Uzbekistan v Colombia: World Cup 2026 – live | World Cup 2026

7 mins: Early yellow card for Mojica who hauls back Fayzullaev after the young Uzbek caught his direct opponent dwelling on the ball. The Istanbul-based playmaker takes the resulting free-kick but belts it straight at the one-man wall.

5 mins: Now Colombia get a free-kick opportunity with Khusanov going in too firmly on Mojica just a few metres outside the corner of the box on the left. James takes it left-footed, but it’s overhit slightly and Yusupov does well to swat it away.

4 mins: It’s a patient start. Colombia are happy to accept possession along their back four and probe through midfield, in no rush to find the vertical pass. James is busy, trying to get on the ball, but Uzbekistan are organised and happy to watch the game unfold in front of them.

2 mins: Uzbekistan get the first opportunity to attack when Taylor awards a free-kick on the right. Fayzullaev curls it over but Colombia head clear. The two sides are structured as expected.

The last of the first round of group matches is under way…

There are tears in Rodriguez’s eyes as he, his teammates, and most of the 80,000 crowd belt out Himno Nacional de la República de Colombia. That was a proper World Cup moment. Uzbekistan, on debut, are going to have to absorb plenty of emotion tonight.

The two sides stride out into the Mexico City evening. James Rodriguez puffs out his cheeks as he takes in the massed ranks of Colombian supporters in the stands.

The host broadcaster has just shown us inside the Azteca for the first time and it is a sea of Los Cafeteros yellow. It is going to feel like a Colombia home match.

Uzbekistan will be wearing all white tonight, hence their nickname the White Wolves. Colombia will be in their jazzy change strip of electric teal and navy with neon accents.

Conditions in Mexico City are surprisingly cool and damp, much to the delight of the players. There is light rain in the air, temperatures around 19C, and no wind to speak of.

This is our second visit to the mighty Estadio Azteca (AKA Mexico City Stadium) this tournament. It is unrivalled for World Cup significance.

Anthony Taylor will be in charge of this match. The Mancunian has refereed FA Cup finals, a UEFA Nations League decider, and the Europa League final. On the latter occasion, back in 2023, he was the subject of extraordinary abuse by Roma fans and their then coach, Jose Mourinho.

José Orlando Ascencio knows more about Colombia than I do.

Today’s Selección Colombia still have a core of players that are remembered fondly from the Brazil and Russia World Cup finals tournaments in 2014 and 2018 respectively. A few of them are taking part in their third tournament, led by James Rodríguez, still a key figure in a side whose 4-2-3-1 formation is built around his No 10 position. There is support out wide, where Luis Díaz has become a source of goals, though not to the extent to which he shines for Bayern Munich.

Asian football expert John Duerden has more on the White Wolves.

Since qualifying behind Iran, Uzbekistan have lost 2-1 to Uruguay but defeated Gabon and Egypt before final warm-up defeats to Canada and the Netherlands. The latter came thanks to two penalties from Cody Gakpo with the Liverpool forward scoring the winner in the 99th minute, not long after Uzbekistan had equalised to achieve what they thought was going to be a morale-boosting result. It was an important lesson about concentration and focus.

Underestimating the White Wolves would, however, be a mistake. “Uzbeks are tough: people who fight, who never give up,” Cannavaro says. “Playing against them is a pain in the arse. We played Uruguay: we had nine injured players, they weren’t at their best, but my players are tough. It’s not easy to play against them and we only lost 2-1.”

If you don’t know much about Uzbekistan football, you’re not alone. Fortunately Narzulla Saydullaev is around to help out.

Abdukodir Khusanov is by far the most recognisable face in the Uzbekistan side – the country’s first player to appear in the Champions League, Premier League or Ligue 1. His father, Khikmat Khoshimov, also played as a central defender. At 17, Khusanov went to play for Energetik-BGU Minsk in Belarus but could only train, with foreign players not allowed to play competitively until the age of 18. “In Belarus, I suffered away from my parents – often there were training sessions three times a day. If there was heavy snow in winter, we would clear the field ourselves and then train,” he says. During a whirlwind 2023, when Khusanov won the Under-20 Asian Cup with Uzbekistan and earned his first senior cap, Lens came calling. Within 18 months the shy youngster was at Manchester City. “He is a top signing,” Pep Guardiola said. “He is so coachable. He is always training good and gives 100%.” The 22-year-old has won the FA Cup and League Cup this season.

An experienced and robust Colombia will line up in a 4-2-3-1 formation. The question is where the goals will come from with only Rodriguez and Diaz registering more than six in their international careers to date.

12 Vargas, 2 Munoz, 23 Sanchez, 3 Lucumi, 17 Mojica; 14 Puerta, 16 Lerma; 11 Arias, 10 Rodriguez, 7 Diaz; 25 Suarez.

Fabio Cannavaro has continued with the 3-4-3 that served Uzbekistan well in qualifying. Khusanov is the only man in the starting XI to play in one of Europe’s top five leagues. The promising playmaker Fayzullaev is on the cusp of bigger things at İstanbul Başakşehir, where he is teammates with the proven goalscorer Shomurodov. Everyone else in the squad is drawn from clubs in Uzbekistan, Iran, or the UAE.

1 Yusupov; 18 Abdullaev, 5 Ashurmatov, 2 Khusanov; 13 Nasrullaev 7 Shukurov, 6 Mozgovoy, 24 Karimov; 22 Fayzullaev, 11 Urunov, 14 Shomurodov.

