Sabah midfielder Umarali Rakhmonaliev did not feature in Uzbekistan’s first friendly match ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup as the Asian side suffered a 2-0 defeat to Canada.
As reported by İdman.Biz, the match took place overnight on 2 June, with Jonathan Osorio and Michael Nelson scoring for the Canadians.
Uzbekistan defenders Abdukodir Khusanov and striker Eldor Shomurodov both played the full 90 minutes, but Rakhmonaliev was absent from the matchday squad despite previously being included in Uzbekistan’s provisional squad for the World Cup.
The 21-year-old midfielder currently plays for Azerbaijani side “Sabah” and is regarded as one of the promising young players in Uzbekistan’s national team setup. His absence has sparked questions ahead of the tournament, although no official explanation has yet been provided.
Canada will compete in Group B at the 2026 World Cup alongside Bosnia and Herzegovina, Qatar and Switzerland. Uzbekistan, meanwhile, are set to face Portugal, DR Congo and Colombia in Group K.
