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Uruguay national football team

The Uruguay national football team (Spanish: Selección de fútbol de Uruguay) represents Uruguay in international men's football, and is controlled by the Uruguayan Football Association, the governing body for football in Uruguay. The national team is commonly referred to as La Celeste (The Sky Blue).

Uruguay
Nickname(s)La Celeste (The Sky Blue)
Los Charrúas (The Charrúas)
AssociationUruguayan Football Association
ConfederationCONMEBOL (South America)
Head coachDiego Alonso
CaptainDiego Godín
Most capsDiego Godín (161)
Top scorerLuis Suárez (68)
Home stadiumEstadio Centenario
FIFA codeURU
First colours
Second colours
FIFA ranking
Current 16 2 (22 December 2022)[1]
Highest2 (June 2012)
Lowest76 (December 1998)
First international
 Uruguay 0–6 Argentina 
(Montevideo, Uruguay; 20 July 1902)[note 1]
Biggest win
 Uruguay 9–0 Bolivia 
(Lima, Peru; 6 November 1927)
Biggest defeat
 Uruguay 0–6 Argentina 
(Montevideo, Uruguay; 20 July 1902)
World Cup
Appearances14 (first in 1930)
Best resultChampions (1930, 1950)
Copa América
Appearances45 (first in 1916)
Best resultChampions (1916, 1917, 1920, 1923, 1924, 1926, 1935, 1942, 1956, 1959, 1967, 1983, 1987, 1995, 2011)
CONMEBOL–UEFA Cup of Champions
Appearances1 (first in 1985)
Best resultRunners-up (1985)
FIFA Confederations Cup
Appearances2 (first in 1997)
Best resultFourth place (1997, 2013)

Regarded to be one of the greatest footballing nations of all time, Uruguay has won the Copa América 15 times being tied with Argentina for the most titles in the history of the tournament. Uruguay won their most recent title in 2011. Additionally, Uruguay are holders of four FIFA recognized World Championships. The team has won the FIFA World Cup twice, including when they hosted the first World Cup in 1930, defeating in the final Argentina, 4–2. Their second title came in 1950, upsetting in the final match host Brazil 2–1, which had the highest attendance for a football match ever. Uruguay has also won gold medals at the Olympic football tournament twice, in 1924 and 1928.

History

The golden era

 
Uruguay before its first official match v Argentina, 20 July 1902
 
The team that won its second gold medal at the 1928 Summer Olympics

Although the first match ever recorded by an Uruguayan side was played on 16 May 1901 against Argentina, this is not considered an official game due to the match not having been organized by Uruguay's Football Association but rather by Albion F.C. in its home field in Paso del Molino. The Uruguayan side had nine players from that club and the remainder from Nacional.[2] The match considered the first official game played by Uruguay was held in the same venue, on 20 July 1902 against Argentina.[3] Argentina defeated the Uruguayan side by 6–0 in front of 8,000 spectators.[4][5] Uruguay line-up was: Enrique Sardeson; Carlos Carve Urioste, Germán Arímalo; Miguel Nebel (c), Alberto Peixoto, Luis Carbone; Bolívar Céspedes, Gonzalo Rincón, Juan Sardeson, Ernesto Boutón Reyes, Carlos Céspedes.[7][8] Prior to 1916, Uruguay played more than 30 matches, of which all but one were against Argentina. The inaugural Copa America provided Uruguay with more varied opposition. Victories over Chile and Brazil, along with a tie against Argentina, enabled Uruguay to win the tournament. The following year Uruguay hosted the competition, and retained the title by winning every game. The 1919 Copa América saw Uruguay's first defeat in the tournament, a 1–0 defeat in a playoff with Brazil which went to two periods of extra time, the longest Copa América match in history.[citation needed]

In 1924, the Uruguay team traveled to Paris to become the first South American team to compete in the Olympic Games. In contrast to the physical style of the European teams of the era, Uruguay played a style based around short passes,[9] and won every game, defeating Switzerland 3–0 in the gold medal match. In the 1928 Summer Olympics, Uruguay went to Amsterdam to defend their title, again winning the gold medal after defeating Argentina 2–1 in the replay of the final (the first match was a draw after extra time).

