The 2023 AFC Asian Cup has been postponed to January 12, 2024 in Qatar after the original host country, China, relinquished its right to host the tournament. The AFC Asian Cup has attracted a lot of attention from soccer fans around the world, as Asian soccer has continued to improve and more and more outstanding Asian players have made their way to the stages of the major European leagues.
In addition to Asian powerhouses such as Japan, South Korea, Australia, Saudi Arabia and Iran, which are regarded as the favorites to win the Asian Cup, teams from the Middle East, Central Asia and Southeast Asia have been improving in recent years and have become a new force in the development of Asian soccer. The Central Asian powerhouse, Uzbekistan, has become a strong dark horse in the Asian Cup due to its brilliant performance in the Youth Asian Cup and World Cup at all levels in recent years, as well as the increasing number of rising stars from the country who have made their presence felt in the European arena.
In 2026, the number of participating countries in the North American World Cup will be increased to 42, and there is a chance that the number of Asian teams will be increased by 4 to 5 teams. Therefore, Uzbekistan, which has never participated in an adult World Cup before, has regarded it as a goal that must be achieved to enter the North American World Cup, and this Asian Cup is the best opportunity for them to test their skills.
2023-24 Season, Russia
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In the first half of the Super League season, a young Uzbek player came out of nowhere and quickly demonstrated his ability to be recognized in the league as a starter for Russian Premier League powerhouse CSKA Moscow. With two goals and nine assists, Abbosbek Fayzullaev was voted by the CSKA Moscow team and fans as the team's best player of the half-season, making him one of the brightest stars of the first half of the Russian Premier League. The year 2023 is destined to be Fayzullaev's year. In the U20 Asian Cup, Fayzullaev's outstanding performance not only led Uzbekistan to win the U20 Asian Cup against the big players, but also won him the Player of the Tournament.
As one of the most promising young players in Asia, Fayzullaev was courted by a number of European clubs, but to everyone's surprise, Fayzullaev chose to join CSKA Moscow in the Russian Premier League. And it turned out to be the right choice. In less than half a season, Turkish giants Fenerbahce are reportedly targeting Fayzullaev as an important reinforcement. The Asian Cup will be Fayzullaev's first big stage performance since his rise to stardom, and his every move will be one of the highlights of the tournament.
Another one of the youngest center backs in Asia to make it to Europe after winning the U20 Asian Cup 2023 is Abdukodir Khusanov, who became Uzbekistan's first ever Ligue 1 player when he joined last season's Ligue 1 runners-up, Lens, in the 23/24 season as one of the best young center backs in Asia. As a promising Asian star, Khusanov was unable to get a consistent start in the first half of the Ligue 1 season until the end of November, when he finally got a lot of chances to play, not only making his debut in the first half of the season, but also in the second half of the season, which was the first time he played in Ligue 1.
European crown
Khusanov made his debut in Ligue 1 and played the full 90 minutes in all three of his starts, and in two of those matches he helped his team to shut out their opponents and win the game. Before the winter break, Khusanov is in great shape for the Asian Cup, and will be a wall for the Asian Cup's best attackers.
In addition to the young generation, 20-year-old Fayzullaev and 19-year-old Khusanov are two of the top players in the Asian Cup, and the team has a mix of old, middle and young players, so the team is considered to be one of the dark horses in the tournament. Oston Urunov, who has been playing at the top of his game in this year's AFC Champions League, is not only helping the club Namangan to achieve good results in the new spring season, but is also rumored to be on the verge of joining the Russian Premier League.
Although Uzbekistan lost goal-scoring king Eldor Shomurodov, currently playing for Cagliari in the Italian Liga, to injury before the final formation of the team, Igor Sergeev, currently playing in the Thai league, together with Jaloliddin Masharipov, a Greek Super League player and captain of the Uzbeks, and Otabek Shukurov, with their wealth of experience and aggressive style of play, will be a stabilizing force for the Uzbek team and lead them to the challenge.
