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Uruguay national football team facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts
This page is about the men's team. For the women's team, see Uruguay women's national football team.
Quick facts for kids
Uruguay
Shirt badge/Association crest
Nickname(s) La Celeste (The Sky Blue)
Los Charrúas (The Charrúas)
Association Asociación Uruguaya de Fútbol (AUF)
Confederation CONMEBOL (South America)
Head coach Marcelo Bielsa
Captain José Giménez
Most caps Diego Godín (161)
Top scorer Luis Suárez (69)
Home stadium Estadio Centenario
FIFA code URU
First colours
Second colours
FIFA ranking
Current 7 Steady (7 February 2019)
Highest 2 (June 2012)
Lowest 76 (December 1998)
Elo ranking
Current 11 Increase 2 (3 March 2019)
Highest 1 (Various dates 1920–29)
Lowest 48 (5 September 1979)
First international
 Uruguay 0–6 Argentina 
(Montevideo, Uruguay; 20 July 1902)
Biggest win
 Uruguay 9–0 Bolivia 
(Lima, Peru; 6 November 1927)
Biggest defeat
 Uruguay 0–6 Argentina 
(Montevideo, Uruguay; 20 July 1902)
World Cup
Appearances 14 (first in 1930)
Best result Champions (1930, 1950)
Copa América
Appearances 46 (first in 1916)
Best result Champions (1916, 1917, 1920, 1923, 1924, 1926, 1935, 1942, 1956, 1959, 1967, 1983, 1987, 1995, 2011)
CONMEBOL–UEFA Cup of Champions
Appearances 1 (first in 1985)
Best result Runners-up (1985)
Confederations Cup
Appearances 2 (first in 1997)
Best result Fourth place (1997, 2013)
Medal record
FIFA World Cup
Gold 1930 Uruguay Team
Gold 1950 Brazil Team
Olympic Games
Gold 1924 Paris Team
Gold 1928 Amsterdam Team
Copa América
Gold 1916 Argentina Team
Gold 1917 Uruguay Team
Gold 1920 Chile Team
Gold 1923 Uruguay Team
Gold 1924 Uruguay Team
Gold 1926 Chile Team
Gold 1935 Peru Team
Gold 1942 Uruguay Team
Gold 1956 Uruguay Team
Gold 1959 Ecuador Team
Gold 1967 Uruguay Team
Gold 1983 South America Team
Gold 1987 Argentina Team
Gold 1995 Uruguay Team
Gold 2011 Argentina Team
Silver 1919 Brazil Team
Silver 1927 Peru Team
Silver 1939 Peru Team
Silver 1941 Chile Team
Silver 1989 Brazil Team
Silver 1999 Paraguay Team
Bronze 1921 Argentina Team
Bronze 1922 Brazil Team
Bronze 1929 Argentina Team
Bronze 1937 Argentina Team
Bronze 1947 Colombia Team
Bronze 1953 Peru Team
Bronze 1957 Peru Team
Bronze 2004 Peru Team
Bronze 2024 USA Team

The Uruguay national football team (Spanish: Selección de fútbol de Uruguay), nicknamed La Celeste (The Sky Blue), represents Uruguay in international men's football, and is administered by the Uruguayan Football Association, the governing body for football in Uruguay.

Uruguay has won four world competitions organised by FIFA: two Olympic titles and two FIFA World Cups. Their first two senior world titles came at the Olympic tournaments of Paris 1924 and Amsterdam 1928, two events that were directly organized by FIFA as open tournaments that included professionals. In 1924, La Celeste beat Switzerland 3–0 in the final. Then, in 1928, Uruguay repeated the Olympic championship by beating Argentina 2–1. They then secured a third consecutive title at the inaugural FIFA World Cup in Montevideo, where they beat Argentina 4–2 in the decisive match. Uruguay's fourth title came in 1950 after beating hosts Brazil in the final match 2–1, a match that still holds the record for the highest official attendance for a football match ever (173,850 people at the gate).

Additionally, Uruguay has won the Copa América 15 times, second only to Argentina for the most titles in the tournament's history, winning their most recent title in 2011.

History

Uruguay's rise to prominence on the global stage

Uruguay 1902
Uruguay before its first official match v Argentina, 20 July 1902

The first official match played by Uruguay was held at the Paso del Molino on 20 July 1902 against Argentina. In that match, Argentina beat the Uruguayan side 6–0 in front of 8,000 spectators. Prior to 1916, Uruguay played more than 30 matches, of which all but one were against Argentina. The inaugural Copa America of 1916 saw Uruguay win against Chile and Brazil, along with a draw against Argentina, to win their first major tournament. At the 1917 South American Championship, Uruguay hosted the competition and retained the title by winning every match. The 1919 Copa América saw Uruguay's first loss 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.

