Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.uz) — President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev received FIFA President Gianni Infantino on 30 September.
At the beginning of the meeting, the FIFA chief highlighted Uzbekistan’s achievements in football and the results of reforms being implemented in the country to support sport.
The main topic of the talks was preparations for and the organisation of the FIFA U-20 World Cup in Uzbekistan and Azerbaijan. The tournament will be held in 2027. The decision to stage the competition in the two countries was made by the FIFA Council in October 2025.
The sides also noted the development of cooperation through joint programmes aimed at promoting football, particularly among young people.
The meeting discussed further expansion of the partnership with FIFA. In particular, the talks focused on transforming the system for organising and managing football, identifying and developing young talent, and providing international-level training for coaches, referees, managers, sports doctors and technical specialists.
Particular attention was paid to hosting major FIFA tournaments and events in Uzbekistan. The sides also discussed accelerating the opening in Tashkent of a FIFA regional office for Central Asian countries.
In December 2025, Uzbekistan agreed with FIFA and the Uzbekistan Football Association to establish such an office in Tashkent. Under a presidential decision, the office is to be located in the Uzbekistan Football Association building at 98a Islam Karimov Street.
