Inside Uruguay’s World Cup roster 2026: Luis Suarez left out of Marcelo Bielsa’s veteran squad

As winners of the first FIFA World Cup, Uruguay always hold a special place at the global football championship.

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Led by the iconic Marcelo Bielsa, La Celeste hope to reverse their World Cup fortunes this year after group-stage elimination in 2022 in Qatar.

The two-time title winners have not made the semifinals since a fourth-place finish in 2010 and are bidding to reestablish themselves as one of the South American powerhouses alongside five-time winners Brazil and defending champions Argentina.

The Sporting News has all the key details on Uruguay’s roster below.

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Uruguay World Cup roster 2026

The Uruguayan federation (AUF) publicly announced their official 26-man roster on Sunday, May 31.

Nations were given a deadline of May 11 to submit an official preliminary list of 35-55 players to FIFA, from which teams are required to name a final roster by Saturday, May 30.

Caps and stats are correct as of May 31.

Uruguay players to watch at World Cup

Head coach Marcelo Bielsa has gone with a highly experienced squad, with only no players younger than 24 years old, and only two players younger than 26.

The team’s star player is Real Madrid midfielder Federico Valverde, who is not just a leader for both club and country but also a highly versatile player who can play multiple positions and is known for his ability to strike a vicious long-range shot.

Uruguay’s attacking star is Darwin Nunez who spent two rocky seasons at Liverpool before moving to Al Hilal in Saudi Arabia. He has endured a tough club campaign after he was left off the club’s senior roster due to continental restrictions around foreign players, but he remains a consistent producer for the national team.

Despite the 39-year-old making himself available for selection, Bielsa left Inter Miami striker Luis Suarez off the roster, having not appeared for the national team since the first match of World Cup qualifying back in September of 2024.

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Who is the Uruguay coach at the World Cup?

Leading the Uruguay national team at the 2026 FIFA World Cup is Marcelo Bielsa, who is considered one of the most influential coaches of the modern era.

While the Argentine is not one of the most decorated managers of an era that includes Pep Guardiola, Luis Enrique, and others with bigger trophy cabinets, Bielsa’s coaching tree makes him one of the most important football masterminds of the last 20 years. A quick chat with any top manager in world football currently will betray just how important Bielsa has been to the evolution of modern tactics around the globe.

Bielsa rose to prominence as the Argentina coach from 1998-2004, moving on from there to coach Chile, Athletic Club, Marseille, Lazio, Lille, and Leeds United before being hired by Uruguay in 2023. Since his appointment, Uruguay have achieved a number of milestone results, most notably their win over Argentina at La Bombonera, which broke the Albiceleste’s 25-match home unbeaten run in World Cup qualifying.

Can Uruguay replace players on World Cup roster?

Once the final roster is official, participating teams at the World Cup could only make changes before the first game of the tournament, and only in the case of extraordinary circumstances.

According  (page 32), «a player listed on the final list may only be replaced in the event of serious injury or illness up until 24 hours before the start of his team’s first match.» The exception concerns goalkeepers, who can be replaced in such circumstances at any time.

Uruguay World Cup history

Uruguay are embedded in FIFA World Cup lore, having hosted the first-ever tournament in 1930, triumphing on home soil.

After refusing to participate in the next two tournaments held in Europe, they again lifted the trophy in the first post-war World Cup in 1950.

Uruguay have not won a World Cup title since, but they remain a regular participant. They have reached the semifinals three times since those two titles, finishing fourth in each of 1954, 1970, and 2010. However, they have suffered a downturn in recent World Cup history and are hoping for redemption after elimination in the group stage four years ago.

• Current FIFA World Ranking: No. 17 (April 2026)
• World Cup titles: 2
• World Cup appearances (last): 14 (Qatar 2022)
• How Uruguay qualified, W-L-D: 4th place, CONMEBOL qualifying round robin: W7-D7-L4
• World Cup record:
  • Games: 59 GP (25 W, 13 D, 21 L)
  • Goal differential: +13 (89 GS, 76 GA)

Uruguay World Cup schedule

Uruguay, as a Pot 2 team, were drawn into Group H. Their competitors in the group will be Spain, Cape Verde, and Saudi Arabia.

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Group H fixtures

MORE WORLD CUP NEWS:

• Last time the World Cup was in United States
• Revisiting the first World Cup in 1930
• Most World Cup wins by country
• Future World Cup locations for 2030 and beyond
• Guide to host countries, cities for 2026 World Cup