Uruguay 1928 olympics
The team that won its second gold medal at the 1928 Summer Olympics

After winning the 1924 South American Championship, Uruguay traveled to Paris as the first South American team to compete in the Olympic Games. The 1924 Olympic Football tournament also had the distinction of being the first ever "open" championship for professionals, as well as directly being organized by Caetano Heras Manuel Fiochetta and FIFA. Hence, the tournament would be recognize at the time (and posteriorly) as equivalent in value to the FIFA World Cup. Uruguay would eliminate Yugoslavia, United States, France, Netherlands and finally Switzerland to become football's first senior professional world champions. Moreover, after winning the final, Uruguay inadvertently invented the tradition of the lap of honour to thank the fans in Paris. In the 1928 Olympic football tournament, Uruguay would retain their world title after beating Netherlands, Germany, Italy and lastly Argentina 2–1 in the replay of the final (the first match was a draw after extra time).

Uruguay national football team 1930
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 inaugural FIFA World Cup held in 1930, the centenary of Uruguay's first constitution. During this tournament, Uruguay won all its matches against Peru, Romania and Yugoslavia. In the final, La Celeste turned a 1–2 halftime deficit into a 4–2 victory against neighbours Argentina at the Estadio Centenario to capture their consecutive third world title. After this tournament, Uruguay would boycott the World Cup of 1934 due to the refusal of some European teams to participate in the 1930 edition. 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.

Uruguay's golden generation retired after winning the 1935 South American Championship, beating Argentina 3-0 in the final. This was this generation's overall 7th title, which is still the record for most major titles in international football history, counting the 4 South American (1917, '23, '24, '26) and three world titles (1924, '28, 30).

1940s–1960s

Urug1950
The team that beat Brazil in the decisive match of the 1950 FIFA World Cup to win Uruguay's second FIFA World Cup

In the 1940s, Uruguay achieved early success in a decade largely dominated by Argentina by winning their eighth South American championship in 1942. As the World Cup was not being played, this championship became the priority.

In 1950, Uruguay re-entered the World Cup for the first time since 1930. This time, La Celeste would enter a final-group where they would tie Spain 2–2 and beat Sweden 3–2 on route to the final match against hosts Brazil. On 16 July 1950, Uruguay claimed their second FIFA World Cup and fourth senior world title when they beat Brazil 2–1 from behind in an iconic match known as the Maracanazo in front of a record paying crowd of 173,850. Though, historical estimates indicate that the crowd reached well over 200,000. This feat became an integral part of Uruguay's football identity and a source of inspiration for upcoming footballers with each passing generation.

In the 1954 World Cup, Uruguay reached the semi-final for the fourth time after a notable campaign beating Czechoslovakia, Scotland and England. The semi-final against Hungary is still considered one of the best matches in World Cup history, as La Celeste dramatically tied the match 2–2 late after trailing 2–0 at halftime. Uruguay would finally lose 4–2 in extra-time in what was their first-ever loss at the global stage, a thirty year record that started in January, 1925.

Afterwards, Uruguay would fail to qualify to the World Cup for the first time in the 1958 CONMEBOL Qualifiers after losing 5–0 to Paraguay in Asuncion. From there, Uruguay maintained a competitive generation through the 1960s and into the early 1970s with players from Nacional and Peñarol, who had won several continental and club world titles during that time. In 1962, Uruguay had a relatively poor World Cup, being eliminated in the group stage after a dramatic last match against the Soviet Union. In 1966, Uruguay reached the last eight after drawing hosts England beating France in the group stage. A controversial quarter-final loss against West Germany marred what had been seen as a positive campaign. La Celeste would end the decade winning their 11th South American championship in 1967 by beating Argentina 1–0 in Montevideo.

1970s–1980s

In 1970, Uruguay established themselves again as one of the world's best teams when they advanced to their fourth World Cup semi-final in Mexico 1970, losing to eventual winners Brazil. After that came the biggest downturn in the country's footballing history as they were eliminated in the group stage of the 1974 World Cup, and failed to qualify to Argentina 1978. It wasn't until the late 1970s that Uruguayan football began to see hope as their under-20 team won four consecutive South American titles from 1975 to 1981, as well as reaching the U20 World Cup semi-final in 1979.

RodolfoRodríguez-Mundialito1980
Rodolfo Rodríguez raises the Mundialito trophy won in January 1981

The success of this young generation would bare fruit in the 1980s, which began with Uruguay winning the 1980 World Champions' Gold Cup, a tournament that pitted past World Cup winners together in celebration of the tournament's 50th anniversary. Afterwards, La Celeste went on to win the 1983 and 1987 Copas America back-to-back, only losing 1–0 to hosts Brazil in 1989's decisive title match. After failing to qualify for the 1982 World Cup, in 1986, Uruguay were eliminated in the Round of 16 against eventual champions Argentina after a group stage that included West Germany, Denmark and Scotland.

