Uruguay meekly exited the World Cup after the group stage, and the team’s departure from North America reportedly did not go to plan either.
The Uruguayan Football Federation canceled the team’s scheduled charter flight from the team’s training base in Playa del Carmen, Mexico, to its home capital Montevideo, according to multiple Uruguayan media reports. Instead, the players had to take commercial flights home.
Uruguay was ranked number 16 by FIFA ahead of the World Cup and was the highest-rated team among those who failed to progress to the round of 32.
La Celeste were forced to a 1-1 draw against Saudi Arabia in their opening match of Group H, but then squandered a second-half lead in a 2-2 draw against World Cup newcomers Cape Verde. In the group final, a goalkeeping error caused Uruguay to lose 1-0 to Spain on Friday.
Uruguayan captain Jose Maria Gimenez, who remained on the bench for all three matches, said, according to Uruguayan broadcaster Tenfield: «The pain is immense. The feeling is one of deep sadness. The reality we have to face is incredibly difficult. We apologize to the Uruguayan people. It was not what we all expected, but football is like that, and we have to accept it.»
Uruguay coach Marcelo Bielsa said after the loss to Spain: «Look, what I leave behind for Uruguayan football is nothing. Because whatever contribution… what can a coach do for the football of a country where he worked for three years?»
«He never settles for not getting results. And fourth place in the qualifiers meant nothing, third place in the Copa America meant nothing, and of course this achievement. … I don’t have to define it, so if you ask me how my time will be remembered, it is with a step that leaves nothing behind.»
Reporting from GiveMeSport suggested Bielsa’s side rioted ahead of the match in Spain, and Bielsa had a heated exchange with the media after the loss.
Published on June 28, 2026
