term, despite some early limitations in attack.
The lack of consistent central striking options has been a common theme across the league, particularly as financial constraints have reduced reliance on foreign imports. While unfashionable journeymen strikers Temur Abdukholikov of Lokomotiv and Sogdiana’s Ljupche Doriev have stood out in patches at the lower end of the table, there has been little sustained output at the summit.
This has been reflected in the national team selection, with not a single active Super League striker being included in Cannavaro’s expanded 40-man World Cup squad. The only recognised domestic option, Khusayin Norchaev, has yet to feature for his new club Navbahor this season due to injury, underlining the limited depth and lack of trust afforded to the domestic attacking talent available.
Further back, however, there is greater array of variety in Cannavaro’s selection. Dinamo’s Azizbek Amonov returns to the national squad after a two-year absence, while exciting winger Nodirbek Abdurazzokov earns a first call-up following a strong start to the season with OKMK.
On paper, there are viable and exciting alternatives across the pitch, though match fitness remains a key concern. In addition to the notable injuries Cannavaro is willing to roll the dice for, a further four have not played a single minute of domestic football in nearly three months following the outbreak of the Iranian war.
With the league now on pause, attention shifts fully to the national team and its World Cup preparations. The coming weeks offer an opportunity not only for Uzbekistan to make an impression on the international stage, but also to reinforce the progress made domestically.
By the time the season resumes in mid-July, there will be an expectation that any momentum gained abroad can start to translate into more tangible improvements at home.