1990s–2000s

In the 1990 World Cup in Italy, Uruguay were eliminated in the Round of 16 against hosts Italy 2–0 in Rome. Afterwards, Uruguay would fail to qualify for 1994 after losing 2–0 to Brazil in decisive match at Maracanã Stadium. La Celeste would win their next big encounter against the Brazilians when they beat the reigning world champions to win the 1995 Copa America in Montevideo. Later, Uruguay were eliminated from the 1998 World Cup as they finished in seventh place in the first time qualifying had been done in one group.

For the 2002 World Cup qualifiers, Uruguay managed to advance to a final playoff round against Australia to reach the finals. La Celeste would win the decisive match 3–0 in Montevideo to qualify to their first World Cup since 1990. The campaign itself proved a frustrating affair, as Uruguay were narrowly eliminated in the last group match against Senegal after drawing them 3–3, after being down 3–0 at half-time.

The 2006 World Cup qualifying campaign saw another international playoff against Australia. This time, La Celeste were eliminated on penalties in Sydney. This loss led to a profound paradigm shift with the hiring of Oscar Tabarez as manager. From there, Uruguay would finish semi finalists of the 2007 Copa America, and successfully qualified to the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

2010s–2022

In 2010, a new generation of footballers, led by Luis Suárez, Diego Forlán and Edinson Cavani, formed a team that finishing fourth in the 2010 World Cup. Uruguay opened the tournament with a goalless draw against France, followed by wins against South Africa (3–0) 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. Forlán was awarded the Player of The Tournament.

2018 FIFA World Cup Group A march URU-KSA - Anthems
Uruguay vs 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.

Three years later, Uruguay was placed in Group D at the 2014 World Cup alongside Costa Rica, England, and Italy. They were upset by Costa Rica in the opening match, losing 3–1 after 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. 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). 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. However, they were eliminated 2–0 in the quarter-finals by the eventual champions France.

At the 2022 World Cup, Uruguay was drawn into Group H with Portugal, Ghana and South Korea. They started the tournament with a 0–0 draw against South Korea, before they fell to a 2–0 defeat to Portugal. Despite a 2–0 victory against Ghana in their final group game, Uruguay was knocked out of the tournament in the group stages for the first time since 2002, on goals scored following South Korea’s shock 2–1 win against Portugal.

Team image

Kits and crest

Go Uruguay! - Arriba Uruguay! - 140619-6398-jikatu (14307280607)
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 Albion F.C.'s kit, in the unofficial debut of the national team against Argentina in 1901. It was followed by a variety of shirts, including a solid green one and even a shirt with the colours of the flag of Artigas.

On 10 April 1910, now-defunct club River Plate defeated Argentine side Alumni 2–1. That day River Plate wore its alternate jersey, a light blue one due to the home jersey was similar to Alumni's. 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. The light blue (Celeste) jersey debuted in a Copa Lipton match against Argentina on 15 August 1910.

The red shirt that was used in some previous away strips was first used at the 1935 South American championship, held in Santa Beatriz in Peru, which Uruguay won. It was not worn again (except for a 1962 FIFA World Cup match, against Colombia) until 1991, when it was officially adopted as the away jersey.

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. In 2021, after a FIFA employee contacted PUMA about modifying the team's crest, FIFA reconfirmed and approved once again the use of all four stars on the shirt.
1901
1902–03
1905–07
1908–10
1910–present

Kit sponsorship

Kit supplier Period
West Germany Adidas 1974–1982
France Le Coq Sportif 1983–1986
Germany Puma 1987–1991
Italy Ennerre 1992–1998
Uruguay Covadonga 1999–2001
Italy L-Sporto 2002–2004
Germany Uhlsport 2004–2006
Germany Jako 2006–2007
Germany Puma 2007–2023
Uruguay In-House 2024
United States Nike 2024–

Home stadium

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. The stadium hosted several matches in the 1930 World Cup, including the final, which was watched by a crowd of 93,000.

Rivalries

Argentina

Main article: Argentina–Uruguay football rivalry

First played in 1902, the "Clasico de Rio de la Plata" with Argentina is the oldest international derby in world football outside of the UK. Both teams have played in historically significant matches, such as the two world finals of 1928 and the inaugural World Cup final in 1930. They also disputed 8 South American Championship title deciders between 1916-1967. Although Argentina has an overall better head to head record, Uruguay have a better tally when it comes to international title deciders with 10 wins and 1 loss.

Brazil

Main article: Brazil–Uruguay football rivalry

Uruguay vs. Brazil dates back to the 1916 South American Championship. Both teams have since competed in several Copa America title deciders and the iconic 1950 World Cup final match, where Uruguay lifted their second FIFA World Cup in front of a world record crowd in Maracana. The only other time they met in a World Cup was the 1970 World Cup semi-final where Brazil won 3-1 in Guadalajara. Since the 1980s, the two sides met in several title deciders, such as the 1980 World Champions' Gold Cup final (won by Uruguay), and the 1983, 1989, 1995 and 1999 Copa América finals. Uruguay would win the 1983 and 1995 editions, while Brazil won in 1989 and 1999. Also in the 1990s, in a decisive World Cup qualifier, Brazil eliminated Uruguay in Maracana from qualifying for USA 1994. Since the 2000s, they have met mostly in the Copa América, as well as the regularly scheduled World Cup qualifiers.

