From Four Sackings to Glory: How Uzbekistan's First World Cup Leader Found Inspiration

FOUR years ago, the idea of Uzbekistan playing at the 2026 World Cup instead of Italy would have sounded like a football fantasy tale.

But 20 years after lifting the with , that’s now the reality facing the Azzuri’s former skipper Fabio Cannavaro.

Former Italy World Cup winner Fabio Cannavaro will lead Uzbekistan at their first World Cup Credit: Getty The legendary ex-defender lifted the World Cup with Italy 20 years ago Credit: Getty

The legendary ex-defender, 52, will lead the minnows at the tournament for the first time EVER, while his country .

has a population of 38.2million people, but it’s not known for producing the most illustrious of football talent.

That was one of the main challenges facing Cannavaro when he accepted the rather obscure job last year.

But while he raised plenty of eyebrows by taking on the role, it proved to be his salvation after a troubled start to his managerial career.

He had a decent stint with clubs in China and Saudi Arabia before returning to Italy with Serie B side Benevento.

But he was axed after just four months in charge amid a poor start to the campaign saw the team battling relegation.

Just over a year later, he was appointed Udinese boss and managed to save them from relegation – but was still let go at the end of the season.

He then tried his luck with Croatian side Dinamo Zagreb, who also sacked him after just four months following his first defeat.

Cannavaro was lacking momentum as a manger and had little to lose when a “priceless” opportunity came up.

He told the Guardian last year: “I found myself in this negative cycle and felt strange, discouraged.

“I thought: ‘How is it possible? Everyone else can coach and I can’t find anything?’ I wanted to stay in Italy but then this World Cup opportunity came. That has no price.

“I had other national team offers from Asia but never considered them. This one I did because it’s a young national team, with many talented young players.

“The federation is focusing a lot on academies across Uzbekistan and they’re producing good players. That was important for me.”

In truth, Cannavaro was given a fast-track pass to the finish line.

He was only appointed after the team had already qualified for the World Cup.

A rather complicated saga saw Slovenian boss Srecko Katanec put the team in prime position for qualification before standing down due to health reasons in January 2025.

Interim boss Timur Kapadze then finished the job as the team clinched their place with a 0-0 draw against the UAE in June of that year.

Cannavaro had a difficult start in coaching after four sacking before taking the Uzbekistan job Credit: Getty Cannavaro believes his side can cause a World Cup shock, which could help him land a top job Credit: Getty

But the Uzbekistan FA wanted a high profile manager with international pedigree to lead the team at the World Cup. And that’s where Cannavaro came in.

He couldn’t speak the language and still doesn’t – he communicates with the players through a translator.

But from day one he made sure he immersed himself in the culture by moving to the country and studying the players, which surprised some within Uzbekistan.

Cannavaro said: “They really appreciated the fact that in a month we watched one or two matches a day.

“They weren’t used to that: many foreign coaches watched a few games and then left.

“We stayed 40 days there, travelling to different places because we wanted to get into the project right away.”

It’s still been a successful start for Cannavaro, with four wins coming against Kuwait, , and Venezuela.

But he knows his team will be right up against it against quality opposition this summer.

Man City star Abdukodir Khusanov will be one of the team’s main hopes at the World Cup Credit: Getty Cannavaro uses a translator to communicate but has fully immersed himself in the country’s culture Credit: Getty

Uzbekistan will do well to get out of a group that includes ‘s , and .

Some bookies have given them odds of 500/1 to win the World Cup.

It’s no surprise given that only two of their players compete at the highest level.

defender Abdukodir Khusanov is undoubtedly their top talent along with captain Eldor Shomurodov, who plays for Istanbul Baseksehir on loan from .

But Cannavaro insists there is still some real pedigree in his squad and believes they will “surprise” some people.

He says Uzbeks are “tough” fighters who are a “pain in the a**e” to play against.

In a separate interview with Gazzetta Dello Sport, he hailed the attitude of the Uzbekistan players

He said: “They entertain me because they absorb everything I suggest like sponges.

“No one complains, they work, they want to challenge themselves.”

Cannavaro wants to challenge himself too after admitting he has the Italy job in his sights in the near future.

You could consider this job to be an audition for the post after Italy missed out on back-to-back World Cups.

If the former star can cause a shock in the United States with his group of plucky underdogs, he could very well be the solution for a team of sleeping giants.