Eldor Shomurodov to Play in UEFA Conference League with Istanbul Bashakshehir

The Istanbul Bashakshehir team, which includes Uzbekistan national team leaders Eldor Shomurodov and Abbosbek Fayzullaev, will start the new season with an official match in the UEFA Conference League.

The Turkish club joined the international tournament from the second qualifying round and will begin with a home match against Finland's Inter Turku.

The match, to be held at the Bashakshehir Fatih Terim Stadium on July 22, will start at 22:45 Tashkent time and will be refereed by Spanish referee Juan Martinez Munuera.

Last season, Istanbul Bashakshehir finished fifth in the Turkish Super League with 57 points. The team earned a Conference League ticket due to Trabzonspor, which finished third in the championship, winning the Turkish Cup.

Last season, the team also participated in the UEFA Conference League playoffs but left the competition earlier than expected. This time, Nuri Shahin's team aims to reach the group stage of the 2026/2027 European season.

The first official match of the season

Istanbul Bashakshehir will play their first official match of the season in front of their fans. The team, led by head coach Nuri Shahin, began their preseason training on June 22 in Istanbul.

After training at the Bashakshehir Fatih Terim Stadium until July 2, the team played a friendly match against Uzbekistan's Navbahor and lost 2-4.

Then, Istanbul Bashakshehir held a training camp in Austria's Gaiberg from July 5 to 15. During this camp, the team played friendly matches against Rid, Pushkash, Zaltsburg, and Krakoviya to gain more game practice.

Changes in the squad

During the first part of the summer transfer window, Istanbul Bashakshehir strengthened their squad with three new players.

The team signed contracts with Edin Vishcha, Emin Bayram, and Michal Karbownik. Additionally, the club activated the purchase clause in Eldor Shomurodov's contract and fully acquired his transfer rights.

Leo Duarte, Amin Harit, and Qozimjon Qaratosh left the team. Furthermore, Dogan Alemdar was transferred to Besiktas, and Miguel Crespo was transferred to Al-Khaleej.

Istanbul Bashakshehir's roster

Nuri Shahin included the following players in the roster for the second qualifying round of the UEFA Conference League:

Goalkeepers:

Volkan Babajan

Muhammad Shengezer

Deniz Dilmen

Defenders:

Jerome Opoku

Onur Bulut

Hamza Gyureler

Christopher Operi

Emin Bayram

Useynu Ba

Michal Karbownik

Omer Ali Shahiner

Midfielders:

Berat Ozdemir

Onur Ergun

Olive Kemen

Abbosbek Fayzullaev

Berkay Ozjan

Umut Gunes

Forwards:

Yusuf Sari

Davi Zelke

Nuno Da Costa

Eldor Shomurodov

Ivan Brnik

Bertug Yildirim

Eldor Shomurodov and Abbosbek Fayzullaev prepared for the upcoming match with Istanbul Bashakshehir after a short break following the 2026 World Cup.

Note that Eldor Shomurodov is a UEFA Conference League winner. He won the inaugural Conference League title in 2022 while playing for Roma.