Indiscipline, Uruguay ’26 Mundial Preview

In the 2022 World Cup, Uruguay got shafted by the refs in penalties: two against for dubious fouls, several hackings uncalled on Darwin and Cavani. Then Portuguese and South Korean collusion eliminated La Celeste at the group stage. Uruguay fired their coach and, after that, things became difficult.

In 2023, Uruguay hired Marcelo Bielsa as head coach, an Argentinian mad genius. Mad is fine for Uruguayans. But Argentinian? First strike. While Uruguay is a nation of a bit over 3 million people, surely someone homegrown was better qualified than Bielsa, whose last trophy came as head coach of ARG in the 2004 Olympics.

Bielsa demands a certain type of play: hard marking in opponents’ territory—good good, Uruguay is famous for hard defense. Bielsa also stresses that a second pass on offense should go to a third man in motion, who must arrive at the area where the second pass would end. Strike number two: Uruguayan fútbol has traditionally been reactive; play hard defense until the other team breaks down and scoring opportunities materialize. That kind of anti-play has won URU trophies, and there are many: 15 Copa Américas (second only to ARG’s 16), plus four world championships between 1924 and 1950. Only results would get Bielsa universal backing in Uruguay.

For the 2024 Copa América, URU came out like demons on their first two games. Then played with their food against the U.S. in their last group game. At the knockouts, La Celeste eliminated Brasil on penalties, but URU’s players looked a bit tired. Then Colombia eliminated URU in the semifinals 1-0, despite COL playing with 10 men for 45+ minutes. It was a jewel of time-wasting by Los Cafeteros in the second half (only 28’ of live play, I remember reading), and tempers ran high in the stands. Colombian fans were sitting nearby the families of several Uruguayan players, it got nasty during the game, and after the game several URU players climbed the stands to defend their families, mini riot, etc. etc. Uruguay ended up with 3^rd place in the Copa América after mistreating the Canadian team in a way that even I found embarrassing. Because it was done to Canadá, a country that rawks.

After the 2024 Copa América, Luis Suárez retired from La Celeste and threw Bielsa under the bus. It was general stuff about Bielsa being aloof and emotionally distant. According to Suárez (a beacon of selfless integrity), there was very little dialogue between the players and the coach, with some players complaining that they couldn’t even get a “Good morning” from Bielsa. To be fair

I’ve been around plenty of unstable Hispanics, meself included. It is entirely probable that an unrequited Buenos días at work could escalate into a hostage situation.  And Uruguay players are always on edge, always. Here’s a non-bitey URU story: France was ahead 1-0 against Uruguay at the Russia 2018 quarterfinals, and Antoine Griezmann scored the second for FRA at 90’. URU defender Josema Giménez, future captain at Atlético Madrid and Uruguay, covered his face with his jersey after that goal and completely unraveled. I had never seen that before, from any pro futbolista. Teammates had to intervene with Giménez for him to pull together, so the game would finish and they could get the hell outta there. Bielsa, by contrast, is soft-spoken, deferential even. Usually.

Pep Guardiola calls El Loco Bielsa “probably the person I admire most, as a manager and as a person”. As to the nickname, Bielsa addressed it: “They call me Loco because some of the answers I choose do not coincide with those habitually chosen”. In a conference, Bielsa spoke of the differences between European players and Latin American players. Bielsa said: when a coach tells a European player, “Go jump off that bridge”, he does; and once he’s inside the water, the player asks: “What’s the purpose of this?”. LATAM players ask before doing it.

Bielsa often falls into crude honesty and gets worked up over injustices. Here’s Bielsa in the last Copa América, blasting the field conditions and the lying and censoring:

🗣️ "THEY ARE A PLAGUE OF LIARS!"

