Fernando Muslera made another mistake that complicates Uruguay’s future in the 2026 World Cup. This is how coach Marcelo Bielsa perceived it, who replaced him at the end of the first half and goalkeeper Sergio Rochet entered his place.
According to data from Opta, the 40-year-old Uruguayan goalkeeper has three errors that directly led to scoring during the group stage of the 2026 World Cup, a record that has not occurred since comparable statistics exist in the biggest event in football.
The most recent occurred in the match against Spain. At minute 42, Marcos Llorente sent a cross from the right wing, Álex Baena controlled inside the area and took a cross shot. Although the shot was centered and without much power, Muslera failed to block the ball, which ended up inside the goal for the partial 1-0.
Muslera’s three mistakes in the 2026 World Cup
Saudi Arabia (first day)
In Uruguay’s debut, Muslera failed to control a frontal shot from Mohammed Kanno. The rebound was served to Al Amri, who took the opportunity to score.
Cape Verde (second day)
In the 2-2 draw, the goalkeeper mistakenly left his area in an action that ended in the African team’s second goal, an error that ended up costing the Celeste two points.
Spain (third day)
Against La Roja, Muslera failed to block a shot from Álex Baena after a cross from Marcos Llorente and allowed the partial 1-0.
A World Cup to forget
The experienced goalkeeper’s mistakes have had a direct impact on Uruguay’s performance during the group stage. La Celeste entered the final matchday with just two points and was forced to score against Spain to keep their qualification options alive.
Muslera returned to the national team after four years of absence and is playing in his fifth World Cup, a historic mark for a Uruguayan footballer. However, his participation will also be marked by an unprecedented statistical record in almost six decades.
Until the closing of this edition, Uruguay needs to reverse the result against Spain and wait for other scores to preserve its chances of advancing to the next round.