Uzbekistan vs Colombia Preview

Group K’s second opening fixture takes place in the early hours of Thursday morning at the Estadio Banorte in Monterrey, as Uzbekistan and Colombia meet alongside Portugal’s earlier clash with Congo DR. Both sides know that a win here is crucial to keeping pace with the group’s likely frontrunners.

Uzbekistan make their World Cup debut in this fixture, a historic achievement for Central Asian football. Their recent form tells a mixed story — three wins from five, but both losses coming in their most recent outings against top-tier European opposition. Their most recent outing ended in a 2–1 defeat away to the Netherlands. Prior to that a 2–0 defeat away in Canada. Before that, however, they won on penalties at home against Venezuela in a qualifier — a result that confirmed their place at this tournament. Earlier in this run, they beat Gabon 3–1 at home and won 4–2 at home against Urartu. The three consecutive wins that brought them to the tournament reflect a team capable of beating sides at their level, while those two defeats against Netherlands and Canada show the step up in quality they face here against Colombia.

Colombia arrive in North America with genuine confidence and two convincing recent home wins. Their most recent outing produced a 2–0 home win over Jordan — a composed, professional performance in their final pre-tournament match. Prior to that, they won 3–1 at home against Costa Rica. Before that, they suffered a 3–1 home defeat to France — a loss that revealed defensive vulnerabilities against top-quality opposition. Earlier in this run, they lost 2–1 at home to Croatia, and the sequence began with a 3–0 home win over Australia. Three wins from five, with the two defeats coming against France and Croatia — sides of genuine quality — Colombia head into this World Cup knowing that James Rodríguez, Lerma and Ríos form a midfield capable of controlling matches at this level.

There is no previous meeting between these two sides on record, making this a completely fresh contest with no historical context.

Colombia are clear favourites here, with greater top-level experience, more quality across the pitch and the match-winning ability of Rodríguez to call upon. Uzbekistan’s debut World Cup appearance will be a proud occasion, and Shomurodov — with ninety-two caps and forty-four international goals — will provide a focal point, but the gulf in quality between these sides is considerable. Colombia should be expected to win, though Uzbekistan’s competitive spirit and organisation will make them a difficult side to break down in the early stages.

In Colombia, the match is live on Caracol TV and RCN Television, with streaming available via DIRECTV Sports Colombia, DGO and Disney+ Premium Sur. In Uzbekistan, viewers can watch on Futbol TV, Zoʻr TV and Salom TV. In the UK and Ireland, the game is available on BBC One and via BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport website.

Lineups & Injuries

Uzbekistan (3-4-2-1) Yusupov, Ashurmatov, Khusanov, Alijonov, Khamrobekov, Trunov, G’aniev, Eshmurodov, Shukurov, Nasrullaev, Shomurodov

Uzbekistan: No injury concerns reported.

Colombia (4-3-3) Ospina, Mojica, Sánchez, Lucumí, Muñoz, Díaz, Lerma, Ríos, Arias, Córdoba, Rodríguez

Colombia: No injury concerns reported.

Both squads appear to be at full strength for this Group K opener. Shomurodov’s experience will be vital for Uzbekistan as they navigate their first World Cup, while Colombia’s system built around Rodríguez, Lerma and Ríos gives them a clear midfield advantage.

Group K

Pos	Team	MP	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
1	Portugal	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
2	Colombia	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
3	Congo DR	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
4	Uzbekistan	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

Uzbekistan Form

Result	Home Team	Score	Away Team	Competition	Date
❌	Netherlands	2 – 1	Uzbekistan	International Friendly	Jun 8, 2026
❌	Canada	2 – 0	Uzbekistan	International Friendly	Jun 2, 2026
✅	Uzbekistan	0 – 0	Venezuela	International Friendly	Mar 30, 2026
✅	Uzbekistan	3 – 1	Gabon	International Friendly	Mar 27, 2026
✅	Uzbekistan	4 – 2	Urartu	International Friendly	Jan 30, 2026

Colombia Form

Result	Home Team	Score	Away Team	Competition	Date
✅	Colombia	2 – 0	Jordan	International Friendly	Jun 8, 2026
✅	Colombia	3 – 1	Costa Rica	International Friendly	Jun 2, 2026
❌	Colombia	1 – 3	France	International Friendly	Mar 29, 2026
❌	Colombia	1 – 2	Croatia	International Friendly	Mar 26, 2026
✅	Colombia	3 – 0	Australia	International Friendly	Nov 19, 2025

Head to Head

No previous meetings between these two sides.

TV Listings / Streaming

Country	Channel
Colombia	Caracol TV, RCN Television, DIRECTV Sports Colombia, Disney+ Premium Sur
Uzbekistan	Futbol TV, Zoʻr TV, Salom TV
Great Britain	BBC One, BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport Web
Ireland	RTE 2, BBC One, RTE Player, BBC iPlayer
USA	Fox Sports 1, fuboTV, Telemundo, FOX One
Brazil	SporTV, Globo, Globoplay, CazéTV
France	beIN Sports 1, beIN SPORTS CONNECT, myCANAL
Germany	SRF zwei, MagentaTV
Canada	TSN+, TSN1, RDS App
Japan	DAZN Japan