Uruguay coach Marcelo Bielsa savages CONMEBOL & this year's Copa America logistics. 🇺🇾

No subtitles needed to get the anger, but provided by @JimenaJuani. Hell hath no fury like a manager unafraid of who they upset. 😳pic.twitter.com/IyEPE43UrA

— Men in Blazers (@MenInBlazers) July 12, 2024

After the ‘24 Copa América, in friendlies and CONMEBOL qualifiers up to November ‘25, Uruguay under Bielsa was bad. Across 16 games, by my count, URU scored 13 goals; won five, eight draws, and three losses. Then came the disaster: the USA BENCH beat URU 5-1 (5-1!) in a friendly last November. Most in Uruguay wanted Bielsa fired, and he addressed the media two days after the game, a press conference that lasted almost two hours.

Bielsa took full accountability and became too honest. He described himself as a toxic person, making worse those who associate with him, who is always pointing out the errors, demanding improvement, never satisfied, without exception talking about work and refusing chit-chat because it derails from the mission. So without addressing them directly, he responded to the Suárez robot accusations with “Beep Boop Beep Beep Boop [metallic whirring noise]”.

Then, same press conference, Bielsa got introspective and transparent. The reason why he was this way is because of fear—fear of losing, which is more intense than the joy of winning. That obsession to get away from defeat, Bielsa explained, is common for all managers–except for grandes irresponsables “that must be applauded and celebrated” for playing to enjoy victory (legends Johan Cruyff and César Luis Menotti). Bielsa confessed he’d like to live (not coach, live) looking towards victory instead of averting defeat, but it’s what he has become over 40 years of coaching. All of this reads as an emotional meltdown, but Bielsa is merely earnest and hella composed.

And I think it’s also a subtle kick at Uruguayans to strive for winning fútbol, instead of defending and let’s see what happens. Bielsa added that he was going to keep working and his contract ends after the ’26 Mundial. Although he conceded that, at a human level, he had yet to be accepted by the group he’s managing, but he’d quit if the players asked him to. Bielsa got the full backing of the Uruguayan fútbol federation.

After the USA BENCH 5-1 defeat in November ’25, Uruguay has played only two games. Both were friendlies in March ’26: a 1-1 against ENG and a 0-0 against Algeria. Uruguay scheduled no warmups for before the Mundial. Seemingly, El Loco Bielsa is the first one to do so.

There were controversies about the players called up for Uruguay. Luis Suárez unretired and wanted to play, Bielsa did not include him–which I like. (Update for ’26 Mundial: local love for Suárez is on hiatus.) Forward Agustín Cannobio, reportedly the player who required a buenos días by Bielsa at the ’24 Copa América, has not been included since in La Celeste. Winger Nahitan Nández is a badass. Any team would be lucky to have him. In the last World Cup, I saw Nández fighting an opponent for the ball, falling to the ground, and HEADING the ball from the ground despite risking a kick to the head. Nández plays in Saudi Arabia’s Al-Qasidah F.C. and was elected as the best player of the team by his teammates. Later that day, Bielsa called Nández to tell him he was not in the squad for the Mundial. (Strong contender for Party Poop of 2026, so far.) Nández had been in La Celeste all through qualifying, and his URU teammates were dismayed by the decision. According to several Uruguayan TikToks (yes I had to do it, for research and Paraguayan frutinovelas), Nández confronted Bielsa directly after the 5-1.

So yeah, Bielsa is the boss and he’s finishing his contract with URU without saboteurs. Which is what I think, because Bielsa had technical explanations for all snubs. The URU press was skeptical of the explanations, but the Mundial starts on Thursday so it’s bunker mentality time.

I have doubts about squad fitness (via espen deportes):

GOALIES

Fernando Muslera – Estudiantes de La Plata (ARG)

Sergio Rochet – Internacional de Porto Alegre (BRA)

Santiago Mele – Monterrey (México Lindo)

Rochet has been the regular starter for URU, but has been regular at best with his club. Muslera has been taken out of retirement for his FIF Mundial and will turn 40 after URU’s Mundial début.

