Uzbekistan — Kuwait : Match Preview and Prediction for October 09,2025

Uzbekistan’s Coaching Carousel

The Uzbekistan national team made headlines not only for their historic and inaugural qualification for the World Cup but also for a controversial decision just months before the event. Despite Timur Kapadze leading them to this unprecedented achievement, the football federation opted not to send him to the debut World Cup.

Cannavaro’s Controversial Appointment

The Uzbek football leadership decided to appoint Fabio Cannavaro, a 2006 World Cup winner and Ballon d’Or recipient, aiming to have a coach with a global reputation at the tournament. However, while Cannavaro’s playing career was illustrious, his decade-long coaching tenure has not yielded significant success.

Team Discontent and Kapadze’s Role

Players have openly expressed their incomprehension regarding the coaching change in the press. To add to the perceived absurdity, Kapadze is expected to remain in Cannavaro’s staff as a junior assistant.

Kapadze’s Olympic Performance and Predecessor

Timur Kapadze’s recent failure with the Uzbekistan Olympic team in Paris (securing only one point in the group stage) likely contributed to the decision to replace him after achieving the initial World Cup qualification goal. Interestingly, Kapadze himself took over from Srečko Katanec, who built this team but unfortunately fell seriously ill and couldn’t see his project through to its logical conclusion just a year prior.

Impact of Recent Changes on Uzbekistan

Undoubtedly, all these personnel shifts are bound to affect the team’s performance. Although they recently won the CAFA Cup with a mixed squad (three wins and a draw), the coaching change to the Italian mentor, implemented just two days ago, will almost certainly impact the hosts, and not necessarily in a positive way.

Kuwait’s Stalled World Cup Campaign

In stark contrast to their opponents, the Kuwait national team faltered during the third stage of Asian World Cup qualification, finishing last in Group B with five draws and losses. Head coach Juan Antonio Pizzi failed to achieve the minimum objective of contending for a top-four spot in that sextet, though the visitors did display commendable performances in individual matches.

Shifting Focus to Asian Cup Qualification

Last month, in preparation for the Asian Cup qualifiers, Kuwait secured a hard-fought 2-2 draw against a strong Syria side. This suggests the team has successfully refocused its efforts on the new task of qualifying for the regional tournament.