Tashkent Police Comment on Bunyodkor Stadium Stampede During World Cup Match

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.uz) — Video footage and reports have spread on social networks showing a large crowd accumulation and a stampede near the capital's Bunyodkor Stadium, where a free public broadcast of the football World Cup group stage match between the national teams of Uzbekistan and Portugal was organized.

The published recordings captured numerous groups of fans attempting to break into the territory of the sports complex, with some individuals climbing over protective fences, while deployed law enforcement forces and the National Guard held back the onslaught of the crowd. Official confirmations regarding casualties resulting from this incident appeared later.

The Main Department of Internal Affairs of Tashkent explained that the incident occurred on 23 June 2026. In the specially equipped fan zone of the Bunyodkor Stadium, all places provided by the organizers turned out to be completely occupied.

Due to the venue being at 100 percent capacity, access to the stadium was halted at approximately 21:00, and newly arriving fans were advised to redirect to other fan zones opened in various districts of the capital. However, a segment of the citizens expressed categorical dissatisfaction with these restrictions and attempted to penetrate inside in violation of the established regulations.

According to the statement of the Main Department of Internal Affairs, officers of the internal affairs bodies and the National Guard promptly restored public order in the adjacent territory. Preventive and explanatory talks were held with the violators, and official warnings were issued. The department recalled that similar fan zones with full security provisions operate not only in Tashkent but also in all regions of the republic, and emphasized that any attempts to violate public order will be strictly suppressed.

The fact that citizens sought medical assistance after the stampede near Bunyodkor was officially confirmed to Gazeta.uz correspondents by the Republican Scientific Center for Emergency Medical Care, although the medical institution did not specify the exact number of victims or the severity of the injuries. The capital's Main Department of Internal Affairs also confirmed the information about the injured to journalists, redirecting them to the Ministry of Health for exact statistical data.

The football match itself ended in a major defeat for the national team of Uzbekistan by the Portuguese team with a score of 0-5. After two rounds played, the Uzbekistan national team is at the bottom of the Group K standings with 0 points and a goal difference of 1–8. The leader of the quartet is the national team of Colombia (6 points), which defeated the DR Congo team (1 point), while Portugal has 4 points.