Uruguay's Fernando Muslera made an error in his side’s defeat to Spain. | Photo Credit: REUTERS

Uruguay was knocked out of the FIFA World Cup 2026 after its 1-0 defeat to Spain in a Group H clash on Friday.

Spain and Cape Verde, which drew 0-0 against Saudi Arabia, progressed as the two automatic qualifiers from the group, while Uruguay’s two points weren’t enough to take it into the top eight third-ranked teams for qualification.

This will be consecutive group stages exits in the World Cup for le Celeste, which suffered the same fate in 2022.

Uruguay was the second-best ranked team in the group behind Spain at 16 and could only manage draws against Saudi and Cape Verde.

Published on Jun 27, 2026