Tsakiyar Asiya za wakiltar kasarsu a Gasar Kofin Duniya ta FIFA a karon farko a tarihi bayan Uzbekistan ta tabbatar da cancantarta a ranar 5 ga Yuni 2025. Tashin 0-0 da United Arab Emirates ya kunna bukukuwa mai zafi a Tashkent da kuma ko'ina cikin kasar, yana tabbatar da wurin White Wolves a FIFA World Cup 2026.

Jira mai tsawo

Uzbekistan ta yi yawancin karni na wannan tana ɗaukar lakabin mai raɗaɗi na «maza-kusan-cin nasara» na ƙwallon ƙafa na Asiya. Kamfen guda uku na cancanta sun ƙare da bacin rai — rashin nasara mai cece-kuce a wasan ƙarshe tsakanin ƙasashe biyu da Bahrain a 2006, an fitar da ita ta bambancin kwallaye a bayan South Korea a 2014, sannan a 2018 ta rasa da maki biyu lokacin da South Korea ta danne Uzbekistan da 0-0 a Tashkent a wasan ƙarshe na rukunin.

Fitarwa ta 2006 ta kasance mafi abin takaici. Uzbekistan ta lashe wasan farko 1-0, amma mai ba da hukunci ya ba Bahrain harbi na kyauta cikin kuskure bayan ɗan wasan Uzbekistan ya karya doka a lokacin hukunci — wanda ya tilasta a sake dukan wasan. Wasan da aka sake ya ƙare 1-1, wasan na baya ya ƙare 0-0, kuma Uzbekistan ta fita ta ƙa'idar kwallaye a ƙasar gaba.

Masanin ƙwallon ƙafa na Uzbekistan Conor Bowers ya shaida wa BBC Sport cewa wannan cancanta tana ɗaukar ma'ana ta musamman ga ƙasar. "Uzbekistan tun asali ta kasance maza-kusan-cin nasara na ƙwallon ƙafa na Asiya," in ji Bowers, yana ƙara cewa wannan nasara tana da mahimmanci «kamar yadda cin nasara da ita zai kasance ga ƙasashe kamar England.»

Gina daga asali

Hanyar zuwa Kofin Duniya ta kasance sakamakon tsare-tsaren zuba jari mai niyya da na dogon lokaci a ƙwallon ƙafa na Uzbek. Ƙungiyoyin matasa sun yi kyau a matakin ƙasa da ƙasa, suna lashe Kofunan Asiya na Ƙasa da shekara 17 da Ƙasa da shekara 20, sun cancanci Wasannin Olimpik, kuma sun kai Kofin Duniya na Ƙasa da shekara 17. Hukumar Ƙwallon Ƙafa ta Uzbekistan kuma ta bude cibiyar horarwa ta ƙasa a wajen Tashkent, an tsara ta bisa manufar St George's Park da ke England.

A cikin gida, tasirin ya riga ya bayyana. Bowers ya lura cewa adadin ƙungiyoyi masu sana'a a ƙasar ya ƙaru da kashi 36 bisa dari tsakanin 2025 da 2026 kaɗai, tare da samar da ƙungiyoyi sababbi da sake farfado da wasu waɗanda suka kasance sun rufe. "Cancanta ga Kofin Duniya ba ta kasance labarin nasara dare ɗaya ba," in ji Bowers, yana bayyana ta a matsayin kololuwar shirin ci gaba mai tsari.

Khusanov — Beckham na Uzbekistan

Alama mafi bayyana na wannan hauhawa ita ce mai tsaron Abdukodir Khusanov, wanda Manchester City ta saya daga Lens a Janairu 2025 da kuɗin da ya kai £34 miliyan. Yana da shekara 21, Khusanov ya zama fuska ta ƙwallon ƙafa na Uzbek a zamanin kafofin watsa labarun zamani, inda Bowers ya yi kwatanta kai tsaye da tasirin al'adun da David Beckham ya yi a England a farkon shekarun 2000.

Dan wasan gaba Jaloliddin Masharipov ya nuna yanayin kan tituna na Uzbekistan lokacin da ya shaida wa BBC World Service: "Shi ne mutum na farko a Premier League daga Uzbekistan. Duk magoya baya suna ƙaunarsa. Duk lokacin da ka fita waje, ka je gidan abinci, mutane suna zuwa don ɗaukar hoto. Ka je gidan abinci, ba ka biya."

Kafin Khusanov, mai ɗaukar tutar ya kasance Server Djeparov — ɗan wasan Uzbek guda ɗaya da aka taɓa ba da suna Ƙwararren ɗan wasa mafi kyau na Asiya, mukami da ya samu sau biyu — wanda ya yi gwaji a Chelsea kuma ya kasance wani ɓangare na dukkan kamfen uku na kino-cin nasara.

Cannavaro yana shimfida hanya

Baƙon Italy kuma kyaftin ɗin Italy wanda ya lashe Kofin Duniya na 2006, Fabio Cannavaro, ya karɓi ragamar Uzbekistan a Oktoba 2025 a matsayin magajin Timur Kapadze. An yi masa maraba da wani shakku a farko, amma Cannavaro ya nutse cikin aikinsa — yana halartar wasannin Uzbek Super League, yana haɗuwa da 'yan wasan Uzbek a ƙasashen waje, kuma yana gudanar da sansanonin horarwa da yawa.

A watan Maris, Cannavaro ya tsayar da nasara ta abokantaka da 3-1 akan Gabon a Milliy Stadium cike da masu kallo, kuma ya bayyana falsafar sa ba tare da jinkiri ba: "Ina son mayaƙa. Ina son ɗimauwa mai ƙarfi, koyaushe. Za mu je Kofin Duniya don fafatawa da ƙungiyoyi mafi ƙarfi, kuma in mutane suna ganin abu ne mai sauƙi, za su yi kuskure. Uzbekistan na farko ne a Kofin Duniya kuma za mu fafata da kowa ba tare da tsoro ba."

Kofin Duniya da abin da ya biyo baya

Uzbekistan za ta shiga gasar a rukuni tare da Portugal, Colombia da takwarorin farko DR Congo. Bowers ya yi ƙoƙarin bayyana cewa kawai isa zuwa wasannin ƙarshe shi ne manufa: "Cancanta ita ce manufa. Duk wani abu fiye da haka za a gan shi a matsayin ƙarin kyauta."

Amma burin ya wuce gasa ɗaya. "Uzbekistan ya kamata ta nufi wannan Kofin Duniya ya zama na farko daga cikin da yawa kuma ta zama ƙasar Asiya ta yau da kullun a gasar kamar Japan da South Korea," in ji Bowers. Da ci gaban ƙwallon ƙafa na cikin gida, Khusanov yana ɗaukar tutar a Manchester, da ƙyallen wasannin cancanta mara nasara a ƙarshe an goge shi, kaɗan ne za su yi caca kan White Wolves ba za su koma ba.