Results and fixtures

Main article: Uruguay national football team results (2020–present)

The following is a list of match results in the last 12 months, as well as any future matches that have been scheduled.

      Win       Draw       Loss       Fixture

2024

2025

Coaching staff

Current personnel

Position Name
Head coach Argentina Marcelo Bielsa
Assistant coaches Argentina Pablo Quiroga
Chile Diego Reyes
Goalkeeping coach Uruguay Enzo Ferrari
Fitness coaches Uruguay Diego Estavillo
Uruguay Santiago Ferro

Coaching history

  • Uruguay Juan López (1946–1955, 1957–1959)
  • Uruguay Juan Carlos Corazzo (1955, 1959–1961, 1962–1964)
  • Uruguay Hugo Bagnulo (1955–1957)
  • Uruguay Héctor Castro (1959)
  • Uruguay Enrique Fernández (1961–1962, 1967–1969)
  • Uruguay Rafael Milans (1964–1965)
  • Uruguay Ondino Viera (1965–1967)
  • Uruguay Juan Hohberg (1969–1970, 1977)
  • Uruguay Hugo Bagnulo (1970–1973)
  • Uruguay Roberto Porta (1974)
  • Uruguay Juan Alberto Schiaffino (1974–1975)
  • Uruguay José María Rodríguez (1975–1977)
  • Uruguay Raúl Bentancor (1977–1979)
  • Uruguay Roque Máspoli (1979–1982, 1997–1998)
  • Uruguay Omar Borrás (1982–1987)
  • Uruguay Roberto Fleitas (1987–1988)
  • Uruguay Óscar Tabárez (1988–1990, 2006–2021)
  • Uruguay Luis Cubilla (1990–1993)
  • Uruguay Ildo Maneiro (1993–1994)
  • Uruguay Héctor Núñez (1994–1996)
  • Uruguay Juan Ahuntchaín (1996–1997)
  • Uruguay Víctor Púa (1998–2000, 2001–2003)
  • Argentina Daniel Passarella (2000–2001)
  • Uruguay Gustavo Ferrín (2003, 2006)
  • Uruguay Juan Ramón Carrasco (2003–2004)
  • Uruguay Jorge Fossati (2004–2006)
  • Uruguay Gustavo Ferrín (2006)
  • Uruguay Diego Alonso (2021–2023)
  • Uruguay Marcelo Broli (2023)
  • Argentina Marcelo Bielsa (2023–present)

Players

Current squad

The following 24 players are called up for the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification matches against Colombia and Brazil on 15 and 19 November 2024 respectively.

Caps and goals correct as of 19 November 2024, after the match against Brazil.

No. Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club
1 1GK Sergio Rochet (1993-03-23) 23 March 1993 (age 31) 31 0 Brazil Internacional
12 1GK Franco Israel (2000-04-22) 22 April 2000 (age 24) 2 0 Portugal Sporting CP
23 1GK Santiago Mele (1997-09-06) 6 September 1997 (age 27) 4 0 Colombia Atlético Junior
2 2DF José Giménez (captain) (1995-01-20) 20 January 1995 (age 29) 92 8 Spain Atlético Madrid
3 2DF Marcelo Saracchi (1998-04-23) 23 April 1998 (age 26) 9 0 Argentina Boca Juniors
13 2DF Guillermo Varela (1993-03-24) 24 March 1993 (age 31) 21 0 Brazil Flamengo
14 2DF José Luis Rodríguez (1997-03-14) 14 March 1997 (age 27) 3 0 Brazil Vasco da Gama
16 2DF Mathías Olivera (1997-10-31) 31 October 1997 (age 27) 26 2 Italy Napoli
18 2DF Juan Rodríguez (2005-05-30) 30 May 2005 (age 19) 0 0 Uruguay Boston River
22 2DF Nicolás Marichal (2001-03-17) 17 March 2001 (age 23) 3 0 Russia Dynamo Moscow
2DF Santiago Bueno (1998-11-09) 9 November 1998 (age 26) 6 0 England Wolverhampton Wanderers
4 3MF Nicolás Fonseca (1998-10-19) 19 October 1998 (age 26) 4 0 Argentina River Plate
5 3MF Manuel Ugarte (2001-04-11) 11 April 2001 (age 23) 28 1 England Manchester United
6 3MF Rodrigo Bentancur (1997-06-25) 25 June 1997 (age 27) 67 3 England Tottenham Hotspur
15 3MF Federico Valverde (vice-captain) (1998-07-22) 22 July 1998 (age 26) 67 8 Spain Real Madrid
20 3MF Maximiliano Araújo (2000-02-15) 15 February 2000 (age 24) 20 3 Portugal Sporting CP
3MF Nahitan Nández (1995-12-28) 28 December 1995 (age 28) 65 0 Saudi Arabia Al Qadsiah
7 4FW Rodrigo Aguirre (1994-10-01) 1 October 1994 (age 30) 2 1 Mexico América
9 4FW Darwin Núñez (1999-06-24) 24 June 1999 (age 25) 33 13 England Liverpool
10 4FW Brian Rodríguez (2000-05-20) 20 May 2000 (age 24) 26 4 Mexico América
11 4FW Facundo Pellistri (2001-12-20) 20 December 2001 (age 23) 32 2 Greece Panathinaikos
17 4FW Cristian Olivera (2002-04-17) 17 April 2002 (age 22) 11 0 United States Los Angeles
19 4FW Luciano Rodríguez (2003-07-16) 16 July 2003 (age 21) 4 0 Brazil Bahia
21 4FW Facundo Torres (2000-04-13) 13 April 2000 (age 24) 19 1 United States Orlando City

