Uruguay National Football Team
Uruguay National Football Team
Uruguay National Football Team
Uruguay
e(s)
on
ration
coach
stadium
FIFA URU
code
First colours Second colours
FIFA ranking
First international
Uruguay 0–6 Argentina
Biggest win
Uruguay 9–0 Bolivia
Biggest defeat
Uruguay 0–6 Argentina
World Cup
nces
result
Copa América
nces
Best Champions
result (1916, 1917, 1920, 1923, 1924, 1926, 1935, 1942, 1956, 19
59, 1967, 1983, 1987, 1995, 2011)
nces
result
show
Medal record
Contents
1History
o 1.1The golden era
o 1.21950–2009
o 1.32010–present
2Team image
o 2.1Kits and crest
2.1.1Kit sponsorship
o 2.2Home stadium
o 2.3Rivalries
2.3.1Argentina
2.3.2Brazil
3Results and fixtures
o 3.12021
o 3.22022
4Coaching staff
o 4.1Current personnel
o 4.2Past head coaches
5Players
o 5.1Current squad
o 5.2Recent call-ups
6Player records
o 6.1Most capped players
o 6.2Top goalscorers
7Competitive record
o 7.1FIFA World Cup
o 7.2Copa América
o 7.3FIFA Confederations Cup
o 7.4Olympic Games
o 7.5Pan American Games
8Head-to-head record
9Honours
10See also
11Notes
12References
13External links
History[edit]
The golden era[edit]
The team that won its second gold medal at the 1928 Summer Olympics
Although the first match ever recorded by an Uruguayan side was played on 16 May
1901 against Argentina, this is not considered an official game due to the match was not
organized by Uruguay's Football Association but by Albion F.C. in its home field in Paso
del Molino. The Uruguayan side had nine players from that club and the remainder
from Nacional.[8] The match considered the first official game played by Uruguay was
held in the same venue, on 20 July 1902 against Argentina. [3] Argentina defeated the
Uruguayan side by 6–0 in front of 8,000 spectators. [4][5] Uruguay line-up was: Enrique
Sardeson; Carlos Carve Urioste, Germán Arímalo; Miguel Nebel (c), Alberto Peixoto,
Luis Carbone; Bolívar Céspedes, Gonzalo Rincón, Juan Sardeson, Ernesto Boutón
Reyes, Carlos Céspedes.[9][10] Prior to 1916, Uruguay played more than 30 matches, of
which all but one were against Argentina. The inaugural Copa America provided
Uruguay with more varied opposition. Victories over Chile and Brazil, along with a tie
against Argentina, enabled Uruguay to win the tournament. The following year Uruguay
hosted the competition, and retained the title by winning every game. The 1919 Copa
América saw Uruguay's first defeat in the tournament, a 1–0 defeat in a playoff with
Brazil which went to two periods of extra time, the longest Copa América match in
history.[citation needed]
In 1924, the Uruguay team traveled to Paris to become the first South American team to
compete in the Olympic Games In contrast to the physical style of the European teams
of the era, Uruguay played a style based around short passes, [11] and won every game,
defeating Switzerland 3–0 in the gold medal match. In the 1928 Summer Olympics,
Uruguay went to Amsterdam to defend their title, again winning the gold medal after
defeating Argentina 2–1 in the replay of the final (the first match was a draw after extra
time).
The team that beat Argentina in the final match of the 1930 FIFA World Cup to win Uruguay's first FIFA World
Cup
Following the double Olympic triumph, Uruguay was chosen as the host nation for the
first World Cup, held in 1930, the centenary of Uruguay's first constitution. During the
World Cup, Uruguay won all its matches, and converted a 1–2 halftime deficit to a 4–2
victory against Argentina at the Estadio Centenario. Due to the refusal of some
European teams to participate in the first World Cup, the Uruguayan Football
Association urged other countries to reciprocate by boycotting the 1934 World
Cup played in Italy. For the 1938 World Cup, France was chosen as host, contrary to a
previous agreement to alternate the championships between South America and
Europe, so Uruguay again refused to participate.
