Uzbekistan Appoints Italian Star Fabio Cannavaro as Head Coach Ahead of Historic World Cup Debut
The Uzbekistan Football Association announced on Monday the appointment of former Italian star Fabio Cannavaro as head coach of the national team, ahead of the country’s first-ever appearance in the FIFA World Cup, set to take place next year in the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
Cannavaro, 52, who won the 2006 World Cup with Italy and claimed the Ballon d'Or that sam
national coach Timur Kapadze, who took over mid-qualifiers after Srečko Katanec stepped down for health reasons and successfully guided the team to qualification.
Uzbekistan secured its historic World Cup berth after a draw with the UAE last June, in the final round of Asian qualifiers. They finished second in Group B with 21 points from 10 matches, losing only once in 15 games throughout the qualification campaign. Their strong performance would have likely earned them a spot in the finals even under the old 32-team format, rather than the expanded 48-team structure.
e year, returns to coaching after being without a club since his dismissal from Croatian side Dinamo Zagreb last April. He led the team for
Cannavaro will be supported by an Italian technical staff, including Eugenio Albarella as assistant coach, Francesco Troise as fitness coach, and Antonio Chimenti as goalkeeping coach. The legendary defender brings coaching experience from previous stints with Udinese and Benevento in Italy, as well as Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia and Chinese clubs Guangzhou Evergrande and Tianjin Quanjian. He also briefly served as interim coach of the Chinese national team.
As a player, Cannavaro wore the Real Madrid jersey in 118 matches, played 128 times for Juventus, and 74 times for Inter Milan. He
earned 136 caps for Italy, crafting a remarkable career crowned by the glory of the 2006 World Cup.
With his appointment, the Uzbek Football Association hopes Cannavaro will lead the country’s golden generation to a proud debut on the world stage, leveraging his vast experience in European and international football to fuel Uzbekistan’s growing ambitions.
