New-look Uruguay opens World Cup vs. Saudi Arabia in Miami without Luis Suarez
Uruguay’s World Cup team, which plays its opening match Monday against Saudi Arabia at Hard Rock Stadium, will be missing its most recognizable face from the past two decades.
Luis Suarez, the 39-year-old legendary Inter Miami forward, was the face of “La Celeste” (the sky blue) and its leading scorer during the past four World Cups. He had a falling-out with coach Marcelo Bielsa at the end of 2024 and stepped away from the team.
He later apologized and said in the run-up to this World Cup that he would “never say no to the national team,” but despite a hat trick in Miami’s final game before the World Cup break, the invitation never came. He said he will support Uruguay as an ardent fan this time around as the team kicks off at 6 p.m. on Monday.
One of the greatest strikers of all time, “El Pistolero” (The Gunslinger) scored 69 goals in 143 appearances for Uruguay between 2007 and 2024. He ranks fourth for the all-time South American men’s top goalscorers in international football, trailing only Pelé (77), Neymar (79), and Lionel Messi (116).
He also made headlines along the way.
In 2010 in South Africa, he helped Uruguay reach a fourth-place finish, partly because of a crucial goal-line handball in the quarterfinal against Ghana. In 2014 in Brazil, he was suspended in the group stage after biting Italy’s Giorgio Chiellini. In 2018 in Russia, Uruguay reached the quarterfinals, and Suarez became the first Uruguayan to score in three different World Cups.
He was also on the 2022 squad that did not make the knockout stage in Qatar.
Despite the absence of Suarez and retired star Edinson Cavani, there is optimism from fans after a fourth-place finish in the South American World Cup qualifying campaign and a third-place finish at the 2024 Copa America. Uruguay is No. 16 in the latest FIFA world rankings.
But the Uruguayan team has had highs and lows since Bielsa took over as coach three years ago. World Cup qualifying wins over Argentina and Brazil in 2023 were followed by a dreadful stretch with just one win in 12 games between summer of 2024 and summer of 2025.
A 5-1 rout by the United States in a Tampa friendly alarmed the fan base, and there were calls for Bielsa to resign, but they were reassured after the team tied England 1-1 and Algeria 0-0 in recent tuneup matches.
Uruguay’s team is loaded with European-based midfielders, including Real Madrid captain Federico Valverde, Manchester United’s Manuel Ugarte, Tottenham’s Rodrigo Betancur and Barcelona’s Ronaldo Araujo. Forward Darwin Nunez of Al-Hilal will be relied upon for scoring.
Other players to watch include winger Brian Rodriguez of Mexico’s Club America, whose nickname “Rayito” means “Little Lightning”; right back/winger Maximiliano Araujo of Sporting; and Real Oviedo forward Federico Vinas.
Bielsa’s teams are known for their high-pressing relentless counterattacking.
Uruguay has won two World Cups, the first ever in 1930 and in 1950, and gold medalists in the 1924 and 1928 Olympics, which served as world championships.
Its Group H opponents are Saudi Arabia (June 15 in Miami), Cape Verde (June 21 in Miami) and Spain (June 26 in Guadalajara).
“I think the debut is going to be the most difficult match,” Vinas told reporters after training at their Mexico camp this week. “There are many players making their World Cup debut, so we have to see how things go. We have been training very, very hard with great intensity and even though we did not play any warm up matches [in recent weeks], we had a chance to be with fans and that gave us very positive energy.”
Asked about dealing with the heat and humidity, starting with the opener in South Florida, Vinas said: “The humidity is very complicated, and this week [in Mexico] you could feel the humidity and we trained with intensity. But we can’t let it affect us. Hydration will play an important role.”
Center back Sebastian Caceres, who plays in Mexico for America, said he has been dreaming about playing in a World Cup since he was four years old.
“The first match is always the most difficult because of the anxiety, for many it is their first World Cup experience, and that makes it more challenging,” Caceres said. “Each person handles it differently. Some may find it helpful to be calm and clear their heads, while others may find it helpful to be more tense. I have dreamed of this moment for a long time and I want to enjoy it and represent the country in the best way possible.”