 
The team that beat Argentina in the final match of the 1930 FIFA World Cup to win Uruguay's first FIFA World Cup

Following the double Olympic triumph, Uruguay was chosen as the host nation for the first World Cup, held in 1930, the centenary of Uruguay's first constitution. During the World Cup, Uruguay won all its matches, and converted a 1–2 halftime deficit to a 4–2 victory against Argentina at the Estadio Centenario. Due to the refusal of some European teams to participate in the first World Cup, the Uruguayan Football Association urged other countries to reciprocate by boycotting the 1934 World Cup played in Italy. For the 1938 World Cup, France was chosen as host, contrary to a previous agreement to alternate the championships between South America and Europe, so Uruguay again refused to participate.

1950–2009

 
The team that beat Brazil in the decisive match of the 1950 FIFA World Cup to win Uruguay's second FIFA World Cup

Uruguay again won the World Cup in 1950, beating hosts Brazil in one of the biggest upsets in World Cup history. The decisive match was at the Maracanã Stadium in Brazil. Uruguay came from behind to beat the host nation in a match which would become known as the Maracanazo. Many Brazilians had to be treated for shock after the event, such was the surprise of Uruguay's victory.[10]

 
Rodolfo Rodríguez raises the Mundialito trophy won in January 1981

After their fourth-place finish in the 1954 World Cup, the team had mixed performances and after the fourth-place finish in 1970, their dominance, quality and performance dropped. They were no longer a world football power and failed to qualify for the World Cup on five occasions in the last nine competitions. They reached an all-time low and at one time ranked 76th in the FIFA World Rankings.

2010–present

In 2010, however, a new generation of footballers, led by Luis Suárez, Diego Forlán and Edinson Cavani, formed a team considered to be Uruguay's best in the last four decades, catching international attention after finishing fourth in the 2010 World Cup. Uruguay opened the tournament with a goalless draw against France, followed by defeats of South Africa (3–0) in and Mexico (1–0) respectively, finishing at the top of their group with seven points. In the second round, they played South Korea, defeating them 2–1 with star striker Luis Suárez scoring a brace and earning Uruguay a spot in the quarter-finals for the first time since 1970. Against Ghana, the match finished 1–1, forcing the game into extra-time. Both sides had their chances at extra time but Suárez blocked the ball with his hand in the penalty area, earning Suárez a red card and earning Uruguay universal scorn. Ghana striker Asamoah Gyan missed the subsequent penalty, forcing the game to go into penalties where Uruguay would win 4–2, sending them into the last four. They played the Netherlands in the semi-finals but were beaten 3–2. For the third-place match, they played Germany, again losing 3–2. This placed Uruguay in fourth place for the tournament, their best result in 40 years. Diego Forlan was awarded the Player of The Tournament.

 
Uruguay v Saudi Arabia match at the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia

A year later, they won the Copa America for the first time in 16 years and broke the record for the most successful team in South America. Luis Suárez ended up as the Player of The Tournament. In the 2014 World Cup Uruguay was placed in Group D alongside Costa Rica, England, and Italy. They were upset by Costa Rica in the opening match, losing 3–1 despite taking the lead in the first half. They rebounded with a 2–1 victory over England, in which Suárez scored a brace right after coming back from an injury, and a 1–0 victory over Italy, placing them second in their group and earning a spot in the last 16. During the match against Italy, forward Luis Suárez bit Italian defender Giorgio Chiellini on his left shoulder. Two days after the match, the FIFA Disciplinary Committee banned Suárez for nine international matches, the longest such ban in World Cup history, exceeding the eight-match ban handed to Italy's Mauro Tassotti for breaking the nose of Spain's Luis Enrique in 1994.[11][12][13] Suárez was also banned from taking part in any football-related activity (including entering any stadium) for four months and fined CHF100,000 (approx. £65,700/€82,000/US$119,000).[11][12][14] In the round of 16, Uruguay played Colombia but were beaten 2–0, eliminating them from the tournament.

