Short answers, pulled from the story.
Uzbekistan qualified for the 2026 FIFA World Cup during the third qualifying round of Asian qualification, confirming their place with a match to spare after a goalless draw away to the United Arab Emirates. They became the first Central Asian nation and the third former Soviet republic, after Russia and Ukraine, to reach the World Cup finals.
Eldor Shomurodov is the all-time top goalscorer for Uzbekistan, with 44 goals from 90 appearances. His career with the national team began in 2015 and he remains active in the squad.
Uzbekistan's best result at the AFC Asian Cup is fourth place, achieved at the 2011 tournament. They were beaten 6-0 by Australia in the semi-final and then lost 3-2 to South Korea in the third-place match.
Uzbekistan's 1-0 first-leg victory against Bahrain in the final stage of Asian qualification for the 2006 World Cup was voided by FIFA after a refereeing error by Japanese official Toshimitsu Yoshida. A replay ended 1-1, the return leg finished 0-0, and Uzbekistan were eliminated on the away goals rule.
Uzbekistan won the gold medal at the 1994 Asian Games in Hiroshima. They defeated a South Korean side that included nine players from the 1994 FIFA World Cup 1-0 in the semi-final, then beat China 4-2 in the final. It remains their only gold medal at the Asian Games.
Server Djeparov is the most capped player in Uzbekistan's history, earning 128 caps and scoring 25 goals during a career that ran from 2002 to 2017. Timur Kapadze is second with 119 caps.