Those who follow this blog know I am a big soccer fan and try to attend games in every country I visit. This fact is even listed in my section of “About Us” on this website. So, it won’t surprise anyone that attending the World Cup this summer was on my bucket list.
But having the experience of a lifetime had a rocky start. Getting tickets to the tournament was an absolute nightmare. I registered my ticket interest on FIFA’s website years ago, participated in every FIFA-organized ticket-drawing lottery, attempted to get tickets through the official ticket platform, and regularly checked third-party sellers. Tickets were scarce and expensive. FIFA’s lack of transparency and outright price manipulation through limited ticket release and dynamic pricing was excruciating. I was not alone. Other fans also lamented the inability to buy reasonably priced tickets, especially for top-ranked teams. Prices were in hundreds and thousands of dollars, even for mediocre group-stage matches. I even saw listings on a resale platform for over a million dollars per ticket. For one game! Pure insanity!
Initially, the only reasonably priced tickets I managed to get were to the Uzbekistan vs. Congo group-stage game in Atlanta. On Reddit, many people considered the game one of the least desirable matchups of the entire tournament, with someone even calling it a Hogwarts vs. Narnia game. But honestly, I didn’t mind my childhood dream being realized via such an obscure matchup, after all, I was psyched about seeing “Hogwarts” -- Uzbekistan. With so many connections to Uzbek soccer, I did not feel like I was getting leftovers of the World Cup. I was genuinely excited about this game.
It all began in 1991, when my dad took me to my first soccer game. My hometown team Dinamo Minsk hosted Pakhtakor Tashkent in what turned out to be the final season of the Top Soviet league. That game was my first taste of the sport, a spark of lifelong obsession that defines me to this day. Dinamo won the game 2:1, but what I remember most is that my dad somehow bought us tickets to the guest section where all Uzbek supporters sat. Tubeteika-wearing men from Central Asia cursed the ref for the entire duration of the game, which delighted the 8-year-old me. I had so much fun. On that sunny day, as I sat next to my dad and looked down at the perfect green rectangle of a soccer pitch, little did I know that 35 years later, I would cheer for Uzbekistan at the World Cup, wearing a tubeteika and cursing the ref. Full circle.
My other Uzbek soccer connection is Abdukodir Khusanov, whose career I’ve been following closely for the last few years. The journey of this 22-year-old player is a true Cinderella story. Despite his talent, just three years ago, he was playing for a bottom-tier team in a lackluster Belarusian league with very few prospects. But his talent shone, and eventually he got noticed by French scouts. After only a year in the French league, Khusanov was transferred to Manchester City for an astonishing €40 million fee, making him the first Uzbek player in the English Premier League. Khusanov is a star in the making and one of the most exciting young players to watch. Despite his age, he regularly starts for the City and has already become a favorite among supporters. Before Khusanov’s transfer to Manchester City I didn’t have a favorite team in the EPL, but now I regularly check on the team and how my favorite Uzbek player is doing.
And, lastly, the most meaningful connection to Uzbekistan soccer happened just weeks ago, when I went to Uzbekistan. I had an amazing time there, travelling the entire country for a month. Although the local league had already taken the World Cup break by the time I arrived -- so, no Pakhtakor home games for me -- my time in the country was filled with soccer-related activities. A huge, smiling image of Khusanov greeted us at the airport once we cleared customs and entered the country. Uzbekistan was the only post-Soviet country that made this year’s World Cup, so, understandably, people were eager to chat about the tournament and how proud they were that their country made it to its first World Cup in history. Local supermarkets were selling the national team’s mascots, national flags, and T-shirts released specifically for the World Cup. We bought almost everything related to the World Cup that was on sale, including Khusanov’s national team’s kit at Pakhtakor’s official store in Tashkent.
When it was finally time to fly to Atlanta for the game, I was excited and ready to cheer for the White Wolves (the nickname for the Uzbekistan national team). Before leaving for the match, I connected with several of my Uzbek friends in the U.S. and received their blessing to proudly wear a tubeteika and Khusanov jersey and wave the Uzbekistan flag at the Mercedez-Benz Stadium.
The game day atmosphere was incredible. Atlanta is one of the best soccer cities in the U.S., and the locals are passionate about the game. We got to the stadium three hours before the kickoff to fully take in the atmosphere. The fan zone by the stadium was busy: fans enjoying food and drinks, getting the official World Cup bracelet, or shopping at the official FIFA store. But for us, the best part was connecting and taking countless pictures with fans of both teams. Many Uzbekistan supporters arrived from Uzbekistan, but we also met so many Uzbeks who live in the U.S. and traveled to Atlanta to root for the national team. For them, the game was an opportunity to proudly showcase their homeland. One Uzbek guy approached us and asked for a picture with our Uzbekistan flag as he didn’t have one. He confessed that he missed home and that just seeing the flag brought him so much joy. An Uzbek girl from Boston was almost brought to tears when she found out that we were not Uzbeks, but still came to Atlanta to root for her team. There were many representatives from other Central Asian countries around the stadium. We chatted with people from Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, and spotted flags of Kazakhstan. And of course, we took many pics with Congo supporters. Clad in bright blue and red T-shirts and flags, African fans were happy to pose for pics, and they mutually wanted to snap pics with us, all decked out in our best Uzbekistan gear.
With the day getting hotter, we soon headed inside the state-of-the-art, air-conditioned stadium to take in the pre-game activities and watch the game. The game was electric. Although Uzbekistan had almost zero chances of advancing to the knockout rounds (They would have to defeat DR Congo 9:0 to make it work), for DR Congo the game was everything. A victory would take the African nation to the knockout stage for the first time in their history.
Fans of both teams were very passionate. Uzbekistan had a very well-organized and choreographed supporters’ section. Congo’s fans were not as well organized but outnumbered Uzbeks and were very loud with their “Let’s go, Congo!” chant throughout the game.
Uzbekistan scored first. The team captain, Elrod Shomurodov, whose name Julia had on the back of the T-shirt purchased in Samarkand, scored a beautiful volley in the 10th minute of the game. We all exploded in jubilation, and the goal provided a sliver of hope of Uzbekistan potentially getting its first points at the World Cup stage. In the second half, however, DR Congo scored three goals, winning the game 3:1 and advancing to Round of 32 to face mighty England. Every time Congo scored, the stadium erupted in elation. We were not too upset. Soaking in the atmosphere and bedlam that ensured after each of Congo's goal, we were happy for the African team and its supporters.
Despite the defeat, Uzbekistan fans were not bitter but rather happy that the World Cup happened for their team, and that the team made it to the tournament and represented the country. After the game, we reached out to our friends in Fergana Valley, and they didn’t show any sign of disappointment. For them, the tournament was a chance for the world to get to know Uzbekistan.
“At the very least, the world now knows we exist and will stop confusing us with Pakistan,” one of them texted us back.
The Uzbekistan game was not the only game that we attended. Even with the extremely painful process of securing tickets, I was able to find tickets to two other World Cup games -- Uruguay vs. Saudi Arabia in Miami and South Korea vs. South Africa in Monterrey -- and turned the last two weeks of June into a celebration of my love of soccer.
But the Hogwarts v. Narnia game still holds a special place in my heart.
