Former Italy captain Fabio Cannavaro has agreed to take charge of Uzbekistan’s national football team.
According to football insider Fabrizio Romano, the two sides have reached a verbal agreement on the terms, with the contract expected to be signed within 48 hours. An official announcement is likely to be made on Monday.
🚨🇺🇿 EXCL: Fabio Cannavaro verbally agrees to become new Uzbekistan head coach as part of World Cup 2026.
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) October 2, 2025
Agreement in place on contract terms with formal documents expected to be reviewed and signed in 24/48h.
Cannavaro, ready to accept as revealed on Monday. 🇮🇹 pic.twitter.com/0qdy6GSdEf
Earlier reports suggested that Cannavaro had turned down approaches from Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan, yet the agreement comes at a historic moment as Uzbekistan prepare for their first ever appearance at the FIFA World Cup in 2026, to be held in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
Cannavaro’s Career
Born on September 13, 1973 in Naples, Cannavaro began his professional career with Napoli in the early 1990s. His breakthrough came at Parma, where he won the UEFA Cup, the Coppa Italia and the Italian Super Cup. He later played for Inter Milan and Juventus before reaching the peak of his career at Real Madrid. After Italy’s triumph at the 2006 World Cup, Cannavaro joined Real, winning La Liga twice. He ended his playing days in the Middle East with Al Ahli in the UAE.
Cannavaro made his Italy debut in 1997 and went on to feature in four World Cups and two European Championships. As captain, he lifted the 2006 World Cup trophy in Berlin, the same year he won the Ballon d’Or, becoming one of the few defenders in history to receive the honour.
Following retirement, he swiftly moved into coaching. His early work was in Asia, including roles at Al Ahli in the UAE, Guangzhou Evergrande in China and Tianjin Quanjian. In 2019 he even briefly managed the Chinese national team. Later he returned to Europe, coaching Benevento, Udinese and Croatian side Dinamo Zagreb.
