Uzbekistan head coach Fabio Cannavaro said talks are underway to arrange a friendly against Iran — a fixture that would mark yet another chapter in what has become a strikingly familiar rivalry.
The two sides have already met in November 2023, June 2024, October 2024, March 2025 and September 2025, and November 18, 2025. For Uzbek fans, a fresh friendly against Iran would feel less like a new fixture and more like déjà vu.
Any potential match would need to be squeezed into one of just two remaining FIFA windows before January's continental tournament: September 21 to October 6, or November 9 to 17 — narrow openings that mirror the same scheduling squeeze both federations have navigated repeatedly over the past two seasons.
Should the match go ahead, it would extend an increasingly recurring storyline in regional football, giving Cannavaro's side another high-profile test against a familiar opponent as Uzbekistan continues shaping its own preparation calendar ahead of next year's competitions.
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