According to the president’s Steps to improve sports financing mechanisms and expand involvement of business entities into the industry Decree, starting the 2026 season, 16 football clubs in the Uzbekistan Super League will get 560 billion soums (approximately $45.7 million) of funding directly from the state budget.
According to the document, the 16 Super League clubs will receive 35 billion soums each in 2026, 30 billion in 2027, and 25 billion in 2028.
The First Vice President of the Uzbekistan Football Association Ravshan Irmatov noted: "It is especially worth noting that the esteemed President ordered the contribution of 35 billion soums for each club for financial support, which in fact introduces a system of financial fair play within the clubs. "This means equal opportunities are being created for the 16 teams participating in the Super League," stated Ravshan Irmatov.
According to him, the funds will be used to develop infrastructure and academies.
The decree also provides for the creation of a Sports Initiatives Support Fund under the Ministry of Sports, which will centralize funding for federations and football clubs, as well as oversee the use of these funds.
An additional 700 billion soums will also be contributed in addition to the promised funds from the state budget in 2026.Furthermore, everyone involved in football clubs in the Pro League and Super League will get their personal income tax (PIT) waived, and the social tax rate set at 1%.
As of January 2025, only three of the 16 football clubs in the Uzbekistan Super League—Dynamo, Pakhtakor, and Surkhan—had private sponsors (Agromir, Akfa, and Eriell). The other teams have been under various schemes been financed by state-owned companies, including Uzbekneftegaz, provincial governor offices, and others.
Earlier, a number of large state-owned companies stopped funding clubs. In particular, Uzbekneftegaz terminated its sponsorship deal with Bunyodkor, Nasaf, and Bukhoro. Other clubs also lost support from state-owned companies, leading to reports of financial difficulties at Bunyodkor, Dynamo, and Surkhan.
