The Football Association of Uzbekistan (FAA) has announced the early termination of the contract with the head coach of the national team, Srechko Katanets. The Slovenian specialist decided to leave his post for health reasons, stating that in his current condition he could not fully perform his professional duties.

Katanets took over the Uzbek national team in August 2021, signing a four-year contract. Under his leadership, the team successfully competed in the 2026 World Cup qualifying tournament, where it currently ranks second in Group A, scoring 13 points and second only to the Iranian national team.

During the work of the Slovenian specialist, the national team of Uzbekistan played three matches against Turkmenistan, winning in all meetings. Two of them were won in the 2026 World Cup qualification with the same score 3:1, and another one with the score 2:0 in the CAFA Nation's Cup tournament.

The FAA has already started searching for a new head coach for the national team. The future mentor will face an important task – to continue the fight to reach the final of the 2026 World Cup, where the top two teams from each of the three Asian qualification groups directly qualify.