16h59 CEST
31/05/2026
Uruguay's all-time leading goalscorer Luis Suarez has been left out of their 2026 World Cup squad by Marcelo Bielsa.
Suarez retired from international football in September 2024, but in April, he opened the door to a Celeste return by saying he "would never say no" to a World Cup call-up.
The 39-year-old has scored six goals in 11 MLS appearances for Inter Miami this year, with only Lionel Messi (12) and German Berterame (seven) netting more often for the Herons.
That is despite Suarez only starting seven times and playing a total of 614 minutes, but his good form at club level has not been rewarded with an international recall.
Instead, Darwin Nunez, Rodrigo Aguirre and Federico Vinas will compete for a starting spot in attack.
Suarez scored 69 goals in 143 appearances for Uruguay, including seven goals at four World Cups (three in 2010, two in 2014, two in 2018, none in 2022).
Real Madrid star Federico Valverde headlines Bielsa's 26-man squad, with Tottenham's Rodrigo Bentancur, Manchester United enforcer Manuel Ugarte and Braga's Rodrigo Zalazar among the other midfield options.
Ronald Araujo and Jose Maria Gimenez are among the defenders in Bielsa's party, with Uruguay having been drawn into Group H.
They open their campaign against Saudi Arabia in Miami on June 15, before facing Cape Verde and tournament favourites Spain.
The Opta supercomputer assigns Uruguay an 83.4% chance of escaping their group, a 39% chance of reaching the last 16 and a 20% probability of advancing to at least the quarter-finals. Their hopes of winning the tournament for a third time stand at 1.5%.
La lista final, los 26 elegidos de Marcelo Bielsa para representar al país en la Copa Mundial pic.twitter.com/9vc6eilVpo
— Selección Uruguaya (@Uruguay) May 31, 2026
Uruguay squad in full: Sergio Rochet (Internacional), Santiago Mele (Monterrey), Fernando Muslera (Estudiantes); Jose Maria Gimenez (Atletico Madrid), Sebastian Caceres (Club America), Ronald Araujo (Barcelona), Guillermo Varela (Flamengo), Mathias Olivera (Napoli), Matias Vina (River Plate), Santiago Bueno (Wolves), Jose Luis Rodriguez (Vasco da Gama), Joaquin Piquerez (Palmeiras); Manuel Ugarte (Manchester United), Juan Manuel Sanabria (Real Salt Lake), Nicolas de la Cruz (Flamengo), Emiliano Martinez (Palmeiras), Giorgian de Arrascaeta (Flamengo), Federico Valverde (Real Madrid), Maximiliano Araujo (Sporting CP), Nicolas Fonseca (Real Oviedo); Darwin Nunez (Al-Hilal), Facundo Pellistri (Panathinaikos), Agustin Canobbio (Fluminense), Brian Rodriguez (Club America), Federico Vinas (Real Oviedo), Facundo Torres (Austin FC), Agustin Alvarez (Monza), Rodrigo Aguirre (Tigres UANL).