At the 2015 and 2016 Copa América, Uruguay, missing banned striker Luis Suárez, were eliminated in the quarter-finals and group stages respectively. After a successful World Cup qualifying campaign, finishing second, Uruguay made it to the 2018 World Cup in Russia. Uruguay won its group after three victories, and advanced to the quarter-finals after a 2–1 win over Portugal.[15][16] However, they were eliminated 2–0 in the quarter-finals by the eventual champions France.

At the 2022 FIFA World Cup, Uruguay was drawn into Group H with Portugal, Ghana and South Korea. They started the tournament with a 0–0 draw against South Korea, before they fell to a 2–0 defeat to Portugal. Although despite a 0–2 victory against Ghana in their final group game, Uruguay was knocked out of the tournament in the group stages for the first time since 2002, on goals scored following South Korea’s shock 2–1 win against Portugal.[17]

Team image

Kits and crest

 
Uruguay at the 2014 FIFA World Cup, wearing the light blue shirt they have worn since 1910

Between 1901 and 1910, Uruguay wore a variety of different shirts during its matches. The first shirt worn was the Albion F.C. one, in the unofficial debut of the national team v Argentina in 1901.[18] It was followed by a variety of shirts, including a solid green one and even a shirt with the colours of the flag of Artigas.

On 10 April 1910, now-defunct club River Plate defeated Argentine side Alumni 2–1, being the first time an Uruguayan team beat that legendary team. That day River Plate wore its alternate jersey, a light blue one due to the home jersey was similar to Alumni's.[19] Ricardo LeBas proposed Uruguay to wear a light blue jersey as a tribute to the victory of River Plate over Alumni. This was approved by president of the Uruguayan Association, Héctor Gómez.[20] The light blue (Celeste) jersey debuted in a Copa Lipton match v Argentina on 15 August 1910. Uruguay won 3–1.[21]

The red shirt that was used in some previous away strips was first used at the 1935 Copa América, held in Santa Beatriz in Peru, which Uruguay won. It was not worn again (except for a 1962 FIFA World Cup match, against Colombia[22]) until 1991, when it was officially adopted as the away jersey.[23]

Uruguay displays four stars in its emblem. This is unique in world football as two of the stars represent the gold medals received at the 1924 and 1928 Summer Olympics, which are the only editions recognised by FIFA as senior World Championships.[24][25][26] In 2021, after a FIFA employee contacted PUMA about modifying the team's crest, FIFA reconfirmed and approved once again the use of all four stars on the shirt.[27]

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
1902–03 [note 4]
 
 
 
 
 
 
1905–07 [note 5]
 
 
 
 
 
1908–10 [note 6]
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
1910–present [note 7]

Kit sponsorship

Kit supplier Period
Adidas 1974–1982
Le Coq Sportif 1983–1986
Puma 1987–1991
Ennerre 1992–1998
Meta 1999–2001
L-Sporto 2002–2004
Uhlsport 2004–2006
Puma 2006–present
 
Uruguay national team fans at 2014 FIFA World Cup

Home stadium

Since 1930, Uruguay have played their home games at the Estadio Centenario in the Uruguayan capital Montevideo. The stadium was built as a celebration of the centenary of Uruguay's first constitution, and had a capacity of 90,000 when first fully opened.[30] The stadium hosted several matches in the 1930 World Cup, including the final, which was watched by a crowd of 93,000.[31]

Rivalries

Argentina

Uruguay has a long-standing rivalry with Argentina, that came into existence when they beat their South American neighbors 4–2 in the first World Cup final, held in Montevideo in 1930.

