FIFA 2026 World Cup qualifiers: Uzbekistan seals maiden berth with goalless draw against UAE
The White Wolves claimed their spot at the expanded 48-team 2026 finals on Thursday with a 0-0 draw in the United Arab Emirates, which guaranteed Kapadze's side a top-two finish in Group A, alongside already-qualified Iran.
Uzbekistan has tried and failed to qualify seven times since its independence after the break-up of the Soviet Union in 1991, suffering heartbreak in the final stage of continental qualifiers for Germany 2006 and Brazil 2014.
A genuine force in Asia since its 1994 Asian Games triumph, the Uzbekistan FA has invested heavily in youth development in the attempt to take the final step onto the world stage.
Kapadze has reaped the dividends with a young generation of players, including Manchester City's 21-year-old centre back Abdukodir Khusanov at his disposal.
'We have achieved an important result after a long and difficult journey. A lot of work was done for this result, I sincerely congratulate our people,' Kapadze told Uzbekistan's online publication Zamin.
'This is not only our victory, but the victory of our entire people. Our players showed determination in every match, worked with all their might, and we achieved the result ... '
Kapadze, who played 119 times for Uzbekistan and led the under-23 team at last year's Olympic Games, was appointed coach after Srecko Katanec left because of illness in January.
'Before the game, (everyone) expressed their confidence in our team's victory and expected a good result from us,' he said.
'This confidence also became a great responsibility and pressure for us. But we managed to overcome this pressure and complete the task.'
Kapadze was mobbed by his players in his post-match press conference and received a congratulatory telephone call from Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev.
'In a fierce competition against the strongest teams in Asia, you demonstrated true character, unbreakable will, and professionalism,' Mirziyoyev said.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
India Today
32 minutes ago
- India Today
Rahul Dravid a fan of Rohit Sharma's captaincy: He deeply cared for the team
Rahul Dravid reflected on his working relationship with Rohit Sharma, praising the star batter's ability to connect emotionally with players during his tenure as captain across formats. Dravid said Rohit cared deeply for the team and maintained a light and positive atmosphere in the dressing room, always bringing clarity about his goals for the to R. Ashwin on his YouTube show, Dravid explained how his philosophy aligned seamlessly with Rohit's leadership style. The legendary former cricketer said he always believed it should be the captain who ran the team, and Rohit's clarity of thought gave him the confidence to let the skipper take 2022 and 2024, the coach–captain duo forged a highly successful partnership. India reached the final of the 2023 World Cup, only to lose in heartbreaking fashion to Australia. Dravid later revealed that Rohit persuaded him to stay on after he had considered stepping down following the defeat. The pair went on to lead India to glory in the 2024 T20 World Cup in Barbados, ending an 11-year wait for an ICC trophy. "I always felt he deeply cared about the team. Right from the first day, he was very clear about how he wanted to run the team and what was important to him," Dravid said."I think it's really important in a relationship between a captain and coach. I always believed it should be the captain's team. I have been a player and a captain as well. A captain has to lead the team in terms of the direction he wants to go in. You have to help him in that. And of course, you need to help a captain in terms of helping him get clarity and understanding what's required."With Rohit, I thought he was very clear in what he wanted from the team, how he wanted the environment to be, how he wanted the atmosphere to be. I think his experience helped him set these things. For me, it was just working with him, challenging him at times on certain things, but also working with him to ensure that he was able to be comfortable in that space. Once he was comfortable in that space, I knew he was going to perform and get everyone else to perform."Also, one of the things with him is he was very calm, he connected really with the team, and didn't go up and down too much. At least, he never gave me that impression. He maintained that balance and calmness," he penned an emotional farewell note to Dravid after the coach's tenure ended following the T20 World Cup triumph. In his message, Rohit revealed that his wife Ritika had jokingly referred to Dravid as his 'work wife', reflecting the closeness of their partnership and the joy he took from working with the legendary cricketer. ENJOYED GETTING TO KNOW ROHIT AS A PERSON: DRAVIDRecalling the ease of their relationship, Dravid said he treasured the opportunity to share conversations with Rohit both on and off the than anything, I really enjoyed getting to know him as a person, chatting with him. We were comfortable to be able to sit and have conversations with each other without having to talk only about cricket. It was easy to sit and meet with him and have dinner. It wasn't forced. That was nice," Dravid said."Having seen him as a young kid, an U19 kid, giving him his first cap and then seeing him grow as a leader was really nice. His whole strength was his ability to emotionally connect with players. You experienced that. I think you (Ashwin) enjoyed being able to talk to him and challenge him and know he wouldn't get upset," he Dravid's tenure, Rohit redefined his approach to limited-overs batting. Backed by his coach, he adopted a more aggressive, high-risk style at the top of the order to put pressure on opposition attacks early. The strategy freed up the rest of the line-up to play