Yuriy Syomin on World Cup favorites and Uzbek football

Legendary Russian football coach Yuriy Syomin shared his interesting reflections ahead of the 2026 World Cup. This was reported by Zamin.uz.
The experienced specialist, who led Lokomotiv Moscow to three national championships, did not hide his high respect for Uzbek football in an interview with Sport Express. According to Zamin.uz, he is looking forward to the upcoming mundial with great interest.
In Syomin's opinion, the Spanish and Argentine national teams are the main contenders for the championship. He admitted that he would support the Argentines, particularly due to his respect for Lionel Messi.
The coach noted that although he has to watch the games at night due to the time difference, he will closely follow all the important matches. During the conversation, special attention was paid to the prospects of the Uzbekistan national team.
Syomin highly praised the potential of Uzbek footballers and stated that Abduqodir Khusanov's performances on the international stage are a clear example of this. According to the specialist, Uzbekistan's participation in the World Cup is a historic event, and advancing from the group stage would be considered a huge achievement for the team.
The most notable part of the interview was a question about how Yuriy Syomin would react if he were offered to manage the Uzbekistan national team. The experienced coach stated that he would accept such an invitation with pleasure and would not shy away from helping Uzbek football.
This demonstrates his confidence in our country's football and his sincere attitude. As a reminder, the Uzbekistan national team is in the same group as Portugal, Colombia, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Although the opponents are experienced and strong, Syomin believes that Uzbek footballers are capable of overcoming these obstacles. Dear fans, do you think an experienced coach like Yuriy Syomin could take our national team to a new level?
How do you evaluate Uzbekistan's chances of advancing from the group stage? We look forward to your thoughts.