Brazil

Uruguay has an old rivalry with their South American neighbors. Their best known match was played at the 1950 World Cup in Brazil where Uruguay won 2–1 in front of almost 200,000 spectators at the Maracanã Stadium, thus winning the competition and earning their second World Cup title.

Results and fixtures

The following is a list of match results from the previous 12 months, as well as any future matches that have been scheduled.

  Win   Draw   Loss

2022

1 February 2022 (2022-02-01) 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification Uruguay   4–1   Venezuela Montevideo, Uruguay
20:00 UTC−3
Report Stadium: Estadio Centenario
Attendance: 55,000
Referee: Bruno Arleu de Araújo (Brazil)
24 March 2022 (2022-03-24) 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification Uruguay   1–0   Peru Montevideo, Uruguay
20:30 UTC−3 Report Stadium: Estadio Centenario
Referee: Anderson Daronco (Brazil)
29 March 2022 (2022-03-29) 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification Chile   0–2   Uruguay Santiago, Chile
20:30 UTC−3 Report
Stadium: Estadio San Carlos de Apoquindo
Referee: Patricio Loustau (Argentina)
2 June 2022 Friendly Mexico   0–3   Uruguay Glendale, United States
19:00 UTC−7 Report
Stadium: State Farm Stadium
Attendance: 57,735
Referee: Juan Calderón (Costa Rica)
5 June 2022 Friendly United States   0–0   Uruguay Kansas City, United States
17:00 UTC−5 Report Stadium: Children's Mercy Park
Attendance: 19,569
Referee: Adonai Escobedo (Mexico)
11 June 2022 Friendly Uruguay   5–0   Panama Montevideo, Uruguay
17:00 UTC−3
Report Stadium: Estadio Centenario
Referee: Cristián Garay (Chile)
23 September 2022 (2022-09-23) Friendly Iran   1–0   Uruguay Sankt Pölten, Austria
18:00 UTC+2
Report Stadium: NV Arena
Referee: Walter Altmann (Austria)
27 September 2022 (2022-09-27) Friendly Canada   0–2   Uruguay Bratislava, Slovakia
18:00 UTC+2 Report
Stadium: Tehelné pole
Referee: Peter Kráľovič (Slovakia)
24 November 2022 (2022-11-24) 2022 FIFA World Cup Uruguay   0–0   South Korea Al Rayyan, Qatar
16:00 AST (UTC+3) Report Stadium: Education City Stadium
Attendance: 41,663
Referee: Clément Turpin (France)
28 November 2022 (2022-11-28) 2022 FIFA World Cup Portugal   2–0   Uruguay Lusail, Qatar
22:00 AST (UTC+3)
Report Stadium: Lusail Iconic Stadium
Attendance: 88,668
Referee: Alireza Faghani (Iran)
2 December 2022 (2022-12-02) 2022 FIFA World Cup Ghana   0–2   Uruguay Al Wakrah, Qatar
18:00 AST (UTC+3) Report
Stadium: Al Janoub Stadium
Attendance: 43,443
Referee: Daniel Siebert (Germany)

2023

24 March 2023 (2023-03-24) Friendly Japan   v   Uruguay Tokyo, Japan
--:-- UTC+9 Stadium: Japan National Stadium
28 March 2023 (2023-03-28) Friendly South Korea   v   Uruguay Seoul, South Korea
--:-- UTC+9 Stadium: Seoul World Cup Stadium

Coaching staff

Current personnel

Position Name
Head coach   Diego Alonso
Assistant coaches   Darío Rodríguez
  Diego Raimondi
Goalkeeping coach   Carlos Nicola
Fitness coach   Óscar Ortega
  Guillermo Souto
Physiologists   Bruno Mazziotti
  Guilherme Rodrigues

Coaching history

Players

Current squad

The following 26 players were called up for the 2022 FIFA World Cup.[33]

Caps and goals correct as of 2 December 2022, after the match against Ghana.

No. Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club
1 1GK Fernando Muslera (1986-06-16) 16 June 1986 (age 36) 133 0   Galatasaray
12 1GK Sebastián Sosa (1986-08-19) 19 August 1986 (age 36) 1 0   UNAM
23 1GK Sergio Rochet (1993-03-23) 23 March 1993 (age 29) 11 0   Nacional

2 2DF José Giménez (1995-01-20) 20 January 1995 (age 28) 81 8   Atlético Madrid
3 2DF Diego Godín (captain) (1986-02-16) 16 February 1986 (age 36) 161 8   Vélez Sarsfield
4 2DF Ronald Araújo (1999-03-07) 7 March 1999 (age 23) 12 0   Barcelona
13 2DF Guillermo Varela (1993-03-24) 24 March 1993 (age 29) 12 0   Flamengo
16 2DF Mathías Olivera (1997-10-31) 31 October 1997 (age 25) 11 0   Napoli
17 2DF Matías Viña (1997-11-09) 9 November 1997 (age 25) 28 0   Bournemouth
19 2DF Sebastián Coates (1990-10-07) 7 October 1990 (age 32) 49 1   Sporting CP
22 2DF Martín Cáceres (1987-04-07) 7 April 1987 (age 35) 116 4   LA Galaxy
26 2DF José Luis Rodríguez (1997-03-14) 14 March 1997 (age 25) 0 0   Vasco da Gama

5 3MF Matías Vecino (1991-08-24) 24 August 1991 (age 31) 65 4   Lazio
6 3MF Rodrigo Bentancur (1997-06-25) 25 June 1997 (age 25) 54 1   Tottenham Hotspur
7 3MF Nicolás de la Cruz (1997-06-01) 1 June 1997 (age 25) 19 2   River Plate
10 3MF Giorgian de Arrascaeta (1994-06-01) 1 June 1994 (age 28) 42 10   Flamengo
14 3MF Lucas Torreira (1996-02-11) 11 February 1996 (age 26) 40 0   Galatasaray
15 3MF Federico Valverde (1998-07-22) 22 July 1998 (age 24) 47 4   Real Madrid
25 3MF Manuel Ugarte (2001-04-11) 11 April 2001 (age 21) 6 0   Sporting CP

8 4FW Facundo Pellistri (2001-12-20) 20 December 2001 (age 21) 10 0   Manchester United
9 4FW Luis Suárez (1987-01-24) 24 January 1987 (age 36) 137 68   Grêmio
11 4FW Darwin Núñez (1999-06-24) 24 June 1999 (age 23) 16 3   Liverpool
18 4FW Maxi Gómez (1996-08-14) 14 August 1996 (age 26) 29 4   Trabzonspor
20 4FW Facundo Torres (2000-04-13) 13 April 2000 (age 22) 10 0   Orlando City
21 4FW Edinson Cavani (1987-02-14) 14 February 1987 (age 35) 136 58   Valencia
24 4FW Agustín Canobbio (1998-10-01) 1 October 1998 (age 24) 4 0   Athletico Paranaense

Recent call-ups

The following players have also been called up to the Uruguay squad in the past twelve months.

Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club Latest call-up
GK Guillermo de Amores (1994-10-19) 19 October 1994 (age 28) 0 0   Sporting Gijón 2022 FIFA World Cup PRE
GK Santiago Mele (1997-09-06) 6 September 1997 (age 25) 0 0   Unión Santa Fe 2022 FIFA World Cup PRE
GK Gastón Olveira (1993-04-21) 21 April 1993 (age 29) 0 0   Olimpia 2022 FIFA World Cup PRE
GK Martín Campaña (1989-05-29) 29 May 1989 (age 33) 9 0   Al-Batin v.   Chile, 29 March 2022 PRE
GK Nicolás Vikonis (1984-04-06) 6 April 1984 (age 38) 0 0   Mazatlán v.   Chile, 29 March 2022 PRE

