logo
episode-header-image
Jun 2025
8m 59s

History made: Debutants Uzbekistan and J...

Bbc World Service
About this episode

Uzbekistan and Jordan have qualified for the men’s Fifa World Cup for the first time, but what’s the reaction been like and how significant is it for the two countries?

World Football’s Isaac Fanin spoke to BBC journalists Khaldoon Alshamayleh in Amman, the capital of Jordan, and Firdavs Zavkiev in the Uzbek capital Tashkent to gauge the reaction.

South Korea also secured their place at the tournament with 10 countries now confirmed for the expanded 48-team tournament in United States, Canada and Mexico.

The three hosts have qualified automatically, while Japan, New Zealand, Iran and Argentina have also confirmed their spots.

Image: Uzbekistan's players celebrate after their 2026 FIFA World Cup Asian Qualifier football match against the United Arab Emirates ended in a draw, qualifying them for the World Cup for the first time, at Al-Nahyan Stadium in Abu Dhabi on June 5, 2025. (Photo by Fadel SENNA / AFP via Getty Images)

Up next
Sep 29
Kairat living the dream
It’s Champions League romance as Kazakhstan’s Kairat Almaty face the mighty Real Madrid.Kairat player Damir Kasabulat tells Mani Djazmi what it means just to be in the competition, the reaction when the players discovered that their first home game would be against Real Madrid, a ... Show More
10m 42s
Sep 15
Christian Burgess: The history graduate making history with Union Saint-Gilloise
Not many football players will be like Christian Burgess. The English defender has a first-class honours degree in history and is making history on the pitch for Belgian champions Union Saint-Gilloise.He’s captaining the side as they make their Champions League debut this season ... Show More
15m 43s
Aug 27
Who are the Champions League debutants making history?
Every season teams across Europe compete for a place in the Uefa Champions League, but who are the clubs from Cyprus, Norway, Belgium and even a team north of the Arctic Circle making their debuts in Europe’s top-tier club competition?Pafos FC of Cyprus, Norway's Bodo/Glimt, Kair ... Show More
15m 30s
Recommended Episodes
Dec 2024
Saudi Arabia Awarded 2034 FIFA World Cup
It's been confirmed the FIFA World Cup will be returning to the Middle East in 10 years' time after FIFA awarded Saudi Arabia the hosting rights to the 2034 tournament. Securing football’s most high-profile tournament is just the latest example of the Kingdom’s growing influence ... Show More
1h 1m
Mar 2022
England Upset About Qatar's Human Rights Record | Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cup
England players have been given an insight on Qatar's human rights violations during their Qatar World Cup seminar.  The England national football team has represented England in international football since the first international match in 1872.   The 2022 FIFA World Cup is sche ... Show More
3m 59s
Jun 2025
The Most Powerful Man in World Football
Gianni Infantino, FIFA president, is world football's most powerful man.His presidency has been marked by the controversial men's World Cups in Russia and Qatar, as well as the awarding of the 2034 World Cup to Saudi Arabia. But it is the newly-expanded Club World Cup that he hop ... Show More
58m 40s
Mar 2024
World Corrupt: Episode 3 - Saudi Arabia: The New Home of Global Football
In episode three of this four part series, Rog and Tommy explore the rise of Saudi Arabia’s domestic football league and why superstars like Cristiano Ronaldo and Neymar are flocking there. iNews’s chief football writer Daniel Storey joins the show to tell the tale of one of thos ... Show More
59m 20s
Apr 2022
The Cost of Not Qualifying | Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cup
Millions of small business will be experiencing the pain of their national team not reaching the World Cup in Qatar.  The 2022 FIFA World Cup is scheduled to be the 22nd running of the FIFA World Cup competition, the quadrennial international men's football championship contested ... Show More
4m 5s
Aug 2023
How Spain won the World Cup
In a special bonus episode from The Athletic's team in Australia, Michelle Owen is joined by Michael Cox, Charlotte Harpur, Mark Carey and Laia Cervelló Herrero to reflect on how Spain became Women’s World Champions.Their 1-0 victory over the Lionesses sees La Roja go from enteri ... Show More
49m 41s
Nov 2024
First international for Netherlands women's football
In November 1973, Netherlands women’s football team lined up for their country’s first official international. It was a major step on the road to the development of the game, both in the Netherlands and in England, who were their opponents that day. Now over 50 years on from that ... Show More
8m 58s
Jun 2025
Samba, Stadiums, and Soccer History: Brazil Gets the Women's World Cup!
Get ready to feel the energy! Brazil has won the bid to host the 2027 FIFA Women's World Cup, making history as the first South American nation to do so. In this episode, we dive into why Brazil's bid was a game-changer, leveraging stadiums from the 2014 Men's World Cup for a sus ... Show More
5 m
Mar 2023
NZ Football criticises Saudi Arabian tourism sponsorship
New Zealand Football's push-back to a Saudi Arabian tourism body sponsoring the women's Football World Cup has surprised the sport's bigwigs. FIFA were reportedly caught off-guard by criticism of Visit Saudi's involvement in the world cup which kicks off in Auckland in July. The ... Show More
3m 31s