Marcelo Bielsa named Uruguay's 26-man roster for the 2026 World Cup on Sunday, selecting Real Madrid midfielder Federico Valverde, Barcelona centre back Ronald Araújo and Manchester United's Manuel Ugarte among his selections.
The most notable change from Uruguay's previous squad: veteran goalkeeper Fernando Muslera has come out of retirement at 39 years old. He will feature at his fifth World Cup, setting a national record for tournament appearances.
The list looks clean on paper; the hard part is everything that happens after it is printed.
Muslera's legacy stands at 133 caps and a 2011 Copa América title. He initially retired from international football in 2024.
Group Stage Opponents
Uruguay will face Spain, Saudi Arabia and Cape Verde in Group H. The team is currently ranked No. 17 in FIFA's global standings.
Sergio Rochet (Internacional)
Fernando Muslera (Estudiantes)
Santiago Mele (Monterrey)
Guillermo Varela (Flamengo)
Ronald Araújo (Barcelona)
José María Giménez (Atlético Madrid)
Santiago Bueno (Wolves)
Sebastián Cáceres (Club America)
Joaquín Piquerez (Palmeiras)
Matías Viña (River Plate)
Manuel Ugarte (Manchester United)
Emiliano Martínez (Palmeiras)
Rodrigo Bentancur (Tottenham Hotspur)
Federico Valverde (Real Madrid)
Agustín Canobbio (Fluminense)
Juan Manuel Sanabria (Real Salt Lake)
Giorgian de Arrascaeta (Fluminense)
Nicolás de la Cruz (Flamengo)
Rodrigo Zalazar (Braga)
Facundo Pellistri (Panathinaikos)
Maximiliano Araújo (Sporting CP)
Brian Rodríguez (Club America)
Rodrigo Aguirre (Tigres)
Federico Viñas (Real Oviedo)
Darwin Núñez (Al Hilal)
Luis Suárez Left Out
Uruguay's all-time leading scorer was not included in the squad. Suárez, who has 69 goals in 143 appearances, retired from international duty in September 2024.
In the months following his retirement, Suárez publicised his interest in returning to the national team. He currently has six goals and four assists in seven starts for Inter Miami this season.
"I wanted to be called up," Suárez said in early May. "Obviously, being Uruguayan, I would never turn down the national team. I stepped aside back then because I felt I needed to make way for the younger generation."
If called, Suárez would have matched Muslera's five World Cup appearances and had the opportunity to break Edinson Cavani's record of 17 World Cup matches for Uruguay.