Uzbekistan national team captain Eldor Shomurodov has won FIFA's fan vote for the best goal of the 2026 FIFA World Cup group stage after his audacious finish against DR Congo topped a shortlist of 12 goals, outperforming efforts from some of football's biggest stars.
Voting on FIFA's official website concluded with Shomurodov's goal against DR Congo emerging as the fans' favorite among 12 nominated strikes scored during the World Cup group stage. The Uzbekistan captain secured 36% of the vote, finishing ahead of Haiti's Wilson Isidor (26.5%) and Bosnia and Herzegovina's Kerim Alajbegovic (24.9%) in the first phase of voting for the Hyundai Goal of the Tournament award.
Shomurodov scored in the 10th minute of Uzbekistan's final Group K match against DR Congo in Atlanta on June 27. Racing onto a cross inside the penalty area, the striker produced a delicate lob over the goalkeeper from a tight angle to give Uzbekistan the lead.
The goal quickly became one of the standout moments of the group stage and was later shortlisted by FIFA among the tournament's 12 best goals.
Describing the goal, FIFA said it was:
"Calculated to the last centimeter and executed to perfection, this goal became the defining moment of Uzbekistan's World Cup debut."
Shomurodov's strike received more votes than goals scored by global stars including Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Junior.
The governing body also noted that, despite Uzbekistan's early exit from its maiden FIFA World Cup campaign, the team did not leave empty-handed thanks to Shomurodov's memorable finish.
Born in the small town of Jarkurgan in southern Uzbekistan, the 31-year-old captain had told FIFA before the tournament that he hoped to "shatter perceptions" about Uzbek football on the world stage. His victory in the fan vote fulfilled that ambition on an individual level.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup marked Uzbekistan's first appearance at football's biggest tournament. The Central Asian side competed in Group K, where it faced Colombia, Portugal and DR Congo.
Uzbekistan captain Eldor Shomurodov and striker Igor Sergeev described the country's historic FIFA World Cup debut as invaluable experience, pledging to build on the lessons from the group stage as the team shifts its focus to future World Cups and the upcoming AFC Asian Cup.
