The legendary forward of Kyiv Dynamo and the Uzbekistan national team, Maxim Shatskikh, shared his thoughts on the historic qualification of his country’s national team to the World Cup 2026.
Maxim Shatskikh"Uzbekistan’s qualification for the World Cup 2026? Once we had to qualify for the World Cup, this time has come"
— For the first time in history, the Uzbekistan national team has reached the final stage of the World Cup and will play at the World Cup in 2026. Did you expect such success from your native national team?
— There’s no secret to success. Of course, I expected the team to qualify for the World Cup. The time has come, as they say. Once we had to qualify for the World Cup. It’s also good that FIFA increased the number of places for Asia at the World Cup — now there are 8.5 spots (one additional place will be contested in playoff matches against representatives of other confederations — ed.).
The team performed quite confidently in the group stage: both in terms of play and results. A wonderful team, good players. Another big plus is that many Uzbek footballers play abroad and not in the domestic championship. Experience, playing in good leagues, and effort — all of this has paid off.
— What element of Uzbekistan’s game do you consider the strongest?
— It’s hard to answer this question. There were various matches depending on the opponent played against. The Uzbekistan national team can play as the first team, although at the beginning, they acted thanks to quick transitions from defense to attack. The scheme and tactics did not change significantly throughout the qualifying stage.
— Do you think Kazakhstan would have had more chances to perform well on the international stage if they transitioned from UEFA to AFC?
— I’ve always said this. When I was in Kazakhstan, I asked them: "What were you thinking going there?". Of course, they would have had more chances to qualify for the World Cup. Kazakhstan also had a fairly strong team; we always had fierce "derbies" among ourselves.
Perhaps they went to Europe to make it easier to sell their players there. I don’t know. No one in Kazakhstan answered me on this question. It’s clear that now they practically have no chance to qualify for any prestigious tournament. Someone made that decision, and that’s it.
The Uzbekistan national team is led by a fairly young specialist — a 43-year-old Timur Kapadze. What can you tell about the work of this expert?
— I haven’t worked with him personally, so it’s hard for me to say. I know that he prepared the Uzbekistan team for the 2024 Olympic Games. Under him, we also qualified for the Olympics for the first time — a good result. At one time, we had such a project — the "Olympic" club, which gathered all the national team players who participated in the championship of Uzbekistan. Those players became the backbone of the Olympic team.
Kapadze took over in the winter of 2025, and under him, they played four rounds — two wins, two draws. Let’s see how it goes further. He has experience in working with national teams in football. What is the most important thing for a coach? Result. When Kapadze took over the national team, he didn’t change anything: the same players played under the same scheme. There was no point in changing anything. The Uzbekistan national team accomplished its task quite confidently — it qualified for the World Cup. Now we will wait for the World Cup itself — it will also be a certain exam for us. Reaching such a tournament with the best teams in the world is very valuable.
"Football in Uzbekistan is now progressing very rapidly. Ukrainian clubs should pay attention to this market"
— What can the Ukraine national team learn from the Uzbekistan national team?
— I don’t even know what to say. It’s a tough question. The Ukraine team also has many achievements — they have been consistently playing in the European Championship lately, and they once reached the quarterfinals of the World Cup.
Right now, the Ukraine national team is undergoing a certain generational change, with experienced aging players being replaced by the young. Time is needed. Unfortunately, everything takes time. But, as always, there is never enough of it. It would be interesting to see if Ukraine and Uzbekistan end up in the same group at the World Cup 2026.
— How do you assess the chances of the Ukrainian national team qualifying for the World Cup 2026? In the group, we have France, Azerbaijan, and Iceland as opponents.
— It’s clear that it will be difficult with France. But Iceland and Azerbaijan are within Ukraine’s reach. I won’t say that Ukrainians are obliged to thrash them. No. Now everyone knows how to play football. Azerbaijan will put up resistance, and Iceland — they are always so stubborn. At least the second place is within the Ukraine national team’s power. Although in reality, they can also fight for the first spot. Why not?
— What is the current state of football in Uzbekistan?
— Football in Uzbekistan is progressing very rapidly right now. Development is underway, construction is happening. The final stage of building a base for all Uzbekistan national teams is almost finished. Football has been developing very strongly lately; even youth football is progressing. Things don’t change quickly, but the right direction has been chosen, and it is already noticeable that there are results.