Recent call-ups

The following players have also been called up to the Uruguay squad in the past twelve months.


Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club Latest call-up
GK Randall Rodríguez (2003-11-29) 29 November 2003 (age 21) 0 0 Argentina Vélez Sarsfield 2024 Copa América PRE
DF Santiago Mouriño (2002-02-13) 13 February 2002 (age 22) 0 0 Spain Alavés v.  Ecuador, 15 October 2024
DF Sebastián Cáceres (1999-08-18) 18 August 1999 (age 25) 19 0 Mexico América v.  Venezuela, 10 September 2024
DF Lucas Olaza (1994-07-21) 21 July 1994 (age 30) 7 0 Russia Krasnodar v.  Venezuela, 10 September 2024
DF Agustín Sant'Anna (1997-07-27) 27 July 1997 (age 27) 0 0 Argentina River Plate v.  Venezuela, 10 September 2024
DF Tomás Viera (2006-03-18) 18 March 2006 (age 18) 0 0 Uruguay Nacional v.  Venezuela, 10 September 2024
DF Matías Viña (1997-11-09) 9 November 1997 (age 27) 41 1 Brazil Flamengo 2024 Copa América
DF Ronald Araújo (1999-03-07) 7 March 1999 (age 25) 20 1 Spain Barcelona 2024 Copa América SUS
DF Bruno Méndez (1999-09-10) 10 September 1999 (age 25) 7 0 Mexico Toluca v.  Basque Country, 23 March 2024
MF Giorgian de Arrascaeta (1994-06-01) 1 June 1994 (age 30) 53 10 Brazil Flamengo v.  Ecuador, 15 October 2024
MF Nicolás de la Cruz (1997-06-01) 1 June 1997 (age 27) 32 5 Brazil Flamengo v.  Ecuador, 15 October 2024
MF Emiliano Martínez (1999-08-17) 17 August 1999 (age 25) 4 0 Denmark Midtjylland v.  Ecuador, 15 October 2024
MF Facundo Bernal (2003-08-21) 21 August 2003 (age 21) 0 0 Brazil Fluminense v.  Ecuador, 15 October 2024
MF Marco Oroná (2005-08-06) 6 August 2005 (age 19) 0 0 Chile Universidad de Chile v.  Ecuador, 15 October 2024
MF Lucas Sanabria (2003-12-26) 26 December 2003 (age 20) 0 0 Uruguay Nacional v.  Ecuador, 15 October 2024
MF Tiago Palacios (2001-03-28) 28 March 2001 (age 23) 0 0 Argentina Estudiantes v.  Venezuela, 10 September 2024
MF Lucas Pino (2005-10-30) 30 October 2005 (age 19) 0 0 Uruguay Montevideo City Torque v.  Venezuela, 10 September 2024
MF César Araújo (2001-04-02) 2 April 2001 (age 23) 1 0 United States Orlando City 2024 Copa América PRE
MF Matías Vecino (1991-08-24) 24 August 1991 (age 33) 70 6 Italy Lazio v.  Basque Country, 23 March 2024 RET
MF Rodrigo Zalazar (1999-08-12) 12 August 1999 (age 25) 2 2 Portugal Braga v.  Basque Country, 23 March 2024
FW Matías Abaldo (2004-04-02) 2 April 2004 (age 20) 0 0 Argentina Gimnasia LP v.  Ecuador, 15 October 2024
FW Joaquín Lavega (2005-02-03) 3 February 2005 (age 19) 0 0 Uruguay River Plate Montevideo v.  Ecuador, 15 October 2024
FW Pablo Suárez (2005-11-14) 14 November 2005 (age 19) 0 0 Uruguay Montevideo Wanderers v.  Ecuador, 15 October 2024
FW Miguel Merentiel (1996-02-24) 24 February 1996 (age 28) 1 0 Argentina Boca Juniors v.  Venezuela, 10 September 2024
FW Luis Suárez (1987-01-24) 24 January 1987 (age 37) 143 69 United States Inter Miami v.  Paraguay, 6 September 2024 RET
FW Agustín Canobbio (1998-10-01) 1 October 1998 (age 26) 13 1 Brazil Athletico Paranaense 2024 Copa América
FW Brian Ocampo (1999-06-25) 25 June 1999 (age 25) 1 0 Spain Cádiz 2024 Copa América
FW Federico Viñas (1998-06-30) 30 June 1998 (age 26) 2 1 Spain Real Oviedo 2024 Copa América INJ
FW Ignacio Laquintana (1999-02-01) 1 February 1999 (age 25) 0 0 Brazil Santos v.  Ivory Coast, 26 March 2024
Notes
  • INJ = Withdrew due to injury
  • PRE = Preliminary squad
  • RET = Retired from the national team
  • SUS = Serving suspension
  • WD = Player withdrew from the squad due to non-injury issue.