1950–2009[edit]
The team that beat Brazil in the decisive match of the 1950 FIFA World Cup to win Uruguay's second FIFA
World Cup
Uruguay again won the World Cup in 1950, beating hosts Brazil in one of the biggest
upsets in World Cup history. The decisive match was at the Maracanã Stadium in
Brazil. Uruguay came from behind to beat the host nation in a match which would
become known as the Maracanazo. Many Brazilians had to be treated for shock after
the event, such was the surprise of Uruguay's victory.[12]
After their fourth-place finish in the 1954 World Cup, the team had mixed performances
and after the fourth-place finish in 1970, their dominance, quality and performance
dropped. They were no longer a world football power and failed to qualify for the World
Cup on five occasions in the last nine competitions. They reached an all-time low and at
one time ranked 76th in the FIFA World Rankings.
2010–present[edit]
In 2010, however, a new generation of footballers, led by Luis Suárez, Diego
Forlán and Edinson Cavani, formed a team considered to be Uruguay's best in the last
four decades, catching international attention after finishing fourth in the 2010 World
Cup. Uruguay opened the tournament with a goalless draw against France, followed by
defeats of South Africa (3–0) in and Mexico (1–0) respectively, finishing at the top of
their group with seven points. In the second round, they played South Korea, defeating
them 2–1 with star striker Luis Suárez scoring a brace and earning Uruguay a spot in
the quarter-finals for the first time since 1970. Against Ghana, the match finished 1–1,
forcing the game into extra-time. Both sides had their chances at extra time but Suárez
blocked the ball with his hand in the penalty area, earning Suárez a red card and
earning Uruguay universal scorn. Ghana striker Asamoah Gyan missed the subsequent
penalty, forcing the game to go into penalties where Uruguay would win 4–2, sending
them into the last four. They played the Netherlands in the semi-finals but were beaten
3–2. For the third-place match, they played Germany, again losing 3–2. This placed
Uruguay in fourth place for the tournament, their best result in 40 years. Diego Forlan
was awarded the Player of The Tournament.
Uruguay v Saudi Arabia match at the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia
A year later, they won the Copa America for the first time in 16 years and broke the
record for the most successful team in South America. Luis Suárez ended up as the
Player of The Tournament. In the 2014 World Cup Uruguay was placed in Group D
alongside Costa Rica, England, and Italy. They were upset by Costa Rica in the
opening match, losing 3–1 despite taking the lead in the first half. They rebounded with
a 2–1 victory over England, in which Suárez scored a brace right after coming back
from an injury, and a 1–0 victory over Italy, placing them second in their group and
earning a spot in the last 16. During the match against Italy, forward Luis Suárez bit
Italian defender Giorgio Chiellini on his left shoulder. Two days after the match,
the FIFA Disciplinary Committee banned Suárez for nine international matches, the
longest such ban in World Cup history, exceeding the eight-match ban handed to
Italy's Mauro Tassotti for breaking the nose of Spain's Luis Enrique in 1994.[13][14][15] Suárez
was also banned from taking part in any football-related activity (including entering any
stadium) for four months and fined CHF100,000
(approx. £65,700/€82,000/US$119,000).[13][14][16] In the round of 16, Uruguay played
Colombia but were beaten 2–0, eliminating them from the tournament.
At the 2015 and 2016 Copa América, Uruguay, missing banned striker Luis Suárez,
were eliminated in the quarter-finals and group stages respectively. After a
successful World Cup qualifying campaign, finishing second, Uruguay made it to
the 2018 World Cup in Russia. Uruguay won its group after three victories, and
advanced to the quarter-finals after a 2–1 win over Portugal.[17][18] However, they were
eliminated 2–0 in the quarter-finals by the eventual champions France.
Team image[edit]
Kits and crest[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has
media related to Uruguay
national football team kits.
Uruguay at the 2014 FIFA World Cup, wearing the light blue shirt they have worn since 1910
Between 1901 and 1910, Uruguay wore a variety of different shirts during its matches.
The first shirt worn was the Albion F.C. one, in the unofficial debut of the national team v
Argentina in 1901.[19] Then Uruguay worn a variety of shirts, including a solid green one
and even a shirt with the colors of the flag of Artigas.
