Former Germany international and current Drenica head coach Thomas Brdarić believes Uzbekistan have the potential to become one of the major surprise packages at the upcoming FIFA World Cup.
Speaking to Uzbek outlet Championat.asia, Brdarić — who worked at Tashkent club Bunyodkor in 2012–13 — said Uzbekistan fully deserved their historic qualification and praised the progress made by football in the country in recent years.
“Uzbekistan absolutely deserved to qualify for the World Cup. Football in the country has been developing very positively in recent years,” Brdarić said.
The former Germany striker noted that he had followed Uzbekistan’s qualifying campaign closely and had seen steady progress in the team’s performances. He also pointed to the growing number of Uzbek players gaining experience abroad, either at strong foreign clubs or through regular international experience.
“That is reflected both in the overall level of the team and in its confidence on the pitch,” he said.
At the same time, Brdarić stressed that the World Cup will represent a completely new challenge for Uzbekistan.
“The World Cup is a different level. The competition, the media attention and especially the psychological pressure are very different from the Asian qualifiers. Now the key factor will be the team’s ability to adapt to this new environment,” he said.
Despite that, Brdarić believes Uzbekistan have enough quality to make a serious impression at the tournament.
“I see enough potential in the Uzbekistan national team for them to become one of the biggest surprises of the tournament,” he said.
Brdarić also highlighted the broader progress of Asian football, saying teams from the continent now play fast, attractive and tactically diverse football.
“That makes them unpredictable and uncomfortable opponents for any team,” he added.
The former Germany international also welcomed the expansion of the World Cup to 48 teams, arguing that the new format gives a long-awaited opportunity to countries that had often fallen just short of qualification.
“For smaller federations and footballing countries that are still on the rise, this is a huge opportunity to present themselves on the biggest stage in world football. Countries like Uzbekistan finally have a real chance to show their level internationally and perhaps produce major surprises,” Brdarić said.