Uzbekistan are heading to next year's World Cup for the first time in the country's history, a feat that caps years of progress in a part of the world not known for its footballing prowess.

The Central Asian nation qualified for football's premier international tournament on Thursday thanks to a 0-0 draw with the United Arab Emirates -- enough to seal the achievement with one game to spare.

"I cannot convey my feelings. I am very, very happy -- for the first time in 34 years the Uzbekistan national team has reached the World Cup," Otabek Khaydarov, a 36-year-old entrepreneur told AFP in Tashkent after the final whistle.

Ex-Soviet Uzbekistan started competing as an independent nation in the 1990s, following the break-up of the USSR.

Footage shared on social media showed the players, dra

See Full Page