Ravshan Irmatov, the first vice-president of the Uzbekistan Football Association, announced plans for the Uzbekistan national team to hold a friendly match against the Russian national team ahead of the 2026 World Cup. He stated this in an interview with the RIA Novosti agency.
It is known that the Uzbekistan national team has qualified for the World Cup for the first time in its history. At the Mundial to be held in the USA, Canada, and Mexico, Fabio Cannavaro's charges will take to the field against Portugal and Colombia. The third opponent in the group will be determined based on the results of the intercontinental play-offs.
Before the World Championship, the national team will play two friendly matches in March as part of the FIFA Series. Specific plans for the international break in April have not yet been announced. While control matches against leaders of the Super League are planned for May, a friendly match against the Canadian national team is expected to be held in June.
We recall that the national teams of Uzbekistan and Russia have faced each other only once to date — in November 2022 in Tashkent, and that match ended with a 0:0 score.
