🇺🇾 Uruguay — Country Guide, World Cup 2026

La Celeste

How They Play

Gritty, combative, and fiercely organized — Uruguay play with a chip on their shoulder that makes them dangerous regardless of individual quality.

Star Player

Federico Valverde

Fun Fact

Uruguay won the first two World Cups ever held (1930 and 1950) despite being a nation of only 3 million people — their 1950 win over Brazil in Rio is still called 'the Maracanazo'.

World Cup 2026 Outlook

A transitional squad moving past the Suárez-Cavani era — Valverde's emergence gives them a genuine world-class engine.