The penultimate match of the first round has just ended – and it’s joy for Ghana – who pinched a last-minute winner to down Panama 1-0 in Group L.

On the topic of goalscorers, Justin Kavanagh joins in by email to discuss a striker who failed to find the back of the net earlier today. “Strange how we’ve seen a 40-year-old goalkeeper perform miracles for Cape Verde, and an aging Messi put on a masterclass for the next generation. Yet Ronaldo, for all his years of dedicated self-preservation, looks like the oldest man at this tournament. He used to be wind in Portugal’s sails, but now he looks like their anchor. Yet presumably Roberto Martínez won’t do the necessary and make him walk the plank.”

I agree entirely. Extending the point somewhat, Roberto Martinez must be great in job interviews, or have a massive cache of incriminating photographs of significant football administrators. Behind a modest CV he was gifted Belgium’s greatest ever cohort and never looked like winning anything with them, now he has arguably the strongest squad at the finals under his management. At a World Cup notable for its array of superstar coaches it’s hard not to think Portugal may be handicapped by theirs and his inability to make the tough call(s).

With Harry Kane scoring twice against Croatia earlier today – and Lionel Messi, Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappé already putting on a show – see how the race for the golden boot is shaping up.

And check out the all-time standings for good measure.

The World Cup groups have started falling into place with Uzbekistan v Colombia the last game to be played in the opening round of matches. Wondering where each team might be heading into the knockouts? Predict your team’s path to the final with Bracketology:

Similar topics can be enjoyed in audio format with Max, Barry, and the rest of the podcats.

Yara El-Shaboury has the latest Football Daily round-up.

Yet for all the brilliance of Mbappé and Haaland, football’s greatest showman was not about to accept third billing. Hours after the younger generation had dazzled, Lionel Messi wandered on to the stage and reminded us sequels rarely outperform the original. A first World Cup hat-trick. A record-equalling 16th World Cup goal. Another entry in the ever-expanding folder labelled “proof he still has it”. Argentina beat Algeria 3-0 and Messi was involved in absolutely everything that mattered, including a raking challenge on Aissa Mandi that surely would have been a red card for mere mortals. Perhaps not inconsequentially, Gianni Infantino was in Kansas, watching on through misty eyes.

Not such a comfortable debut for Portugal though, who failed to click in attack against DR Congo.

Ronaldo’s baying followers, swathes of them with local accents and wearing his No 7 shirt, had done their best to cajole a meaningful contribution from their idol but ultimately they had to settle for being under the same roof. Perhaps they expected a repeat of Lionel Messi’s staggering performance the previous night but Ronaldo did little to assuage concerns that his presence, once glorious, is nowadays a dead weight. The watching Gianni Infantino could have been forgiven for wondering whether Fifa’s contortions in freeing him from suspension for this game had been worthwhile.

It’s already been a significant matchday for England, who looked like genuine contenders as they put four past Croatia.

They looked like they actually wanted to take part in a game of football, that this wasn’t just an activity to be undertaken out of fear and self‑loathing. For the next 10 minutes they swarmed all over Croatia, might have scored four, and gave a glimpse not so much of patterns of play, but of a willingness to actually do this, of the muscle, speed and ruthlessness that are undeniably there in this team.

Preamble

Jonathan Howcroft

Hello everybody and welcome to live coverage of match 24 of the 2026 World Cup between Uzbekistan and Colombia. Kick-off in this Group K clash at the Estadio Azteca is 8pm local time (10pm EDT/3am BST/12pm AEST).

The final match of the opening round of fixtures is, on paper, perhaps the most unprepossessing. Uzbekistan, on World Cup debut, scored just 14 goals in their 10 AFC qualifying matches, and they take on a Colombia side that have gone off the boil since an incredible unbeaten run that stretched over two years from 2022 to 2024.

Uzbekistan are one of the few little-known quantities at the finals. They began their qualification journey led by Slovenian Srečko Katanec, but ill health forced him to resign in 2025, handing the reins to national hero Timur Kapadze. The step up from under-23 coach was seamless with Kapadze going unbeaten in his eight matches in charge to confirm the White Wolves’ participation in North America.

But then in October of last year the Uzbekistan FA parachuted in Fabio Cannavaro. The 2006 World Cup winning captain has done nothing in his coaching career to date to suggest he is worthy of such a gift. A decent four-year spell at Guangzhou Evergrande ended in 2021, since when he has coached only briefly – and unsuccessfully – at Benevento, Udinese, and Dinamo Zagreb.

A mere 18 months ago Colombia would have been among the tournament favourites. Remodelled by Néstor Lorenzo, the Argentine oversaw victories over Germany, Brazil, and Japan, as well as taking Argentina to extra time of the final of the Copa America. But recent friendly defeats to France and Croatia exposed the limitations of a squad still reliant on James Rodriguez to pull the strings. Luis Diaz has prodigious talent but saw his form wane for Bayern Munich, while the disappearance off the radar of Jhon Duran since leaving Aston Villa for Saudi Arabia has robbed Lorenzo of an x-factor.

I’ll be back shortly with team news and a roundup of all the matchday action so far. In the meantime you can keep an eye on Ghana v Panama and email any thoughts about the tournament so far to jonathan.howcroft.freelance@theguardian.com.