Uzbekistan have clinched their spot in the 2025 World Cup, becoming the eighth team to do so, after playing a draw against United Arab Emirates on Thursday. With a population of 36 million and currently ranked 57th in the world, Uzbekistan's qualification marks their first-ever World Cup appearance. The Asian Football Confederation team previously came close to qualifying in 2006 but were denied due to a controversial refereeing error. Uzbekistan has a history of participating in every Asian Cup finals since 1996, and they progressed to the knockout phase in each appearance since 2004.
South Korea, Jordan, and Australia currently occupy automatic qualification spots in the Asian qualifiers, while Jordan and South Korea are bidding for their first-ever World Cup appearance. The Asian qualifying comprises three rounds, with Japan, Iran, and Uzbekistan having already secured their spots.
The World Cup qualifying process involves six teams from South America, eight from Asia, nine from Africa, and six from North and Central America and the Caribbean. The hosts (United States, Canada, and Mexico) have already qualified automatically. Europe has 16 qualifying spots, Oceania has one, and the intercontinental play-offs involve teams from Africa, Asia, South America, and North America.
Source: BBC Sports Football
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