New Delhi: With one defeat and two draws at the group stage in the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Uruguay is on their way back home. However, the shock exit of the two-time World Cup champions was followed by a strict punishment—no charter flights to return and individual travel arrangements for the players in commercial flights.
Uruguay shared the spoils in the group stage after drawing against World Cup minnows Cabo Verde and Saudi Arabia before losing 1-0 to Spain in the last fixture, securing just two points in three games. With this, Uruguay crashes out of the group stage in two consecutive editions of the world’s biggest football tournament.
After the heart-wrenching defeat to Spain, Uruguay coach Marcelo Bielsa said he had failed to make an impact with a world-class squad that included players like Federico Valverde, Ronald Araujo, Manuel Ugarte, Rodrigo Bentancur, and Darwin Nunez, among others.
“What I leave to Uruguayan football is nothing because whatever contribution a coach can make during three years is never established if there are no results,” Bielsa said, adding that the fourth-place finish in World Cup qualifying and a third-place finish at the Copa América had no value or significance without positive outcomes.
“If you ask me how my time will be remembered, it will be remembered as a spell that left nothing,” he added.
Bielsa’s coaching method had sparked major concerns during the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Before the match with Spain, Uruguay’s all-time top scorer Luis Suarez voiced major concerns over his methods during their recent World Cup campaign. Several players questioned the intensity of his training sessions and his tactical direction, expressing fears that the heavy physical demands left the squad too tired during matches.
The ugly dressing room scenario catered to the low confidence in the team with goalkeeper Fernando Muslera’s costly error against Spain, which proved decisive in Uruguay’s elimination. The goalkeeper was soon taken off the pitch after the error.
“Muslera (himself) decided to come off at halftime,” Bielsa had said in the post-match interview.
Also read: 3 draws take Cabo Verde into World Cup knockouts. Smallest nation scripts football history
Uruguay in World Cup
After a successful FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign, Uruguay failed to make an impact on the pitch at the tournament. The team failed to adopt the coach’s frequent transition from a defensive 4-2-3-1 formation to the offensive 4-1-2-3 to the classic 4-4-2 formation.
Uruguay dominated possession with these on-field structures against organised opponents, but it lacked creativity and composure in the final third to convert control into goals.
Meanwhile, the midfield trio—Valverde, Ugarte and Bentancur—struggled to break the opponent’s defence as their gameplay relied heavily on lateral passes. Wingers often received the ball in isolated areas, while Nunez was left feeding on limited service.
With time, Uruguay’s pressing intensity dropped sharply, leaving gaps in defence to attack. This exposed their back four, who failed to cope with the speed of the opponent.
As Uruguay heads home after another group-stage exit, it stands alone as the only South American side which failed to reach the knockout rounds at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.