The Anthem
State Anthem of Uzbekistan
▶ Listen on YouTube ↗“Stand tall, my free country, good fortune and salvation to you…”
Adopted in 1992 after independence, keeping the Soviet-era melody with new patriotic words.
The Legends
Names that echo
Maksim Shatskikh
Forward · 1990s–2010s
Dynamo Kyiv great and long the nation's record goalscorer.
Server Djeparov
Midfielder · 2000s–10s
Two-time Asian Footballer of the Year and Uzbekistan's midfield maestro.
Fabio Cannavaro
Head coach
Italy's 2006 World Cup-winning captain and a Ballon d'Or winner, now leading Uzbekistan.
Fun Facts
Worth knowing
- 01
Uzbekistan is the first-ever Central Asian nation to qualify for a World Cup.
- 02
It is coached by Fabio Cannavaro, who captained Italy to the 2006 World Cup and won the Ballon d'Or that year.
- 03
Samarkand and Bukhara were jewels of the ancient Silk Road, among the most storied cities on earth.
At the World Cup
The story so far
After years of heartbreaking qualifying near-misses, Uzbekistan finally breaks through — the first Central Asian nation ever to reach a World Cup, guided by World Cup-winning captain Fabio Cannavaro.
Central Asia's first
Uzbekistan ends decades of so-near-yet-so-far qualifying campaigns to become the first Central Asian country at a World Cup.
Group Stage