Uzbekistan
Uzbekistan will be making their World Cup debut this summer in the 2026 edition. They have been drawn in Group K with Portugal, DR Congo & Colombia and it is the South Americans they face first up.
The Uzbeks have only been an Independent nation since leaving the Soviet Union back in 1991 and the nation has enjoyed a metoric rise in the FIFA world rankings and they currently sit in 50th position.
They have come close to qualification on a couple of occasions but finally they completed the job this time around coming second to Iran in Group A of third round qualifying. They only suffered one defeat in round 3 which was a 3-2 loss in Qatar.
They will begin the tournament on the back of two friendly losses in the lead up, they were beaten 2-0 by co-hosts Canada in Alberta before a narrow 2-1 defeat to Netherlands in New York
Injuries & Team News
World Cup winner Fabio Cannavaro is the Uzbekistan manager and he tends to favour a conservative (3-4-2-1) formation for his side. They employed this in both friendly matches in June.
Aside from the Manchester City centre-back, only ex-Roma forward Eldor Shomurodov – who is the White Wolves’ all-time top scorer with 44 goals – and his Istanbul Basaksehir teammate Abbosbek Fayzullaev play in Europe.
The latter – named Asia’s best young player in 2023 – scored four goals during World Cup qualifying, while captain Shomurodov found the net five times and notched four assists.
Experienced midfielder Jaloliddin Masharipov is likely to miss out on meeting Colombia due to a back injury, but Los Cafeteros should have a clean bill of health.
Form
| Last Match | Last 6 Matches |
|---|---|
| 1-2 vs Netherlands | W L W W L L |
Predicted Line-Up
Uzbekistan (3-4-2-1)
Yusupov; Khusanov, Abdullaev, Ashurmatov; Sayfiev, Shukurov, Mozgovoy, Nazrullaev; Fayzullaev, Urunov; Shomurodov
Colombia
While the White Wolves are making their debut, Colombia are set for a seventh World Cup appearance this summer.
After reaching the last Copa America final, optimists will hope to surpass the country’s best showing so far, which came 12 years ago when they were eliminated in the quarter-finals by Brazil.
Realists expect them to simply get past the first phase, which Los Cafeteros did both in 2014 and 2018, winning five of six group games along the way.
Having missed out on Qatar 2022, Colombia comfortably booked their ticket this time, finishing third in CONMEBOL qualifying and notably beating Brazil 2-1.
Only world champions Argentina scored more goals across the marathon process, as established stars such as Luis Diaz and James Rodriguez came to the fore.
Ranked 13th by FIFA, Nestor Lorenzo’s men then followed back-to-back defeats against Croatia and France during the March international window with two warm up wins earlier this month.
After a 3-1 victory over Costa Rica, the South American side built more momentum by defeating Jordan 2-0, with Jhon Arias scoring both goals.
Injuries & Team News
Supporting lone striker Luis Suarez, they are expected to start Diaz and veteran captain Rodriguez in a potent attack.
Only Lionel Messi scored more goals than Diaz during CONMEBOL qualifying, and Rodriguez led the assist charts with seven; Suarez racked up 38 club goals for Sporting Lisbon last term but has yet to make a mark at international level.
Meanwhile, Jefferson Lerma and Benfica’s Richard Rios should feature in central midfield, though Gustavo Puerta provides an alternative box-to-box option.
Form
| Last Match | Last 6 Matches |
|---|---|
| 2-0 vs Jordan | W W L L W W |
Predicted Line-Up
Colombia (4-2-3-1)
Vargas; Munoz, Sanchez, Lucumi, Mojica; Lerma, Rios; Arias, Rodriguez, Diaz; Suarez
Betting Odds
| Team | Odds | Bookmaker |
|---|---|---|
| Uzbekistan Win | 8/1 (1.40) | Grand Ivy |
| Draw | 7/2 (5.50) | Dream Vegas |
| Colombia Win | 2/5 (3.25) | 247Bet |
Prediction
Uzbekistan 1-2 Colombia
Uzbekistan are regarded as the weakest team in Group K but they won’t be an easy game for any of the opponents and we expect Colombia to just scrape past them in Mexico City.