The Uzbekistan U-23 Olympic football team began its campaign at the 2026 U-23 Asian Cup on January 7 with a victory over Lebanon. The match took place at the Prince Faisal bin Fahd Stadium in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and ended with a 3:2 score in favor of Uzbekistan.
Amirbek Saidov opened the scoring in the 23rd minute. In the second half, Ravshan Khayrullayev extended Uzbekistan’s lead with a goal in the 50th minute, followed by Sardorbek Bakhromov’s goal in the 57th minute, bringing the score to 3:0. Lebanon reduced the deficit in the 65th minute through a goal by Leonardo Shahin, who later scored a second goal in stoppage time (90+5) to set the final score at 3:2.
Following this result, Uzbekistan moved to the top position in Group C. In the group’s first match, South Korea and Iran played to a 0:0 draw.
The Uzbekistan U-21 national team is participating in the tournament as part of preparations for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games. The team’s next match is scheduled for January 10 against Iran, starting at 19:00 Tashkent time at the same stadium.
U-23 Asian Cup — 2026, Group Stage, Round 1
Uzbekistan 3–2 Lebanon
Goals: 1:0 — Saidov (23), 2:0 — Khayrullayev (50), 3:0 — Bakhromov (57), 3:1 — Shahin (65), 3:2 — Shahin (90+5)
