| Football in Uzbekistan | |
|---|---|
 100 Years of Uzbek Football on postage stamp of Uzbekistan | |
| Country | Uzbekistan |
| Governing body | Uzbekistan Football Federation |
| National team(s) | men's national team |
National competitions | |
International competitions | |
Football is the most popular sport in Uzbekistan , a country that gained independence in 1991. The national association takes part in all competitions organised by FIFA and the Asian Football Confederation. [1]
Football in Uzbekistan started to develop in the 1920s. In 1926, the first championship [2] of the Uzbek SSR (i.e. Uzbek League) was held. Sbornaya Tashkenta and Sokol Tashkent were the most successful clubs in the competition. However the most successful club was FC Pakhtakor, the only football club from Uzbek SSR that played in the USSR Top League with 22 seasons. [3] The Uzbekistan Football Federation was founded in 1946.
Berador Abduraimov [4] is the most famous Uzbekistani footballer during the Soviet period. He played 358 matches for FC Pakhtakor, [5] and was top goalscorer of the Soviet Top League in 1968 and also represented the Soviet Union.
Between 1961 and 1992, several Uzbekistani footballers had been members of the USSR national football team:
| Name | Position | Team | Caps(Goals) | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gennadi Krasnitsky | Striker |  USSR | 3(1) | 1961 |
| Berador Abduraimov | Striker | USSR | ?(?) | 1967 [6] |
| Yuri Pshenichnikov | Goalkeeper | USSR | 21(0) | 1966-1970 |
| Vladimir Fyodorov | Striker | USSR | 18(0) | 1974-1978 |
| Vassilis Hatzipanagis | Midfield | USSR | 4(1) | 1975 |
| Mikhail An | Midfield | USSR | 2(0) | 1978 |
| Andrei Piatnitski | Midfield | USSR  CIS | 6(2) | 1990-1992 |
In 1994, Uzbekistan Football Federation was reestablished and became a member of FIFA and Asian Football Confederation. In the same year, the Uzbekistan national football team won the Asian Games, [7] at a time when the country was just finding its feet after gaining independence. But in 2003, the national association enjoyed more success: for the first time, the country's U-20 team qualified for the FIFA World Youth Championship in 2003, which was hosted by the UAE. Uzbekistan U-19 reached the semi-finals of AFC U-19 Championships twice in 2012 and 2014 and once qualified to the final in 2008 but defeated by UAE U-19. After the achievement in 2003, Uzbekistan U-20 has participated in FIFA U-20 World Cup three more times so far. In 2009 mundial the team finished its appearance in group stage. [8] In 2013 World Cup in Turkey, U-20 team made play-off and in Round of 16 won Greece U-20 with 3:1, but lost in quarterfinal to France U-20 0:4. [9] The team made an appearance in 2015 FIFA U-20 World Cup and qualified to quarterfinal, and defeated by Senegal U-20 with 0–1. [10]
Uzbekistan U-16 won AFC U-16 Championship in 2012 and it was the second final which the team qualified. In 2010 AFC U-16 Championship U-16 lost to North Korea U-16 in the final match. Uzbekistan U-16 has qualified to FIFA U-17 World Cup twice in 2011 and 2013. In the debut year in the tournament the team finished its appearance in quarterfinal, [11] defeated by Uruguay U-17. Uzbekistan U-16 was stopped by Honduras U-17 in round of 16 in 2013 FIFA U-17 World Cup. [12]
In 2018 Uzbekistan U-23 became the champions in AFC U-23 Championship hosted by China. The team defeated Vietnem U-23 in the final match with 2–1. The senior team's best achievement at the Asian Cup was a fourth-place finish at the 2011 AFC Asian Cup.
The most successful football clubs in Uzbekistan are FC Bunyodkor, FC Pakhtakor and FC Nasaf.
In 2007 Pakhtakor won 2007 CIS Cup by defeating FK Ventspils, from Latvia, with 9-8 on penalties. The next season of CIS Cup Pakhtakor reached the final of the competition for the back-to-back second time but lost to Khazar Lenkoran. The team is also perennial competitor in the AFC Champions League, having reached the semi-finals of the competition twice in 2003 and 2004. Pakhtakor currently holds record in number of consecutive participation in AFC Champions League, participating from 2002 to 2013
FC Nasaf won AFC Cup in 2011, defeating Kuwait SC with 2–1 in the final of the tournament and became Uzbekistan's first club to win AFC Cup.