— Previously, Uzbekistan invited stars of world football for big money. For instance, Rivaldo moved to "Bunyodkor" in 2008. Is the focus now more on nurturing local players?
— Every club has its own tasks and goals, but mainly, they rely on local players. Of course, there are foreigners; there are quite a few, but these are two different paths — a team with legionnaires and a team without legionnaires. The level of resistance in training, the level of the championship naturally increases when there are quality foreign players. You can play with locals only, but who will the youth learn from?
— Why don’t Uzbek footballers have demand in Ukraine?
— I don’t know. Maybe it’s just that in Ukraine they don’t pay attention to Uzbek footballers? Plus, under the current situation, not everyone is willing to go to a country where there is warfare. Nevertheless, local players are more inclined towards another direction: Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, China, Thailand.
We don’t take "Shakhtar" into account because they have their own development model, but "Dynamo" or "Polissya," if they paid closer attention to the Uzbek market, could find something for themselves. There are plenty of good qualified players in Uzbekistan who are not inferior to Ukrainian players today. But I repeat, under the current situation, it’s not so easy to invite a good foreigner to the UPL.
— Perhaps you could advise UPL clubs to pay attention to some Uzbek players?
— I won’t name names. I can only repeat that, in my opinion, there are plenty of quality footballers in Uzbekistan. In Andijan, where I currently work, there are also such players. When I was at "Paktakor," my assistants and I formed a squad that is the future of the Uzbekistan national team. Most of the current Olympic team is there.
— Yuri Vernydub, during his time at "Shakhtar" (Soligorsk), noted attacking midfielder Jasur Yakhshibaev, who has recently played for Iranian "Nasaji." Vernydub then stated that with the right desire, Yakhshibaev could be one of the best in "Dynamo" or "Shakhtar." Did Ukrainian clubs truly overlook this Uzbek diamond?
— Yakhshibaev is a really classy and quality player. But he has nuances regarding character and discipline. As a footballer — yes. Yakhshibaev is smart, a non-standard performer, but his character holds him back. I know him very well; I have communicated with him many times. If he corrected all these everyday matters regarding discipline and character, he could play at a higher level.
"I don’t even keep an eye on my records. I would only be happy if Yarmolenko beats it. As long as you can run — keep running"
— The main stars of the Uzbekistan national team are Eldor Shomurodov and Abduqodir Khusanov?
— I don’t really understand what "stars" means. Yes, Shomurodov is currently playing for "Roma," and Khusanov is at "Manchester City" — he is still a young guy and has everything ahead of him. If we consider status, then yes, they are stars. But there are very good performers in Uzbekistan who play in the Iranian league. Two footballers play in Russia, while some play in Turkey. Overall, the Uzbekistan national team currently has a quality squad.
— You held the record for the most goals scored in the Uzbekistan national team (34 goals) for a long time, but now the number one scorer in Uzbekistan is Shomurodov, who has already scored 42 goals. How did you feel about Shomurodov surpassing your scoring achievements?
— Oh, I am just glad. Simply, when I played for the Uzbekistan national team, there were specific nuances. First, I came to the national team half as often. At that time, UEFA dates did not coincide with AFC matches. And there was a situation where we had the Champions League, and at the same time, the national team was playing. So they wouldn’t let me go until everything was sorted out with those dates. After that, things became easier in this regard. There are now more tournaments for Asian national teams — there weren’t such opportunities before. During my time, we played qualifiers for Asia and the World Cup qualifications.
I repeat, I don’t worry about records, whether in the Uzbekistan national team or in the Ukrainian championship. I don’t even keep track of who might surpass me. Shomurodov is doing great; he still has plenty of games ahead! I think he’ll score a lot more goals! I’m just happy and wish him success and health.
— The same can be said about Dynamo legend Andriy Yarmolenko, who is closing in on your scoring record (124 goals) in the Ukrainian championship?
— Of course, of course. I always say: "As long as you can run — keep running, guys. After you finish, you won’t come back. You step over the line — that’s it." So as long as your health allows, if you have motivation, desire, and enthusiasm — keep running, playing, breaking records. The main thing is to keep moving, because movement is life.
It’s also important to prioritize team success. Not just trying to achieve your personal goals at any cost. As a rule, when you play for yourself, ignoring the team, it can later harm the entire group and the overall result.
Vladislav Lyostansky
