Khusanov leads Uzbekistan into historic World Cup debut with City pedigree behind him

Abdukodir Khusanov arrives at the 2026 World Cup as the most recognisable player in an Uzbekistan squad making their debut at the tournament, having completed one of the most rapid rises in recent European football — from Energetik-BKU in Belarus to Manchester City, two trophies and the Champions League in fewer than three years.

Uzbekistan have been drawn in a testing group alongside Portugal, Colombia and DR Congo, but the expanded 48-team format — which sends three sides from each group into the knockout rounds — has stoked genuine belief that the White Wolves can progress. Fabio Cannavaro, the World Cup-winning Italian defender who took charge last October, has kept the squad and style largely intact, with Uzbekistan set to play a back three. His influence, according to those close to the team, has been primarily psychological: instilling confidence that they can compete even against sides with superior athletic resources.

Khusanov is central to that ambition. The centre-back’s trajectory through Uzbekistan’s youth system and into the senior national team is held up as proof of what the country’s sustained investment in football infrastructure is producing. Connor Bowers, who runs UzbekFootball on X, believes the 2026 tournament is the start of a longer story rather than a one-off appearance.

“With the World Cup expanding to 48 teams, I think they will be a consistent qualifier and they should make the subsequent 2030 and 2034 tournaments,” Bowers said. “I’d be shocked if they didn’t because of the talent pool they have coming through at youth levels. Their youth teams are competitive on the continent, and that’s trickled through because you see players like Khusanov, who went from being part of those successful youth teams to being established in the national team, and that will only continue.”

Bowers also pointed to structural improvements that have underpinned the rise. “The standard of football within the domestic league is far higher than it was even five years ago in terms of infrastructure. It’s been five to ten years of investment within youth development, stadiums, and the league,” he said, noting that Chinese investment has played a part in that process.

For Khusanov personally, the World Cup represents another chapter in a career that has already exceeded most expectations. At City he has earned the trust of Pep Guardiola and featured in the Champions League; with Uzbekistan he is the poster boy of a generation, though those around the squad are careful not to overload him with the burden of leadership given the experience elsewhere in the side. The expectation is that he will be given the freedom to play his natural game — and that, for a nation only just arriving on the world stage, may be enough to turn a few heads.