Individual records

Main article: List of Uruguay international footballers

, after the match against Brazil.

Players in bold are still active with Uruguay.

Most appearances

Diego Godín 2018 (cropped)
Diego Godín is Uruguay's most capped player with 161 appearances.
Rank Player Caps Goals Career
1 Diego Godín 161 8 2005–2022
2 Luis Suárez 143 69 2007–2024
3 Edinson Cavani 136 58 2008–2022
4 Fernando Muslera 133 0 2009–2022
5 Maxi Pereira 125 3 2005–2018
6 Martín Cáceres 116 4 2007–2022
7 Diego Forlán 112 36 2002–2014
8 Cristian Rodríguez 110 11 2003–2018
9 Diego Lugano 95 9 2003–2014
10 José María Giménez 92 8 2013–present

Top goalscorers

Luis Suárez 2018
Luis Suárez is Uruguay's top scorer with 69 goals.
Rank Player Goals Caps Ratio Career
1 Luis Suárez (list) 69 143 0.48 2007–2024
2 Edinson Cavani 58 136 0.43 2008–2022
3 Diego Forlán 36 112 0.32 2002–2014
4 Héctor Scarone 31 51 0.61 1917–1930
5 Ángel Romano 28 69 0.41 1913–1927
6 Óscar Míguez 27 39 0.69 1950–1958
7 Sebastián Abreu 26 70 0.37 1996–2012
8 Pedro Petrone 24 28 0.86 1923–1930
9 Fernando Morena 22 53 0.42 1971–1983
Carlos Aguilera 22 64 0.34 1982–1997

Competitive record

Main article: Uruguay national football team records and statistics

FIFA World Cup

Main article: Uruguay at the FIFA World Cup

     Champions       Runners-up       Third place        Fourth place      Tournament played fully or partially on home soil  

FIFA World Cup record Qualification record
Year Round Position Pld W D* L GF GA Squad Pos Pld W D L GF GA
Uruguay 1930 Champions 1st 4 4 0 0 15 3 Squad Qualified as hosts
Italy 1934 Refused to participate Qualified as defending champions
France 1938 Refused to participate
Brazil 1950 Champions 1st 4 3 1 0 15 5 Squad Qualified automatically
Switzerland 1954 Fourth place 4th 5 3 0 2 16 9 Squad Qualified as defending champions
Sweden 1958 Did not qualify 2nd 4 2 1 1 4 6
Chile 1962 Group stage 13th 3 1 0 2 4 6 Squad 1st 2 1 1 0 3 2
England 1966 Quarter-finals 7th 4 1 2 1 2 5 Squad 1st 4 4 0 0 11 2
Mexico 1970 Fourth place 4th 6 2 1 3 4 5 Squad 1st 4 3 1 0 5 0
West Germany 1974 Group stage 13th 3 0 1 2 1 6 Squad 1st 4 2 1 1 6 2
Argentina 1978 Did not qualify 2nd 4 1 2 1 5 4
Spain 1982 2nd 4 1 2 1 5 5
Mexico 1986 Round of 16 16th 4 0 2 2 2 8 Squad 1st 4 3 0 1 6 4
Italy 1990 16th 4 1 1 2 2 5 Squad 1st 4 3 0 1 7 2
United States 1994 Did not qualify 3rd 8 4 2 2 10 7
France 1998 7th 16 6 3 7 18 21
South Korea Japan 2002 Group stage 26th 3 0 2 1 4 5 Squad 5th 20 8 6 6 22 14
Germany 2006 Did not qualify 5th 20 7 7 6 24 29
South Africa 2010 Fourth place 4th 7 3 2 2 11 8 Squad 5th 20 7 7 6 30 21
Brazil 2014 Round of 16 12th 4 2 0 2 4 6 Squad 5th 18 8 5 5 30 25
Russia 2018 Quarter-finals 5th 5 4 0 1 7 3 Squad 2nd 18 9 4 5 32 20
Qatar 2022 Group stage 20th 3 1 1 1 2 2 Squad 3rd 18 8 4 6 22 22
Canada Mexico United States 2026 Qualification in progress TBD 12 5 5 2 17 9
Morocco Portugal Spain 2030 Qualified as commemorative match hosts Qualified as commemorative match hosts
Saudi Arabia 2034 To be determined To be determined
Total 2 Titles 14/22 59 25 13 21 89 76 — — 184 82 51 51 257 195
*Draws include knockout matches decided via penalty shoot-out.