without fear of failure, and the results showed—India thrived in both the 2023 World Cup and the 2024 T20 World Cup. The same fearless approach underpinned their Champions Trophy triumph in endorsed Dravid's views on Rohit's leadership: "There were several times in Test matches where I felt I could be bowling, but I didn't. But I never had to double guess what Rohit was thinking. I knew he had everybody's welfare in mind, so he was probably thinking. That part of it, Rohit conveyed to all of us without saying. You knew his intent was having everybody in the right frame of mind. That's why that Ranchi win felt very special. Rohit really rallied the troops."Rohit has not played competitive cricket since the IPL 2025 season. Having retired from T20Is and Tests, the 38-year-old is preparing for a return in the ODI series in Australia in October. The Champions Trophy-winning captain has set his sights on continuing until the 2027 ODI World Cup, which will be staged in Africa.- Ends
Indian Express
an hour ago
- Indian Express
‘He deeply cared about the team': Rahul Dravid opens up on working with captain Rohit Sharma
Rahul Dravid bowed out as India's head coach with his greatest success, winning the 2024 T20 World Cup. It also marked the end of the T20I careers of captain Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja, with the three players announcing their retirements during the celebratory scenes after the dramatic final against South Africa. Dravid has now opened up on what it was like working with Rohit Sharma, who was captain of the side in all three formats for a majority of the former's time as India head coach. 'It was really good,' said Dravid on Ravichandran Ashwin' Youtube channel. 'Firstly, the thing with Rohit that I always felt was that he deeply cared about the team, and he was very clear about it. Right from the first day, he was very clear about how he wanted to run the team and what was important to him. And that's really important in any relationship between a captain and a coach, especially the way I coach.' Dravid said that he was always clear that his role was to support Rohit as captain. 'I always like to believe that it should be the captain's team. I've been a player, and I've been a captain as well, but a captain has to lead in terms of the direction he wants to go in, and you have to support him and help him in that,' he said. 'Of course, you sometimes need to help a captain in terms of getting that clarity and understanding what is required. But with Rohit, I thought he was very clear about what he wanted from the team—how he wanted the environment to be, how he wanted the atmosphere to be, and how he wanted things to run. He had so much experience over the years, and that really helped. He was very clear on those things.' Dravid said that more than anything else, he enjoyed getting to know Rohit as a person. 'I've just really enjoyed getting to know Rohit as a person chatting with him not just about cricket, but about so many other things. It's never been forced; it's always been really nice,' he said. The future of Rohit and Kohli with the Indian team has been a topic of intense speculation in recent months. Both players are now active only in the ODI format, having announced their retirements from Test cricket in the days leading up to India's rather dramatic five-Test series in England. Rohit remains India captain in ODIs but both players haven't played any cricket for the side since the final of the 2025 Champions Trophy on March 9. The last time they played any form of top level cricket was in the 2025 IPL, with Kohli's RCB winning their first ever title.
Hindustan Times
2 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
Savita out of Indian women's Asia Cup squad with ankle injury
Seasoned Indian women's hockey team goalkeeper Savita Punia has been ruled out of the Asia Cup with an ankle injury she sustained during the European leg of the Pro League. The 35-year-old has been replaced by Bansari Solanki, who made her debut in the Pro League in June. The Indian women's hockey team. (Hockey India) Making a comeback into the team are Udita Duhan, Nikki Pradhan, Mumtaz Khan and Sangita Kumari, who is scheduled to play her first match since November 2024. The Asia Cup will take place in Hangzhou, China from September 5-14 and is of utmost importance for the Salima Tete-led squad as the winner will qualify for the 2026 World Cup in the Netherlands and Belgium. The 20-member team also includes goalkeeper Bichu Devi Kharibam. The defence will be marshalled by Nikki, Udita, Manisha Chauhan, Jyoti, Suman Devi Thoudam and Ishika Chaudhary. The midfield has Neha, Salima, Lalremsiami, Sharmila Devi, Sunelita Toppo and Vaishnavi Vitthal Phalke. The forwards are Navneet Kaur, Sangita, Mumtaz, Deepika, Beauty Dungdung and Rutaja Dadaso Pisal. 'We are excited about the squad we have selected. The group has been training with great intensity and we have tried to strike the right balance between experienced campaigners and young talent. Our focus will be on playing an aggressive and disciplined brand of hockey and we believe this team has the capability to compete strongly against the best in Asia,' India chief coach Harendra Singh said. 'The Women's Asia Cup is not only a prestigious continental championship but also a direct qualifying event for the World Cup. With the winner earning an automatic berth, the stakes are extremely high. Every match will test our composure, fitness and tactical execution. The players are motivated to rise to the occasion, and we are confident of delivering performances that will make India proud.' India have been drawn in Pool B with Thailand (September 5), defending champions Japan (September 6) and Singapore (September 8). Pool A has hosts China, Chinese Taipei, Malaysia and South Korea. The top two from each group will qualify for the Super 4s.