FC Bunyodkor's best achievement is the semi-finals of AFC Champions League: 2008, a debut year of the team in the competition, and the second time in 2012. [13]
Ravshan Irmatov was named The Best Referee in Asia in four consecutive years (2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2014). He was Best Referee of The Year in the 2015 Globe Soccer Awards. [14] [15]
Notable Uzbekistani footballers since independence from the Soviet Union include Server Djeparov (2008 Asian Footballer of the year), Igor Shkvyrin (top goal scorer of the 1994 Asian Games), Mirjalol Qosimov and Maksim Shatskikh.
In 2014, Uzbekistan was one of the eight nations to take part in the first Unity World Cup. [16]
In 2023, the Surkhon club sponsored by Bakhtiyor Fazilov did well in the matches of the Uzbekistan Superleague and the Uzbekistan Cup. [17]
The Uzbekistan national football team represents Uzbekistan in international football and is controlled by the Uzbekistan Football Association, the governing body for football in Uzbekistan.
Mirjalol Kushakovich Qosimov is a former head coach of the Uzbekistan national football team. He also played for the national team as a playmaker in midfield. Qosimov is currently the manager of AGMK.
Sports in Uzbekistan includes sports that are played worldwide, such as football, boxing, wrestling, futsal, and judo, as well as sports that originate in the country such as kurash, which is a type of upright wrestling, belbogli kurash, turon, and boyqurgan. Uzbekistan will host the 2024 FIFA Futsal World Cup and the the 2025 Asian Youth Games.
Pakhtakor Football Club is an Uzbek professional football club, based in the capital city of Tashkent, that competes in the Uzbekistan Super League. Pakhtakor literally means "cotton-grower".
Football Club Andijan, also known as FC Andijan, is an Uzbek professional football club based in Andijan. The club plays in Uzbekistan Super League.
Azamat Abduraimov is a former Uzbek professional football player, who represented Uzbekistan national football team on 22 occasions between 1992 and 1997.
Igor Shkvyrin is an Uzbekistani former professional footballer who played for several clubs in Europe and Asia and for the Uzbekistan national team. He was most recently the head coach of Sogdiana Jizzakh.
Football Club Bunyodkor is an Uzbek professional football club based in Tashkent that competes in the Uzbekistan Super League.
The Uzbekistan national under-20 football team represents Uzbekistan in international under-20 football competitions. It is controlled by the Uzbekistan Football Association and is a member of the Asian Football Confederation.
Gennadi Anatolyevich Denisov is an Uzbekistani professional football coach and a former player. His son Vitaliy Denisov is also a professional footballer.
The India national under-17 football team represents India in international football at the under-17 level. Controlled by the All India Football Federation, the governing body for football in India, the team is part of the Asian Football Confederation and the South Asian Football Federation.
Sherzod Karimov is an Uzbekistani footballer currently playing for Surkhon Termez as a midfielder.
Berador Khasanovich Abduraimov is a Soviet former football player, who played for Pakhtakor for most of his football career as a striker. He is regarded as one of the best strikers and greatest football players in the history of Uzbek football.
Yuriy Vazgenovich Sarkisyan is an Uzbekistani football manager and former player of Armenian descent. He is the first Armenian to lead a national team into an international tournament.
Ravshan Khaydarov is a football manager and former player. He is currently head coach of Uzbekistan U-20.
Gennadi Krasnitsky club is a list of Uzbek football players that have scored 100 or more goals during their professional career. This club is named after first Uzbekistani player in Soviet Union who scored over 100 goals - Gennadi Krasnitsky.
Igor Vladimirovich Sergeev is an Uzbek professional footballer who plays as a striker for Thai League 1 club BG Pathum United and the Uzbekistan national team.
Oybek Usmankhojaev is an Uzbek former professional footballer.
Jaloliddin Masharipov is an Uzbek professional footballer who plays as a winger for Persian Gulf Pro League club Esteghlal, and the Uzbekistan national team.
Dostonbek Khamdamov is an Uzbek professional footballer, Asian Young Footballer of the Year2015, winner of the Asian Youth Championship 2018 and plays as a winger for Pakhtakor and the Uzbekistan national team.