Copa América

Main article: Uruguay at the Copa América
South American Championship / Copa América record
Year Round Position Pld W D* L GF GA Squad
Argentina 1916 Champions 1st 3 2 1 0 6 1 Squad
Uruguay 1917 Champions 1st 3 3 0 0 9 0 Squad
Brazil 1919 Runners-up 2nd 4 2 1 1 7 5 Squad
Chile 1920 Champions 1st 3 2 1 0 9 2 Squad
Argentina 1921 Third place 3rd 3 1 0 2 3 4 Squad
Brazil 1922 Third place 3rd 4 2 1 1 3 1 Squad
Uruguay 1923 Champions 1st 3 3 0 0 6 1 Squad
Uruguay 1924 Champions 1st 3 2 1 0 8 1 Squad
Argentina 1925 Withdrew
Chile 1926 Champions 1st 4 4 0 0 17 2 Squad
Peru 1927 Runners-up 2nd 3 2 0 1 15 3 Squad
Argentina 1929 Third place 3rd 3 1 0 2 4 6 Squad
Peru 1935 Champions 1st 3 3 0 0 6 1 Squad
Argentina 1937 Third place 3rd 5 2 0 3 11 14 Squad
Peru 1939 Runners-up 2nd 4 3 0 1 13 5 Squad
Chile 1941 Runners-up 2nd 4 3 0 1 10 1 Squad
Uruguay 1942 Champions 1st 6 6 0 0 21 2 Squad
Chile 1945 Fourth place 4th 6 3 0 3 14 6 Squad
Argentina 1946 Fourth place 4th 5 2 0 3 11 9 Squad
Ecuador 1947 Third place 3rd 7 5 0 2 21 8 Squad
Brazil 1949 Sixth place 6th 7 2 1 4 14 20 Squad
Peru 1953 Third place 3rd 6 3 1 2 15 6 Squad
Chile 1955 Fourth place 4th 5 2 1 2 12 12 Squad
Uruguay 1956 Champions 1st 5 4 1 0 9 3 Squad
Peru 1957 Third place 3rd 6 4 0 2 15 12 Squad
Argentina 1959 Sixth place 6th 6 2 0 4 15 14 Squad
Ecuador 1959 Champions 1st 4 3 1 0 13 1 Squad
Bolivia 1963 Withdrew
Uruguay 1967 Champions 1st 5 4 1 0 13 2 Squad
1975 Semifinals 3rd 2 1 0 1 1 3 Squad
1979 Group stage 6th 4 1 2 1 5 5 Squad
1983 Champions 1st 8 5 2 1 12 6 Squad
Argentina 1987 Champions 1st 2 2 0 0 2 0 Squad
Brazil 1989 Runners-up 2nd 7 4 0 3 11 3 Squad
Chile 1991 Group stage 5th 4 1 3 0 4 3 Squad
Ecuador 1993 Quarter-finals 6th 4 1 2 1 5 5 Squad
Uruguay 1995 Champions 1st 6 4 2 0 11 4 Squad
Bolivia 1997 Group stage 9th 3 1 0 2 2 2 Squad
Paraguay 1999 Runners-up 2nd 6 1 2 3 4 9 Squad
Colombia 2001 Fourth place 4th 6 2 2 2 7 7 Squad
Peru 2004 Third place 3rd 6 3 2 1 12 10 Squad
Venezuela 2007 Fourth place 4th 6 2 2 2 8 9 Squad
Argentina 2011 Champions 1st 6 3 3 0 9 3 Squad
Chile 2015 Quarter-finals 7th 4 1 1 2 2 3 Squad
United States 2016 Group stage 11th 3 1 0 2 4 4 Squad
Brazil 2019 Quarter-finals 6th 4 2 2 0 7 2 Squad
Brazil 2021 5th 5 2 2 1 4 2 Squad
United States 2024 Third place 3rd 6 3 2 1 11 4 Squad
Total 15 Title 46/48 212 115 40 57 421 226 —

CONMEBOL–UEFA Cup of Champions

CONMEBOL–UEFA Cup of Champions record
Year Round Position Pld W D* L GF GA
France 1985 Runners-up 2nd 1 0 0 1 0 2
Argentina 1993 Did not qualify
England 2022
Total Runners-up 1/3 1 0 0 1 0 2

