Uzbekistan's football success serves as a stand in for promised reforms

The government's bet on sports is yielding political dividends

Originally published on Global Voices

On June 5, Uzbekistan's men's national football team made history by qualifying for the 2026 World Cup by drawing against the UAE. It will be the first time the country will participate in the tournament since gaining independence from the Soviet Union in 1991. Undoubtedly, this is a monumental achievement since Uzbekistan is the first Central Asian and third former Soviet state to qualify for the World Cup.

Previously, the White Wolves, as the national football team is known, stood on the cusp of reaching the final stage of the World Cup on three different occasions: in 2006, 2014, and 2018. All three attempts ended in heartbreak and controversy, with Uzbekistan fighting until the final whistle but eventually coming up short in matches against Bahrain and South Korea in which an extra goal would put them through.

Here is a YouTube video with Uzbekistan's celebration of the 2026 World Cup qualification in the capital, Tashkent.

All of that is now forgotten and forgiven by the fans, who have had several occasions to celebrate their nation’s major footballing achievements in the last few years. Before the World Cup qualification, Uzbekistan’s U-23 youth team participated in the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, also for the first time in its history.

The youth teams have shone particularly bright, winning the 2023 U-20 and 2025 U-17 Asian Cups. These feats prove that the recent success was no fluke and resulted from the systemic reforms carried out collectively by the relevant authorities.

In 2019, Uzbekistan adopted the Concept for the Development of Football until 2030, laying the foundation for the reforms that followed. Its main goal was the complete overhaul of the way professional and amateur football was managed, including popularizing the game, introducing the VAR system, increasing the number of football academies, and installing a system of scouting and developing talent.

Here is a YouTube documentary about the rise of Uzbek footballers.

Expectedly, the government is reaping the benefits of its investments and using the national teams’ achievements as a poster for the wider-scale reforms. The country’s president, Shavkat Mirziyoyev, has sought to frame the footballers’ recent victories as a vivid and materialized example of his promised “New Uzbekistan.” It is a vague political concept that promises “an open and fair society that cares about every citizen.” In practice, nobody knows what these reforms would look like in real life.

In this regard, footballers have come to Mirziyoyev’s aid. In his immediate statement after the World Cup qualification, Mirziyoyev noted that the team “once again proved in practice what high achievements the brave and determined youth of New Uzbekistan are capable of.” On June 10, he met with the team in person, gifting them state awards and cars, and proudly stated that their achievement “will serve to further strengthen the international authority of New Uzbekistan.”

Here is a YouTube video with Mirziyoyev celebrating the 2023 Asian Cup victory and lifting the trophy with the national U-20 team.

Similarly, Mirziyoyev snuck in this term in his address to the U-23 team following their qualification for the Olympic games in 2024, highlighting how this achievement came thanks to “the youth of New Uzbekistan.” By combining these achievements with “New Uzbekistan,” the leadership can communicate its vision more clearly and claim that promises of a bright future have already started to materialize.