DF Giovanni González (1994-09-20) 20 September 1994 (age 28) 16 0   Mallorca 2022 FIFA World Cup PRE
DF Joaquín Piquerez (1998-08-24) 24 August 1998 (age 24) 7 0   Palmeiras 2022 FIFA World Cup PRE
DF Damián Suárez (1988-04-27) 27 April 1988 (age 34) 7 0   Getafe 2022 FIFA World Cup PRE
DF Sebastián Cáceres (1999-08-18) 18 August 1999 (age 23) 2 0   América 2022 FIFA World Cup PRE
DF Bruno Méndez (1999-09-10) 10 September 1999 (age 23) 2 0   Corinthians 2022 FIFA World Cup PRE
DF Agustín Rogel (1997-10-17) 17 October 1997 (age 25) 1 0   Hertha BSC 2022 FIFA World Cup PRE
DF Gastón Álvarez (2000-03-24) 24 March 2000 (age 22) 0 0   Getafe 2022 FIFA World Cup PRE
DF Santiago Bueno (1998-11-09) 9 November 1998 (age 24) 0 0   Girona 2022 FIFA World Cup PRE
DF Leandro Cabrera (1991-06-17) 17 June 1991 (age 31) 0 0   Espanyol 2022 FIFA World Cup PRE
DF Alfonso Espino (1992-01-05) 5 January 1992 (age 31) 0 0   Cádiz 2022 FIFA World Cup PRE
DF Lucas Olaza (1994-07-21) 21 July 1994 (age 28) 0 0   Real Valladolid 2022 FIFA World Cup PRE
DF Federico Pereira (2000-02-24) 24 February 2000 (age 22) 0 0   Liverpool Montevideo 2022 FIFA World Cup PRE
DF Emanuel Gularte (1997-09-30) 30 September 1997 (age 25) 0 0   Puebla v.   Chile, 29 March 2022 PRE

MF Mauro Arambarri (1995-09-30) 30 September 1995 (age 27) 12 0   Getafe 2022 FIFA World Cup PRE
MF Fernando Gorriarán (1994-11-27) 27 November 1994 (age 28) 7 0   UANL 2022 FIFA World Cup PRE
MF César Araújo (2001-04-02) 2 April 2001 (age 21) 0 0   Orlando City 2022 FIFA World Cup PRE
MF Maximiliano Araújo (2000-02-15) 15 February 2000 (age 22) 0 0   Puebla 2022 FIFA World Cup PRE
MF Felipe Carballo (1996-10-04) 4 October 1996 (age 26) 0 0   Grêmio 2022 FIFA World Cup PRE
MF Fabricio Díaz (2003-02-03) 3 February 2003 (age 20) 0 0   Liverpool Montevideo 2022 FIFA World Cup PRE
MF Rodrigo Zalazar (1999-08-12) 12 August 1999 (age 23) 0 0   Schalke 04 v.   Canada, 27 September 2022 PRE
MF Gastón Pereiro (1995-06-11) 11 June 1995 (age 27) 13 5   Nacional v.   Chile, 29 March 2022 PRE
MF Santiago Rodríguez (2000-01-08) 8 January 2000 (age 23) 0 0   Montevideo City Torque v.   Chile, 29 March 2022 PRE
MF Juan Manuel Sanabria (2000-03-29) 29 March 2000 (age 22) 0 0   Atlético San Luis v.   Chile, 29 March 2022 PRE