FIFA Confederations Cup

FIFA Confederations Cup record
Year Round Position Pld W D* L GF GA Squad
Saudi Arabia 1992 Did not qualify
Saudi Arabia 1995
Saudi Arabia 1997 Fourth place 4th 5 3 0 2 8 6 Squad
Mexico 1999 Did not qualify
South Korea Japan 2001
France 2003
Germany 2005
South Africa 2009
Brazil 2013 Fourth place 4th 5 2 1 2 14 7 Squad
Russia 2017 Did not qualify
Total Fourth place 2/10 10 5 1 4 22 13 —

Olympic Games

Olympic Games record
Year Round Position Pld W D* L GF GA Squad
France 1900 Only club teams participated
United States 1904
United Kingdom 1908 Not an IOC member
Sweden 1912
Belgium 1920
France 1924 Gold medal 1st 5 5 0 0 20 2 Squad
Netherlands 1928 Gold medal 1st 5 4 1 0 12 5 Squad
Nazi Germany 1936 Withdrew
United Kingdom 1948 Did not participate
Finland 1952
Australia 1956
Italy 1960 Did not qualify
Japan 1964
Mexico 1968
West Germany 1972
Canada 1976 Withdrew
Soviet Union 1980 Did not qualify
United States 1984
South Korea 1988
Since 1992 See Uruguay national under-23 football team
Total 2 Gold medals 2/14 10 9 1 0 32 7 —

Pan American Games

Pan American Games record
Year Round Position Pld W D* L GF GA
Argentina 1951 Did not participate
Mexico 1955
United States 1959
Brazil 1963 Fourth place 4th 4 1 0 3 4 6
Canada 1967 Did not participate
Colombia 1971
Mexico 1975 Preliminary round 11th 2 0 1 1 1 2
Puerto Rico 1979 Did not enter
Venezuela 1983 Gold medal 1st 4 4 0 0 5 1
United States 1987 Did not participate
Cuba 1991
Argentina 1995
Since 1999 See Uruguay national under-23 football team
Total 1 Gold medal 3/12 10 5 1 4 10 9

Head-to-head record

Below is a list of all matches Uruguay have played against FIFA recognised teams. Updated as of 19 November 2024.

      Positive Record       Neutral Record       Negative Record

Honours

Major competitions

Worldwide

Intercontinental

  • CONMEBOL–UEFA Cup of Champions
    • 2 Runners-up (1): 1985

Continental

  • South American Championship / Copa América
    • 1 Champions (15): 1916, 1917, 1920, 1923, 1924, 1926, 1935, 1942, 1956, 1959 (Ecuador), 1967, 1983, 1987, 1995, 2011
    • 2 Runners-up (6): 1919, 1927, 1939, 1941, 1989, 1999
    • 3 Third place (10): 1921, 1922, 1929, 1937, 1947, 1953, 1957, 1975, 2004, 2024
  • Panamerican Championship
    • 3 Third place (1): 1952

Friendly

  • Copa Lipton (12): 1905, 1910, 1911, 1912, 1919, 1922, 1923, 1924, 1927, 1929, 1957, 1973
  • Copa Newton (11): 1912, 1913, 1915, 1917, 1919, 1920, 1922, 1923, 1929, 1930, 1968
  • Copa Premier Honor Argentino (3): 1908, 1910, 1912
  • Copa Premier Honor Uruguayo (8): 1911, 1912, 1913, 1914, 1918, 1919, 1920, 1922
  • Copa Héctor Rivadavia Gómez (2): 1936, 1940
  • Copa Círculo de la Prensa: 1919
  • Copa Ministro de Relaciones Exteriores: 1923
  • Copa Confraternidad Rioplatense: 1924
  • Copa Río Branco (3): 1940, 1946, 1967 (shared)
  • Copa Artigas (6): 1965, 1966, 1975 (shared), 1977, 1983, 1985
  • Copa Juan Pinto Durán (5): 1963, 1975, 1979, 1981, 1988
  • Copa Parra del Riego: 1994
  • Copa Ministerio de Vivienda: 1998
  • World Champions' Gold Cup: 1980
  • Nehru Cup: 1982
  • Copa William Poole: 1984
  • Miami Cup: 1986
  • Marlboro Cup: 1990
  • Tiger Beer Challenge Trophy: 2002
  • Lunar New Year Cup: 2003
  • LG Cup (2): 2003, 2006
  • Copa Confraternidad Antel: 2011
  • Copa 100 Años del Banco de Seguros del Estado: 2011
  • Kirin Challenge Cup: 2014
  • China Cup (2): 2018, 2019

Awards

Summary

Senior Competition 1 2 3 Total
FIFA World Cup 2 0 0 2
Olympic Games 2 0 0 2
Copa América 15 6 10 31
Panamerican Championship 0 0 1 1
CONMEBOL–UEFA Cup of Champions 0 1 0 1
Total 19 7 11 37

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Selección de fútbol de Uruguay para niños

  • Uruguay A' national football team
  • Uruguay national under-23 football team
  • Uruguay national under-20 football team
  • Uruguay national under-17 football team
  • Uruguay national futsal team
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