As Uruguay prepares to kick off against Saudi Arabia in their first match of the 2026 World Cup, the team is contending with the aftermath of significant travel delays. After their flight from Mexico was plagued by complications, the squad arrived later than planned at Miami Stadium, raising concerns about their readiness.
28 min “We were due one, I suppose,” says James Humphries. “But my word, this is pish.”
26 min The match has resumed. In my naivety, I didn’t realize that each drinks break at this World Cup lasts three minutes for a reason.
23 min I’ve never looked forward to a hydration break so much in all my life. That was such an uneventful first quarter of the game, an accidental homage to the Disgrace of Gijon in 1982.
22 min “My goodness, that Miami song, if it can be called such, is awful!” writes Duncan McQueen. This would have been a far better choice. Keep up the good work with the MBM though (music choice notwithstanding).
That’s one of my favourite songs of the year! But it doesn’t matter, because there’s only one winner.
20 min Uruguay appeals for a penalty after a shot from Caceres, who advanced from a free-kick, hits Tambakti’s arm.
Tambakti’s arm was by his side, so there’s nothing to see here.
18 min Al-Dawsari intercepts a chipped pass from goalkeeper Muslera, exchanges passes with Al-Juwayr, and attempts a shot from 25 yards. It goes well wide, but it was worth a try.
17 min Aside from Araujo’s shot, it has been largely uneventful thus far. However, Uruguay’s home kit might be their finest since Italia 90.
13 min Saudi Arabia has dominated possession in the last few minutes, mostly in their own half.
12 min “With Fede Valverde playing for Uruguay, there’ll be something worth watching in this one,” writes Justin Kavanagh. “He’ll probably either score an outrageous first-half hat-trick or kick Bielsa’s bucket from under him as he gets subbed early. Hopefully, Uruguay will progress to a knockout meeting with France, where Real Madrid ‘teammates’ Valverde and Tchouaméni can really express how they feel about each other.”
11 min Uruguay is selectively pressing. Not even Marcelo Bielsa would expect his players to maintain top gear under this oppressive heat.
“but I can’t help but wonder what a meeting between Saudi Arabia and Uruguay at the 1986 World Cup would’ve been like, when both were continental champions, which they would defend. It’s Saudi Arabia’s golden age of football, and though it’s not Uruguay’s, they had a serious team. “The Green Falcons did well in the Afro-Asiatic Cup against Cameroon in 1985, so they’d probably have given the South Americans a proper game. Anyway, they didn’t meet until early this century, so we’ll never know. Anyway, yes, football nerdery is a lonely pursuit.”
I’d love to know whether Uruguay – who were one of the pre-tournament favourites in 1986 – set out to violate everything that moved or whether their approach just evolved that way. They were South American champions, as you say, although I’ve just scanned their results from 1983-86 and it looks like they’d lost their way before the World Cup started.
6 min Araujo’s outswinging corner from the left is headed down at the far post and collected by Al-Owais.
2 min The Saudi Arabia attack is led by Salem al-Dawsari, who scored the winner in their stunning victory over Argentina four years ago.
1 min Saudi Arabia kicks off from left to right. The match is only four minutes behind schedule, so you can all go chill, relax.
Today’s match is in M-I-A-M-I.
“I’m hoping for a chaotic game,” writes Andrew Goudie, “with Núñez supplying most of the havoc. I’m also enjoying Duncan Ferguson’s punditry on ITV.”
Big Dunc is so likable. His evolution from Throat Man to cuddly next-door neighbor makes me feel warm and fuzzy.
- Spain 0-0 Cape Verde
- Belgium 1-1 Egypt
- Saudi Arabia v Uruguay (currently)
- Iran v New Zealand (following this)
Spain 0-0 Cape Verde
Saudi Arabia v Uruguay (currently)
Iran v New Zealand (following this)
Where to start? Perhaps towards the end of April when Hervé Renard was dismissed as head coach and subsequently replaced by Georgios Donis. The Greek winger, formerly of Blackburn, selected his squad without having overseen a game.
Renard was in charge from 2019 to 2023 and oversaw the famous win against Argentina at the Qatar World Cup, but broke football’s “That’s football … Saudi Arabia have qualified for the World Cup seven times, including twice with me,” rule in October 2024, succeeding his successor Roberto Mancini, who never seemed like the right fit. The Frenchman’s second spell was underwhelming and without the tournament’s expansion, the Green Falcons would not have qualified, and only scraped through as it was.
