Upon arrival in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, the celestial delegation was subjected to a screening operation that included inspections of luggage, the team bus, and the presence of detector dogs. Images of the procedure circulated widely on social networks and generated comments among fans and journalists.
In addition, the charter flight from Cancun, Mexico, was delayed due to administrative and documentation issues, which reduced the team’s preparation time before its World Cup debut.
The reviews and setbacks in the transfer became one of the most talked about topics surrounding the team led by Marcelo Bielsa during the hours before the match.
Uruguay rescues a point against Saudi Arabia
Despite the logistical difficulties, Uruguay managed to rescue a 1-1 draw against Saudi Arabia at the Miami Stadium (Hard Rock Stadium), in a match corresponding to Group H.
The Saudi team took the lead in the 41st minute through Abdulelah Al-Amri, who took advantage of an error in the start of goalkeeper Fernando Muslera to open the scoring.
La Celeste improved its performance in the second half and found the tie in the 80th minute thanks to a powerful shot by Maximiliano Araújo inside the area.
In his official debut as Uruguayan coach in a World Cup, Bielsa opted for an offensive duo made up of Darwin Núñez and Federico Viñas, a variant that showed better results in the complement. In addition, Federico Valverde and Rodrigo Bentancur were fundamental in recovering the ball and generating play.
With this result, Uruguay added its first point in Group H, which also includes Spain and Cape Verde, teams that tied without goals the previous day.
Although the first half left doubts about the performance of the South American team, the reaction shown after the break allowed them to rescue a tie that keeps their aspirations open to advance to the next round of the 2026 World Cup.