First Touch ’26 - Uzbekistan

First Touch | World Soccer · Dec 2, 2025 · 10m

Once a Soviet republic and Silk Road crossroads, Uzbekistan has become one of world football’s most fascinating late bloomers. In this World Cup Capsule, David Gass tells the story of the White Wolves: a team long haunted by near-misses and bizarre heartbreaks, like a World Cup qualifier that had to be annulled and replayed, a spot in Brazil 2014 lost by a single goal and a marathon penalty shootout. We track how deliberate investment in academies, facilities, and youth projects has transformed Uzbekistan into the “Asian Italy,” a defensively ruthless, hard-to-break side that finally punched…