“And there’s only one coach who has led them through both the qualifiers and the World Cup; that’s me, in 2022. At least there will be that sense of pride.” Renard said upon his departure. “The flight caused no problems,”
Marcelo Bielsa has left a lasting impact on this Uruguay team. His 4-3-3 system is tailored for direct football, allowing his side to apply pressure on their opponents high up the field while constantly pursuing the ball. Attacking play remains relentless when Uruguay has possession.
It has been a rollercoaster ride during the three years that the former Leeds manager has been at the helm, marked by a World Cup qualifying campaign that saw them finish fourth out of 10 in the Conmebol standings and a third-place finish in the 2024 Copa América.
There was an extraordinary run in the second half of 2023, where Argentina and Brazil were defeated, before Uruguay descended into a dismal streak of one win in 12 matches (failing to score in nine of those) between July 2024 and June 2025. A 5-1 defeat to the US in November raised serious questions about Bielsa. Faith was somewhat restored in March when Uruguay drew 1-1 with England and 0-0 with Algeria.
Saudi Arabia (4-4-2) Al-Owais; Abdulhamid, Al-Amri, Altambakti, Al-Harbi; Abu Al-Shamat, Al-Juwayr, Al-Khaibari, Kanno; Al-Buraikan, Al-Dawsari.
Subs: Al-Aqidi, Al-Dawsari, Al-Ghannam, Al-Hamdan, Al-Johani, Al-Kassar, Al-Shehri, Boushal, Hejji, Kadesh, Lajami, Majrashi, Mandash, Thakri, Yahya.
Uruguay (4-2-3-1): Muslera; Varela, Cáceres, Olivera, Viña; Ugarte, Bentancur; M Araújo, Valverde, Viñas; Núñez.
Subs: Aguirre, Bueno, Canobbio, de la Cruz, Gimenez, Martinez, Mele, Pellistri, Piquerez, Rochet, Rodriguez, Sanabria, Zalazar.
Referee Maurizio Mariani (Italy)
Hello and welcome to live, minute-by-minute coverage of Saudi Arabia v Uruguay at the Miami Stadium. Saudi Arabia began their last World Cup with a stunning victory over Argentina and would love to replicate that against another South American giant tonight, especially since it would enhance their chances of advancing from their group for only the second time. The first, as any football aficionado will know, occurred during their World Cup debut in the USA in 1994.
Uruguay did not even qualify for that tournament. They also missed out in 1998 and 2006, but their memorable run to the semi-finals in 2010 reminded everyone of their storied history and their knack for attracting or causing controversy.
They’ve remained a consistent presence since then, and while it’s hard to envision them adding a third title to join 1930 and 1950, they never exit a World Cup without making a statement. Last time out, they and Ghana managed to eliminate each other from the tournament.
Whatever Uruguay achieves this time, it won’t lack excitement, especially under the leadership of Marcelo Bielsa.
Kick off 6pm EDT/11pm BST/8am AEST
Uruguay’s preparations for their opening World Cup match against Saudi Arabia faced significant disruptions due to multiple delays on their flight from Mexico.
Marcelo Bielsa’s squad was scheduled to fly from Cancún to Fort Lauderdale early on Sunday afternoon, but issues with the plane’s documentation resulted in the cancellation of their initial flight.
A second aircraft was then arranged to transport Uruguay to South Florida, but that journey also faced delays, causing them to arrive for the pre-match press conference at Miami Stadium several hours later than expected.
An unusually reserved Bielsa downplayed the effects of the delay on his players, who had engaged in most of their preparations during a two-week training camp in Montevideo before spending the last week in Mexico. “We had some complications,” Bielsa stated.
Uruguay’s captain, José María Giménez, offered a more candid take on the delays, describing them as “It was difficult, but we took advantage by resting at the hotel. And we just got here later.” while others at the Uruguayan Football Association (AUF) were less diplomatic.
“We had some complications,” the Atlético Madrid defender acknowledged. “It was difficult, but we took advantage by resting at the hotel. And we just got here later.”
You can read the full report below.
