Uruguay at the FIFA World Cup 2026

History

Uruguay are two-time FIFA World Cup winners, claiming the inaugural title in 1930 on home soil and the 1950 title in Brazil, where their 2-1 victory over the hosts in the deciding match - known as the Maracanazo - stands as one of the most iconic moments in football history. They also finished fourth in 1954 and 1970. Uruguay have appeared at 14 World Cups in total. Beyond the World Cup, they hold a record 15 Copa America titles, cementing their status as one of South America's great football nations. Their consistent presence among the world's top 20 sides reflects a footballing culture that has consistently produced elite talent relative to their population of just under 3.5 million.

Qualification

Uruguay qualified automatically for 2026 by finishing fourth in the CONMEBOL South American qualifying round-robin, which involved all ten South American nations. Under Marcelo Bielsa, appointed in 2023 and only the second non-Uruguayan to coach the national side, La Celeste secured their place with a decisive 3-0 home victory over Peru in the penultimate qualifying round. The campaign was notable for victories over both Brazil and Argentina, underlining Uruguay's competitive strength in the region. Bielsa has indicated he plans to leave his post after the World Cup concludes.

Preparation

Uruguay's recent form ahead of the tournament has been mixed. In March 2026, they drew 1-1 with England at Wembley, with Federico Valverde converting a stoppage-time penalty to salvage the result. Earlier friendlies since qualifying have included wins over the Dominican Republic and Uzbekistan and a draw with Mexico, alongside a heavy 5-1 defeat to the United States. Key players heading into the tournament include Federico Valverde (Real Madrid), Ronald Araujo (Barcelona), and Jose Maria Gimenez (Atletico Madrid). On 31 May 2026 Bielsa announced his final 26-man squad, leaving out record scorer Luis Suarez and qualifying regular Nahitan Nandez while recalling veteran goalkeeper Fernando Muslera from retirement; it is the first Uruguay World Cup squad with no players from the domestic league. Uruguay open Group H on June 15 against Saudi Arabia in Miami, then face Cape Verde on June 21 (also in Miami) and Spain on June 26 in Guadalajara.

Latest news

Bielsa names final 26; Suárez and Nández left out, Muslera recalled

· squad

Marcelo Bielsa named Uruguay's final 26-man World Cup squad on 31 May 2026. Record scorer Luis Suárez was omitted, missing a World Cup for the first time since 2010, as was qualifying regular Nahitan Nández. Goalkeeper Fernando Muslera was recalled from a 2024 retirement and is set to become the Uruguayan with the most World Cup appearances at his fifth tournament.

Five changes from the provisional list in Uruguay's final 26

· squad

Versus the provisional list, the final squad added Joaquín Piquerez, Emiliano Martínez, Rodrigo Zalazar, Rodrigo Aguirre and Federico Viñas, while José Luis Rodríguez, Benjamín García, Nicolás Fonseca, Facundo Torres and Agustín Álvarez Martínez dropped out. Rodrigo Bentancur, sidelined by a hamstring injury earlier in 2026, recovered to make the squad with no fitness concerns reported.

Squad

PlayerPositionClub
Fernando MusleraGKEstudiantes
Sergio RochetGKInternacional
Santiago MeleGKMonterrey
José María GiménezDFAtlético Madrid
Ronald AraújoDFBarcelona
Mathías OliveraDFNapoli
Guillermo VarelaDFFlamengo
Santiago BuenoDFWolverhampton
Matías ViñaDFRiver Plate
Sebastián CáceresDFAmérica
Joaquín PiquerezDFPalmeiras
Federico ValverdeMFReal Madrid
Manuel UgarteMFManchester United
Giorgian de ArrascaetaMFFlamengo
Nicolás de la CruzMFFlamengo
Rodrigo BentancurMFTottenham Hotspur
Maximilian AraújoMFSporting CP
Rodrigo ZalazarMFBraga
Emiliano MartínezMFPalmeiras
Juan Manuel SanabriaMFReal Salt Lake
Facundo PellistriFWPanathinaikos
Darwin NúñezFWAl-Hilal
Brian RodríguezFWAmérica
Agustín CanobbioFWFluminense
Rodrigo AguirreFWTigres
Federico ViñasFWReal Oviedo

Recent results

  • 2023-09-08 — URU 3-1 CHI (qualification)
  • 2023-09-12 — ECU 2-1 URU (qualification)
  • 2023-10-12 — COL 2-2 URU (qualification)
  • 2023-10-17 — URU 2-0 BRA (qualification)
  • 2023-11-16 — ARG 0-2 URU (qualification)
  • 2023-11-21 — URU 3-0 BOL (qualification)
  • 2024-03-26 — CIV 2-1 URU (friendly)
  • 2024-05-31 — CRC 0-0 URU (friendly)
  • 2024-06-05 — MEX 0-4 URU (friendly)
  • 2024-09-01 — GUA 1-1 URU (friendly)
  • 2024-09-06 — URU 0-0 PAR (qualification)
  • 2024-09-10 — VEN 0-0 URU (qualification)
  • 2024-10-11 — PER 1-0 URU (qualification)
  • 2024-10-15 — URU 0-0 ECU (qualification)
  • 2024-11-15 — URU 3-2 COL (qualification)
  • 2024-11-19 — BRA 1-1 URU (qualification)
  • 2025-03-21 — URU 0-1 ARG (qualification)
  • 2025-03-25 — BOL 0-0 URU (qualification)
  • 2025-06-05 — PAR 2-0 URU (qualification)
  • 2025-06-10 — URU 2-0 VEN (qualification)
  • 2025-09-04 — URU 3-0 PER (qualification)
  • 2025-09-09 — CHI 0-0 URU (qualification)
  • 2025-10-10 — URU 1-0 DOM (friendly)
  • 2025-10-13 — UZB 1-2 URU (friendly)
  • 2025-11-15 — MEX 0-0 URU (friendly)
  • 2025-11-18 — USA 5-1 URU (friendly)
  • 2026-03-27 — ENG 1-1 URU (friendly)
  • 2026-03-31 — ALG 0-0 URU (friendly)

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