Fede Valverde, Darwin Nunez Named As Uruguay Announce FIFA World Cup 2026 Squad; Luis Suarez Omitted

FIFA World Cup 2026: Uruguay have officially unveiled their squad for the upcoming FIFA World Cup, with a surprising omission of veteran striker Luis Suarez.

The 39-year-old forward, a talismanic figure for the national team over the past 11 years, will not be part of the squad for the tournament in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Suarez is not included for the first time since La Celeste returned at South Africa 2010 to the World Cups.

Another main surprise is the omission of Nahitan Nandez, who was a starter during the qualifiers.

From the Brazilian league, Guillermo Varela, Giorgian de Arrascaeta and Nicolas de la Cruz, from Flamengo, Joaquin Piquerez and Emiliano Martinez, from Palmeiras, as well as Agustin Canobbio, from Fluminense, and Sergio Rochet, from Inter, were called up.

Uruguay will begin their 2026 World Cup campaign in Group H when they face Saudi Arabia on June 16, followed by their fixtures against Cape Verde on June 22 and a high-voltage fixture against Spain on June 27.

Uruguay squad for FIFA World Cup 2026:

Goalkeepers: Sergio Rochet, Fernando Muslera and Santiago Mele.

Defenders: Guillermo Varela, Ronald Araujo, Jose Maria Gimenez, Santiago Bueno, Sebastian Caceres, Mathias Olivera, Joaquin Piquerez, Matias Vina.

Midfielders: Manuel Ugarte, Emiliano Martinez, Rodrigo Bentancur, Federico Valverde, Agustin Canobbio, Juan Manuel Sanabria, Giorgian de Arrascaeta, Nicolas de la Cruz, Rodrigo Zalazar, Facundo Pellistri, Maximiliano Araujo, Brian Rodriguez.

Forwards: Rodrigo Aguirre, Federico Vinas and Darwin Nunez.