Uzbekistan’s national women’s football team have secured a place in the play-offs of the AFC Women’s Asian Cup for the first time in 23 years after defeating Nepal, the Ministry of Sports reported.
The decisive match took place on 5 July at the Bunyodkor Stadium in Tashkent. Uzbekistan had previously beaten Sri Lanka and Laos. The fixture against Nepal was critical — the winner would qualify for the Cup while the loser would exit the tournament.
Uzbekistan took the lead in the opening minute with a goal by Diyorakhon Khabibullayeva, assisted by Feruza Turdiboyeva. Ten minutes later, Lyudmila Karachik doubled the advantage. After conceding one goal, Uzbekistan responded with a third, scored by Maftuna Shoimova.
However, the home side went down to ten players in the second half and conceded two more goals. The match ended 3–3 in regular time.
Uzbekistan prevailed in the penalty shoot-out, converting four penalties while allowing just two.
The final stage of the AFC Women’s Asian Cup will take place in Australia in March 2026. Twelve teams, including the top three from the previous tournament, will compete in the play-offs.
Earlier, Kursiv Uzbekistan reported on the finalists of the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup.
