Uzbekistan 2026 Schedule & Game Calendar

Uzbekistan’s place in Group K at the 2026 World Cup

The 2026 World Cup is the biggest the tournament has ever staged, 48 teams and 104 matches spread across the United States, Canada, and Mexico from June 11 to July 19. Uzbekistan go into it in Group K, drawn alongside Colombia, Portugal, and DR Congo. Three group games, three host cities, and an 11-day window that decides whether Uzbekistan carry on past the group stage.

The schedule sends Uzbekistan across the map. They open against Colombia at the Mexico City Stadium on June 17, then cross into the United States for Portugal at the Houston Stadium on June 23, before the group finishes against DR Congo at the Atlanta Stadium on June 27. One match in Mexico, two in the United States, and three kickoffs at three different times: 10:00 PM ET, then 1:00 PM ET, then 7:30 PM ET.

What Uzbekistan want from this group is straightforward to set out. Two of the four teams advance automatically, and the eight best third-placed sides across the 12 groups also reach the Round of 32. The opening night against Colombia is the swing fixture, because a result there would reframe everything that follows. Take points in Mexico City and the games against Portugal and DR Congo become a push rather than a scramble; start slowly and Uzbekistan are chasing the group from the off.

Uzbekistan’s three group games, broken down

Uzbekistan’s tournament opens in the Mexican capital. They face Colombia at the Mexico City Stadium on Wednesday, June 17, a 10:00 PM ET kickoff, and it is the one fixture where the team sheet lists Uzbekistan as the home side. Drawing a CONMEBOL opponent first is a stiff test, but the prize is obvious: a result against Colombia would announce Uzbekistan as live contenders in Group K and ease the pressure across the next two matches.

Game two takes Uzbekistan to Texas. They meet Portugal at the Houston Stadium on Tuesday, June 23, a 1:00 PM ET start, with Uzbekistan as the away team on the official sheet. By the time it kicks off, Portugal will already have a group game behind them, so the table will have begun to form. For Uzbekistan, this is the kind of fixture where a point would feel like real progress against a UEFA side, and anything more would put them in command of their own qualification.

The group ends in Georgia. Uzbekistan face DR Congo at the Atlanta Stadium on Saturday, June 27, a 7:30 PM ET kickoff, again as the away team. On paper this shapes up as the match most likely to come down to who needs it more, and depending on the earlier results it could be a straight shootout for a knockout place. Either way, the Atlanta date is the one to circle, because where Uzbekistan finish in Group K sets which half of the knockout bracket they fall into.

Following Uzbekistan through the 48-team bracket

Get out of Group K and the expanded format takes charge. The 2026 World Cup runs to 104 matches and adds a Round of 32 that the old 32-team structure never included. Group winners and runners-up are joined by the eight best third-placed teams, and from that point it is straight knockout football: Round of 32, Round of 16, quarterfinals, semifinals, and the final on July 19.

Who Uzbekistan meet in that Round of 32 cannot be known yet. The pairings only settle once all 12 groups have played their third round, so the bracket fills from the top down in the final days of the group stage. That is one of the appeals of a 48-team field, the chance that a third-placed finish still goes through and the math stays open right to the end. Uzbekistan could well be watching other groups to see where they land. You can follow the whole thing, every group and the bracket as it forms, on the 2026 World Cup overview.

For Uzbekistan, the knockout rounds are the part that defines the campaign. A clean group exit means little if the first elimination game gets away, and the expanded format adds one more round to survive than at any World Cup before it. That is the backdrop to every Group K result. The games in Mexico City, Houston, and Atlanta are all seeding for the single-elimination rounds that decide who lifts the trophy.

Why the opening night shapes Uzbekistan’s whole group

Of the three nations in Group K alongside them, the order of fixtures gives Uzbekistan an unusual amount riding on a single date. The Colombia opener on June 17 is the only match where Uzbekistan hold home billing, and it is also the first chance to bank points before two away trips. A four-team group rewards a fast start: two sides go through automatically, the best third-placed teams across the 12 groups also advance, and every point taken early eases the pressure that builds across the schedule.

Get a result against Colombia and the away games against Portugal and DR Congo change character. Instead of needing to chase, Uzbekistan could approach Houston and Atlanta with something already in hand, free to play the matchups rather than the scoreboard. Start with a loss and the math tightens immediately, leaving little room across the final two rounds. That is the swing built into the calendar, and it is why the Mexico City date carries so much weight for Uzbekistan.

The fine print matters too. If Uzbekistan finish level on points with another Group K side, goal difference is the first tiebreaker, and the same sorting separates the best third-placed teams. So the margin in each game counts, not just whether it is won, drawn, or lost. Watching the other Group K fixture on every matchday is worth doing as well, because the qualification picture for Uzbekistan can move before they have kicked a ball. Three games, three host cities, and a group that stays live to the final whistle in Atlanta.

Saving Uzbekistan’s World Cup schedule to your calendar

There is no need to keep these dates in your head. The download button on the schedule above pulls Uzbekistan’s full campaign as an ICS file, a CSV spreadsheet, or a printable PDF, and you can take the whole group run or pick out a single match.

ICS is the option that does the most work. Load it into Apple Calendar, Google Calendar, or Outlook and Uzbekistan’s three group games arrive with their kickoffs already converted to your local time zone, the venue attached, and the host city named. Because the file draws on live tournament data, it keeps itself honest too: if a kickoff time shifts, or once Uzbekistan’s knockout opponents are confirmed, those entries update without any effort from you.

Watching more than one team this summer? The same downloads exist for every nation at the 2026 World Cup, so you can sit Uzbekistan’s fixtures next to another side and read the whole tournament off a single calendar. Lock in June 17, June 23, and June 27 first, then let the knockout dates fall into place as Group K and the rest of the bracket settle.