Uruguay at the 2026 World Cup: Roster, Forecast, and Statistics

The two-time world champions, the Uruguay national team, have long been overshadowed by their more titled South American neighbors Argentina and Brazil, but in terms of their playing potential, the Uruguayans are capable of causing serious problems for any opponent. The squad is packed with top-level players, brought to the World Cup by the flamboyant 70-year-old coaching genius – Marcelo Bielsa.

The Charrúas are not even in the top 10 contenders for triumph at the World Cup (they rank 15-16th among various bookmakers). However, considering the strength of the squad and the traditionally successful performance of Latin American teams on their continent, they are quite capable of becoming a classic "dark horse".

In short:

• Uruguay is one of six countries that have conquered the World Cup two or more times (in 1930 and 1950) and the smallest in population among those who have ever won the World Cup (Uruguay accounts for only 0.8% of the population of South America).
• The Uruguay squad includes Valverde, Núñez, Bentancur, Araujo, while the star veteran and all-time top scorer – Luis Suarez – is not included.
• Uruguay has qualified for the fifth World Cup in a row – the best streak in the team's history.
• Bookmakers rate Uruguay's chances of winning the World Cup at around 1%, chances of reaching the final – at 3%.
• In the group stage of the World Cup, the Uruguay national team will play against Spain, Cape Verde, and Saudi Arabia.

Uruguay Team Roster

Goalkeepers: Sergio Rochet (Internacional), Santiago Mele (Monterrey), Fernando Muslera (Estudiantes La Plata).

Defenders: José Giménez (Atletico Madrid), Matías Olivera (Napoli), Sebastián Cáseres (America), Matías Viña (River Plate), Guillermo Varela (Flamengo), Ronald Araujo (Barcelona), Santiago Bueno (Wolverhampton), Nicolás Fonseca (Real Oviedo), José Luis Rodríguez (Vasco da Gama), Juan Sanabria (Real Salt Lake).

Midfielders: Manuel Ugarte (Manchester United), Maximiliano Araujo (Sporting), Federico Valverde (Real Madrid), Emiliano Martínez, Joaquín Piqueres Moreira (both Palmeiras), Nicolás de la Cruz, Giorgian De Arrascaeta (both Flamengo).

Forwards: Facundo Pellistri (Panathinaikos), Darwin Núñez (Al-Hilal), Pawel Rodriguez (America), Agustín Canobbio (Fluminense), Facundo Daniel Torres (Austin), Rodrigo Aguirre (Tigres), Federico Viñas (Real Oviedo), Agustín Álvarez (Monza).

Head Coach: Marcelo Bielsa

Main Star

The center of attention is Federico Valverde, who thanks to his versatility fits perfectly into Bielsa's schemes. The Real Madrid midfielder has tried almost all positions in the midfield during his club career and is capable of covering any gap in it. However, the season in Spain, like the whole team, was a bit of a mess. Fans hope that Fede will reboot in the national team and appear at the World Cup in the best form – Uruguay's tournament prospects largely depend on his performances.

Main Problem of Uruguay

The team's main star in attack is Darwin Nunez last summer left Liverpool for a big-money move to Al-Hilal, where he has been largely inactive. The striker hasn't seen the pitch since February 2nd. It's anyone's guess what form he'll be in for the World Cup. Of course, Bielsa's training can work wonders, but nearly four months without match practice is very concerning. Uruguay simply doesn't have other options of comparable quality, which means the midfield could end up shouldering the burden not only in defense, but also in attack. Whether they'll have the physical resources to cope with the stifling heat in the USA is a big question mark.

Young Talent

Maximiliano Araujo. The 26-year-old Sporting Lisbon midfielder may be young by the standards of the current Uruguay squad, filled with players around 30 and older, but he's one of the youngest. Like his fellow midfielder Valverde, Araujo is known for his versatility, but he tends to operate more on the left flank. He had an excellent club season, scoring 5 goals and providing 4 assists in 29 matches for the Lisbon giants.

Who Will Miss the 2026 World Cup

Head coach Bielsa has called up all the best players for the national team, but he has left out the team's all-time top scorer Luis Suarez. The reasons are simple: age (the sniper is already 39), poor physical form, and past conflicts with the head coach. The former Liverpool and Barcelona player fell out with the eccentric Argentine coach back in 2023, accusing him of destroying the locker room atmosphere.

Uruguay's Form

Qualification

Uruguay had no significant problems in World Cup qualification, securing their tournament ticket last summer. The most memorable events of the qualification were victories away against reigning world champions Argentina and at home against Brazil, both with the same 2:0 scoreline. It's worth noting their monstrous defense – about half of the matches were clean sheets.

Recent Results

After the end of the 2026 World Cup qualification, Marcelo Bielsa's boys only participated in friendly matches, two of which took place in March this year and ended in draws against Algeria (0:0) and England (1:1). Uruguay held their own against the inventors of football and proved their competitiveness.

2026 World Cup Match Schedule

Uruguay's chances of advancing from the group

Bookmakers are almost certain that the Uruguay national team will make it to the World Cup playoffs, assuming that Bielsa's team will advance from the group with a probability of 86%. However, the chances of taking first place in their quartet are much lower – 22%.

Bookmakers' odds for the Uruguay national team at the 2026 World Cup

Scores24's prediction for the Uruguay national team

The main event for Uruguay in the group stage will be the meeting with the main tournament favorite – the Spain national team. However, this will only happen in the third round, so both teams will most likely already secure their advancement to the playoffs. This means that Bielsa's boys will have a chance to take advantage of the likely relaxation of the Spaniards and not lose with an attractive odds of 2.30*.

Another cool option – Uruguay's total goals over 2 for 2.15* in the match against Cape Verde. The African opponent is significantly inferior in class and not too experienced in tactical terms – a real gift for Bielsa's wards with their manic love for powerful pressing, quick ball recovery, and instant transition to attack.

More predictions for all 2026 World Cup matches will be available in the tournament section starting from June 9.

*Odds are approximate, may vary in different bookmakers and are current at the time of publication

If you are interested in detailed analyses of the chances of the top national teams at the 2026 World Cup, you can also read the following articles:

• England have gone 60 years without a title. Will they succeed in 2026?
• Prediction for Brazil National Team’s performance at the 2026 World Cup
• What will Cristiano Ronaldo’s sixth World Cup be like?
• What should we expect from the hosts? Prediction for the USA national team