File photo: James Rodriguez is set to make his third World Cup appearance with Colombia. | Photo Credit: REUTERS

Uzbekistan will hope that it can have a positive debut in the FIFA World Cup when it takes on Colombia in a Group K match at the Mexico City Stadium on Wednesday.

The White Wolves excelled in the second and third rounds of AFC qualifying, losing just a solitary game, to book their tickets to the quadrennial tournament.

Meanwhile, Colombia qualified after finishing third in CONMEBOL qualifying. The side lost just four out of the 18 games it played and managed to seal its place with a game to spare.

Head-to-head record

This will be the first ever meeting between Uzbekistan and Colombia.

Uzbekistan form guide

• Netherland 2-1 Uzbekistan
• Canada 2-0 Uzbekistan
• Uzbekistan 0-0 Venezuela (Uzbekistan won 5-4 on penalties)
• Uzbekistan 0-0 Gabon
• Uzbekistan 0-0 Iran (Uzbekistan won 4-3 on penalties)

Colombia form guide

• Colombia 2-0 Jordan
• Colombia 3-1 Costa Rica
• Colombia 1-3 France
• Colombia 1-2 Croatia
• Colombia 3-0 Australia

Predicted lineups

Uzbekistan (3-4-2-1): Yusupov (gk), Abdullaev, Ashurmatov, Khusanov, Sayfiev, Shukurov, Khamrobekov, Nasrullaev, Fayzullaev, Urunov, Shomurodov

Colombia (4-2-3-1): Vargas (gk), Munoz, Davinson Sanchez, Lucumi, Mojica, Lerma, Rios, Luis Diaz, Arias, James Rodriguez, Luis Suarez

Published on Jun 17, 2026