Uzbekistan's World Cup debut meets Colombia's quest for redemption in Group K opener
Central Asia's first-ever World Cup representatives, Uzbekistan, take on a Colombia side aiming to erase the memory of their 2022 absence in the final match of the tournament's opening round at Mexico's Estadio Azteca.
Road to the World Cup
For the first time in World Cup history, Central Asia has a representative. Uzbekistan clinched their spot on 5 June 2025 with a 0-0 draw against the United Arab Emirates in Tashkent, ending a long cycle of near misses. The White Wolves have been the "nearly men of Asian football," missing out on previous tournaments because of poor refereeing in 2006 qualifiers and what Uzbekistan football expert Conor Bowers described as "utter self-sabotage before the 2022 World Cup."
Qualification was the goal. Anything more than that will be seen as an additional bonus.
The qualifying campaign itself was built on defensive solidity: seven clean sheets in ten final-round matches, with only 14 goals scored. But the arrival of a World Cup-winning captain on the touchline has raised eyebrows.
Coaching carousel
Uzbekistan's journey to North America started under Slovenian Srečko Katanec, who resigned in 2025 due to ill health. Former under-23 coach Timur Kapadze stepped in and went unbeaten in eight matches to seal qualification, only for the Uzbekistan FA to parachute in Fabio Cannavaro in October of that year. The 2006 World Cup-winning captain's coaching CV since leaving Guangzhou Evergrande in 2021 has been thin: brief, unsuccessful stints at Benevento, Udinese, and Dinamo Zagreb. Uzbekistan are now asking the Italian to deliver on the biggest stage.
Colombia's mixed form
Colombia return to the World Cup after missing the 2022 edition, and 18 months ago they would have been among the favourites. Under Néstor Lorenzo, they beat Germany, Brazil, and Japan, and took Argentina to extra time in the 2024 Copa America final. But recent friendly defeats to France and Croatia exposed lingering issues. James Rodriguez remains the creative fulcrum, but Luis Diaz's form dipped at Bayern Munich, and Jhon Duran has dropped out of sight since leaving Aston Villa for the Saudi Pro League. The attack still features Jhon Arias and the other Luis Suarez.
The opening test
The Group K clash kicks off at 8pm local time (10pm EDT / 3am BST / 4am CET) at the Estadio Azteca. Uzbekistan will look to central defender Abdukodir Khusanov, who has shone for Manchester City, to anchor that qualifying resilience. For Colombia, anything less than a statement win would heighten the pressure before meetings with Portugal and DR Congo.
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