URUGUAY ★★

Uruguay is a two-time World Cup champion (1930, 1950) and the winner of two Olympic football golds that FIFA officially counted as world titles in 1990. At the 2026 World Cup, Uruguay plays in Group H against Spain, Saudi Arabia, and Cape Verde. The head coach is Marcelo Bielsa (since 2023). The leaders: Darwin Núñez, Federico Valverde, José Giménez.

In 1930 Uruguay hosted the first World Cup ever played, in Montevideo, marking the centennial of independence. Twenty years later came the "Maracanaço": at the 1950 final in Rio de Janeiro, in front of 200,000 home fans, Uruguay came back from 0:1 to beat Brazil 2:1. Captain Obdulio Varela told his teammates before the match: "Brazilians are just men." In a country of three million, the victory is still celebrated as a national day.

Qualifying ended in third place in South America. Bielsa has restored the team's "garra charrúa" — the trademark Uruguayan style of aggressive pressing and quick transitions. In Group H, the main threat is Spain. Matches are scheduled in Los Angeles, Miami, and Kansas City. The playoff bracket points to a possible round of 16 against Brazil — a rerun of one of football's oldest South American rivalries.

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