On 10 April 1910, now-defunct club River Plate defeated Argentine side Alumni 2–1,
being the first time an Uruguayan team beat that legendary team. That day River Plate
wore its alternate jersey, a light blue one due to the home jersey was similar to Alumni's.
[20]
Ricardo LeBas proposed Uruguay to wear a light blue jersey as a tribute to the victory
of River Plate over Alumni. This was approved by president of the Uruguayan
Association, Héctor Gómez.[21] The light blue (Celeste) jersey debuted in a Copa
Lipton match v Argentina on August 15, 1910. Uruguay won 3–1.[22]
The red jersey that was used in some previous away strips was first used at the
1935 Copa América, held in Santa Beatriz in Peru, which Uruguay won. It was not worn
again (except for a 1962 FIFA World Cup match, against Colombia[23]) until 1991, when it
was officially adopted as the away jersey. [24]
Uruguay displays four stars in its emblem. This is unique in world football as two of the
stars represent the gold medals received at the 1924 and 1928 Summer Olympics,
which are the only editions recognised by FIFA as senior World Championships. [25][26][27] In
2021, after a FIFA employee reached out to PUMA about modifying the team's crest,
FIFA reconfirmed and approved once again the use of all four stars on the shirt. [28]
1908–10 [note 5]
Kit sponsorship[edit]
Adidas 1974–1982
Puma 1987–1991
Ennerre 1992–1998
Meta 1999–2001
L-Sporto 2002–2004
Uhlsport 2004–2006
Puma 2006–present
Home stadium[edit]
Since 1930, Uruguay have played their home games at the Estadio Centenario in the
Uruguayan capital Montevideo. The stadium was built as a celebration of the centenary
of Uruguay's first constitution, and had a capacity of 90,000 when first fully opened.
[31]
The stadium hosted several matches in the 1930 World Cup, including the final, which
was watched by a crowd of 93,000.[32] Crowds for Uruguay's home matches vary greatly
depending on the importance of the match and the quality of the opposition. [clarification
needed]
World Cup qualifying matches often attract crowds of between 50,000 and 73,000.
Uruguay's stadium Estadio Centenario is one of the biggest stadiums in the world over
100m wide and 100m long.
Rivalries[edit]
Argentina[edit]
Main article: Argentina–Uruguay football rivalry
Uruguay has a long-standing rivalry with Argentina, that came into existence when they
beat their South American neighbors 4–2 in the first World Cup final, held
in Montevideo in 1930. As a response, the following day saw an angry mob threw
stones at the Uruguayan consulate in the Argentinian capital Buenos Aires.
Brazil[edit]
Main article: Brazil–Uruguay football rivalry
Uruguay has an old rivalry with their South American neighbors. Their best known
match was played at the 1950 World Cup which was held in Brazil where they defeated
the host with the result 2–1 in front of almost 200,000 spectators at the Maracanã
Stadium, thus winning the competition and earning their second World Cup title.
2022[edit]
27 January 20222022 FIFA World Cup qualification Paraguay
1 February 20222022 FIFA World Cup qualification Uruguay
24 March 20222022 FIFA World Cup qualification Uruguay
29 March 20222022 FIFA World Cup qualification Chile
Coaching staff[edit]
Current personnel[edit]
Position Name
Darío Rodríguez
Assistant coaches
Diego Raimondi
Óscar Ortega
Fitness coaches
Guillermo Souto
Players[edit]
Current squad[edit]
The following 27 players were named in the final squad for FIFA World Cup
qualifying matches against Paraguay and Venezuela on 27 January and 1 February
2022 respectively.[34][35]
Caps and goals correct as of 1 February 2022, after the match against Venezuela.
Pos
No. Player Date of birth (age)
.
Recent call-ups[edit]
The following players have also been called up to the Uruguay squad in the past twelve
months.
PRE
Preliminary squad
COV
Withdrew from final squad due to COVID-19
INJ
Injured
Player records[edit]
Main article: List of Uruguay international footballers
As of 1 February 2022, after the match against Venezuela.[36]
Players in bold are still active with Uruguay.
Most capped players[edit]
Goal
Rank Player Caps Career
s