Uruguay has announced its full 26-player squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. It’s the fifteenth time the country has qualified for the FIFA World Cup. Uruguay is a two-time FIFA World Cup champion, having won the inaugural tournament in 1930 and again in 1950.
Head coach Marcelo Bielsa announced the full squad earlier today. The captain of the squad is José María Giménez. The 31-year-old centre-back from Atlético Madrid is also one of the most experienced players in the squad with 99 caps. Goalkeeper Fernando Muslera will go for the fifth time with La Celeste to a World Cup tournament. Even though he is no longer the first-choice starter, he is still the most-capped player in history with 134 appearances. Another very important key player to the squad is Federico Valverde. The 27-year-old Real Madrid midfielder is one of the best players in the world. Other important players to the squad are Darwin Núñez (Al-Hilal), Ronald Araújo (Barcelona), Manuel Ugarte (Manchester United), and Giorgian de Arrascaeta (Flamengo).
Goalkeepers: Sergio Rochet (Internacional), Fernando Muslera (Estudiantes), Santiago Mele (Monterrey)
Defenders: Guillermo Varela (Flamengo), Ronald Araújo (Barcelona), José María Giménez (Atlético de Madrid), Santiago Bueno (Wolverhampton Wanderers), Sebastián Cáceres (América), Mathías Olivera (Napoli), Joaquín Piquerez (Palmeiras), Matías Viña (River Plate)
Midfielders: Manuel Ugarte (Manchester United), Emiliano Martínez (Palmeiras), Rodrigo Bentancur (Tottenham Hotspur), Federico Valverde (Real Madrid), Agustín Canobbio (Fluminense), Juan Manuel Sanabria (Real Salt Lake), Giorgian de Arrascaeta (Flamengo), Nicolás de la Cruz (Flamengo), Rodrigo Zalazar (Braga), Facundo Pellistri (Panathinaikos), Maximiliano Araújo (Sporting CP), Brian Rodríguez (América)
Forwards: Rodrigo Aguirre (UANL), Federico Viñas (Real Oviedo), Darwin Núñez (Al-Hilal)
To qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Uruguay had to secure a top-six finish in the tough South American qualifying group. Uruguay started with a win at home against Chile (3-1), but in their next two games, they were only able to secure a draw. The Uruguayans appeared to be struggling, but sensational wins over Brazil at home and Argentina on the road got their qualification campaign back on track. La Celeste couldn’t maintain their form, picking up only three points from their next four matches. Despite struggling to get wins in many games, the Uruguayans were in third spot after nine of the eighteen matches.
Uruguay went on to beat Colombia at home and took a very vital point in Salvador against Brazil. La Celeste then lost to Argentina and Paraguay, but because others were inconsistent as well, they maintained third spot with three matches remaining. Uruguay beat both Venezuela and Peru at home and secured a draw against Chile. However, Colombia managed to overtake them for third place on goals scored. Uruguay knew that fourth place was also enough to secure their ticket for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Darwin Núñez finished as the top scorer for La Celeste during the qualification campaign, netting five goals.
Uruguay plays its matches in Group H. La Celeste’s first game at the FIFA World Cup is on June 15 in Miami, Florida, against Saudi Arabia. Six days later, they take on debutant Cape Verde in the same stadium where they played their opening game of the tournament. For their final group stage match, they travel to Guadalajara, Mexico, to take on one-time champion Spain on June 26. The two group winners and the eight best third-placed teams from each group will advance to the next stage.
Uruguay Schedule
Marcel Dorff Marcel Dorff covers Mixed Martial Arts & Soccer for Heavy.com. He has covered MMA on a professional level since 2022. More about Marcel Dorff
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