FW Jonathan Rodríguez (1993-07-06) 6 July 1993 (age 29) 29 3   América 2022 FIFA World Cup PRE
FW Agustín Álvarez Martínez (2001-05-19) 19 May 2001 (age 21) 4 1   Sassuolo 2022 FIFA World Cup PRE
FW Diego Rossi (1998-03-05) 5 March 1998 (age 24) 4 1   Fenerbahçe 2022 FIFA World Cup PRE
FW David Terans (1994-06-11) 11 June 1994 (age 28) 2 0   Athletico Paranaense 2022 FIFA World Cup PRE
FW Brian Ocampo (1999-06-25) 25 June 1999 (age 23) 1 0   Cádiz 2022 FIFA World Cup PRE
FW Martín Satriano (2001-02-20) 20 February 2001 (age 21) 1 0   Empoli 2022 FIFA World Cup PRE
FW Thiago Borbas (2002-04-07) 7 April 2002 (age 20) 0 0   Red Bull Bragantino 2022 FIFA World Cup PRE
FW Nicolás López (1993-10-01) 1 October 1993 (age 29) 0 0   UANL 2022 FIFA World Cup PRE
FW Federico Martínez (1996-02-28) 28 February 1996 (age 26) 1 0   Nacional v.   Chile, 29 March 2022 PRE

PRE Preliminary squad
COV Withdrew from squad due to COVID-19
INJ Injured

Player records

As of 2 December 2022, after the match against Ghana[34]
Players in bold are still active with Uruguay.

Competitive record

FIFA World Cup

  Champions    Runners-up    Third place     Fourth place      Tournament played fully or partially on home soil  

FIFA World Cup record Qualification record
Year Round Position Pld W D* L GF GA Squad Pos Pld W D L GF GA
  1930 Champions 1st 4 4 0 0 15 3 Squad Qualified as hosts
  1934 Refused to participate Qualified as defending champions
  1938 Refused to participate
  1950 Champions 1st 4 3 1 0 15 5 Squad Qualified automatically
  1954 Fourth place 4th 5 3 0 2 16 9 Squad Qualified as defending champions
  1958 Did not qualify 2nd 4 2 1 1 4 6
  1962 Group stage 13th 3 1 0 2 4 6 Squad 1st 2 1 1 0 3 2
  1966 Quarter-finals 7th 4 1 2 1 2 5 Squad 1st 4 4 0 0 11 2
  1970 Fourth place 4th 6 2 1 3 4 5 Squad 1st 4 3 1 0 5 0
  1974 Group stage 13th 3 0 1 2 1 6 Squad 1st 4 2 1 1 6 2
  1978 Did not qualify 2nd 4 1 2 1 5 4
  1982 2nd 4 1 2 1 5 5
  1986 Round of 16 16th 4 0 2 2 2 8 Squad 1st 4 3 0 1 6 4
  1990 16th 4 1 1 2 2 5 Squad 1st 4 3 0 1 7 2
  1994 Did not qualify 3rd 8 4 2 2 10 7
  1998 7th 16 6 3 7 18 21
    2002 Group stage 26th 3 0 2 1 4 5 Squad 5th 20 8 6 6 22 14
  2006 Did not qualify 5th 20 7 7 6 24 29
  2010 Fourth place 4th 7 3 2 2 11 8 Squad 5th 20 7 7 6 30 21
  2014 Round of 16 12th 4 2 0 2 4 6 Squad 5th 18 8 5 5 30 25
  2018 Quarter-finals 5th 5 4 0 1 7 3 Squad 2nd 18 9 4 5 32 20
  2022 Group stage 20th 3 1 1 1 2 2 Squad 3rd 18 8 4 6 22 22
      2026 To be determined To be determined
Total 2 Titles 14/22 59 25 13 21 89 76 172 77 46 49 240 186
*Draws include knockout matches decided via penalty shoot-out.