DEFENDERS

Ronald Araújo – Barcelona (SPA)

José María Giménez – Atlético Madrid (SPA)

Santiago Bueno – Wolverhampton (ENG)

Sebastián Cáceres – América (México Lindo)

Mathías Olivera – Napoli (Non-Mundial region)

Guillermo Varela – Flamengo (BRA)

Matías Viña – River Plate (ARG)

Joaquín Piquerez – Palmeiras (BRA)

Juan Manuel Sanabria – Real Salt Lake (USA)

Araújo and Giménez used to be captains of their respective La Liga teams. This season, despite Barcelona and Atleti playing 40+ games each in league, Shempiens and Copa del Rey, Araújo only had 24 appearances and Giménez 16. Both are likely to come off the bench for La Celeste. Fun Fact! Uruguay is so under the radar that most projected starter lists still include Nahitan Nández.

MIDFIELDERS

Federico Valverde – Real Madrid [spitting deferred]

Rodrigo Bentancur – Tottenham (ENG)

Manuel Ugarte – Man U (ENG)

Emiliano Martínez – Palmeiras (BRA)

Rodrigo Zalazar – Sporting (POR)

Giorgian De Arrascaeta – Flamengo (BRA)

Nicolás De La Cruz – Flamengo (BRA)

Agustín Canobbio – Fluminense (BRA)

Maximiliano Araújo – Sporting (POR)

Brian Rodríguez – América (México Lindo)

Facundo Pellistri – Panathinaikos (GRE)

Valverde and DeArrascaeta are the best players for URU. This season, Valverde was captain of the most famous fútbol club in the world. That team went trophyless after a season of player bickering and entitlement. DeArrascaeta, the most expensive contract in Brasil, suffered a fractured clavicle last April and went through a plate-and-screws operation 40 days before URU’s début. He will surely play in the Mundial, most likely in the knockouts, Gamblor willing.

FORWARDS

Darwin Núñez – Al-Hilal (KSA)

Federico Viñas – Real Oviedo (SPA)

Rodrigo Aguirre – Tigres (México Lindo)

End of list.

Tough to be whelmed by those three forwards. Darwin stands out: crack at Benfica, from so-so to erratic at Liverpool. Last season, Darwin went to Al-Hilal. Last February, four months ago, Al-Hilal shelved Darwin. It gave its foreign player place to the bones of Karim Benzema. Yeesh.

Uruguay is in Group H (BoSaF’s group preview here), with Saudi Arabia, Cape Verde and Spain. Here is the schedule:

Monday June 15 – Miami, USA

Uruguay v. Saudi Arabia

Sunday June 21 – Miami, USA

Uruguay v. Cape Verde

Friday June 26 – Guadalajara, México Lindo

Uruguay v. Spain

Saudi Arabia beat ARG at Qatar ’22, under head coach and Hervé Renard. Renard qualified KSA for the Mundial, then KSA lost to Egypt 0-4 in a friendly last March. Renard got fired soon after. Georgios Donis from Greece (no, really!), takes over. Donis has years of experience managing several teams in Saudi Arabia. Cape Verde (population, 530,000), is making its World Cup début. And then there’s Spain, one of the favorites to win it all. SPA stars Yamal and Williams are injury concerns.

Rational expectation: URU can get out of this group, especially now that third-place teams qualify for the 32-team knockout squamish. KSA and CPV are good opponents for URU to get their shit together

Deluded gardens: maybe URU gets into a groove, Darwin has 4 goals heading into the Spanish buzzsaw, Ideally, both URU and SPA have already qualified by then. both playing confidently not caring with whoM they’ll match up against in knockouts.

Predicción: Can’t… Predict, stars… I’m way irrational rai nau. I love URU’s bunch of angries and their Rain Man coach too much. Too much dammit! This experiment has to work. Chalk can’t always win.

Minimum benchmark: URU gets out of Group H. Otherwise, I might quit the Mundial and, I dunno, learn Italian in an unusual way.

Unhinged wishcasting: After group victories, URU eliminates ARG from the Mundial. And Bielsa, vindicated, will become a legend in Uruguay. Maligned at the time, beloved when gone, admired for being more heardheaded than Uruguayans, un loco.