Legend of world football and best player of 2006 agreed to lead the Uzbekistan national team

World champion and best player of 2006, Italian Fabio Cannavaro, has verbally agreed to become the new head coach of the Uzbekistan national team.

This was reported by insider Fabrizio Romano on his social media page.

According to the source, the 52-year-old specialist will lead the team at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, for which the national team has already qualified. The parties have agreed on the terms of the contract, and the official signing of documents is expected within 24-48 hours.

During his coaching career, the 52-year-old has managed clubs such as Evergrande, Al-Nassr, Benevento, Udinese, and others. The last club where Cannavaro worked was Dinamo Zagreb. He left that position in April.

The previous coach of the Uzbekistan national team was Timur Kapadze. The team became the third among the former Soviet republics to qualify for the World Cup. Prior to this, only Russia (four times, including the home tournament in 2018) and Ukraine (in 2006) had played in the World Championship.

The 2026 World Cup will take place in the USA, Canada, and Mexico from June 11 to July 19.