Copa América

South American Championship / Copa América record
Year Round Position Pld W D* L GF GA Squad
  1916 Champions 1st 3 2 1 0 6 1 Squad
  1917 Champions 1st 3 3 0 0 9 0 Squad
  1919 Runners-up 2nd 4 2 1 1 7 5 Squad
  1920 Champions 1st 3 2 1 0 9 2 Squad
  1921 Third place 3rd 3 1 0 2 3 4 Squad
  1922 Third place 3rd 4 2 1 1 3 1 Squad
  1923 Champions 1st 3 3 0 0 6 1 Squad
  1924 Champions 1st 3 2 1 0 8 1 Squad
  1925 Withdrew
  1926 Champions 1st 4 4 0 0 17 2 Squad
  1927 Runners-up 2nd 3 2 0 1 15 3 Squad
  1929 Third place 3rd 3 1 0 2 4 6 Squad
  1935 Champions 1st 3 3 0 0 6 1 Squad
  1937 Third place 3rd 5 2 0 3 11 14 Squad
  1939 Runners-up 2nd 4 3 0 1 13 5 Squad
  1941 Runners-up 2nd 4 3 0 1 10 1 Squad
  1942 Champions 1st 6 6 0 0 21 2 Squad
  1945 Fourth place 4th 6 3 0 3 14 6 Squad
  1946 Fourth place 4th 5 2 0 3 11 9 Squad
  1947 Third place 3rd 7 5 0 2 21 8 Squad
  1949 Sixth place 6th 7 2 1 4 14 20 Squad
  1953 Third place 3rd 6 3 1 2 15 6 Squad
  1955 Fourth place 4th 5 2 1 2 12 12 Squad
  1956 Champions 1st 5 4 1 0 9 3 Squad
  1957 Third place 3rd 6 4 0 2 15 12 Squad
  1959 Sixth place 6th 6 2 0 4 15 14 Squad
  1959 Champions 1st 4 3 1 0 13 1 Squad
  1963 Withdrew
  1967 Champions 1st 5 4 1 0 13 2 Squad
1975 Fourth place 4th 2 1 0 1 1 3 Squad
1979 Group stage 6th 4 1 2 1 5 5 Squad
1983 Champions 1st 8 5 2 1 12 6 Squad
  1987 Champions 1st 2 2 0 0 2 0 Squad
  1989 Runners-up 2nd 7 4 0 3 11 3 Squad
  1991 Group stage 5th 4 1 3 0 4 3 Squad
  1993 Quarter-finals 6th 4 1 2 1 5 5 Squad
  1995 Champions 1st 6 4 2 0 11 4 Squad
  1997 Group stage 9th 3 1 0 2 2 2 Squad
  1999 Runners-up 2nd 6 1 2 3 4 9 Squad
  2001 Fourth place 4th 6 2 2 2 7 7 Squad
  2004 Third place 3rd 6 3 2 1 12 10 Squad
  2007 Fourth place 4th 6 2 2 2 8 9 Squad
  2011 Champions 1st 6 3 3 0 9 3 Squad
  2015 Quarter-finals 7th 4 1 1 2 2 3 Squad
  2016 Group stage 11th 3 1 0 2 4 4 Squad
  2019 Quarter-finals 6th 4 2 2 0 7 2 Squad
  2021 5th 5 2 2 1 4 2 Squad
  2024 Qualified
Total 15 Titles 45/47 206 112 38 56 410 222

FIFA Confederations Cup

FIFA Confederations Cup record
Year Round Position Pld W D* L GF GA Squad
  1992 Did not qualify
  1995
  1997 Fourth place 4th 5 3 0 2 8 6 Squad
  1999 Did not qualify
    2001
  2003
  2005
  2009
  2013 Fourth place 4th 5 2 1 2 14 7 Squad
  2017 Did not qualify
Total Fourth place 2/10 10 5 1 4 22 13

CONMEBOL–UEFA Cup of Champions

CONMEBOL–UEFA Cup of Champions record
Year Round Position Pld W D* L GF GA
  1985 Runners-up 2nd 1 0 0 1 0 2
  1993 Did not qualify
  2022
Total Runners-up 1/3 1 0 0 1 0 2

Olympic Games

Olympic Games record
Year Round Position Pld W D* L GF GA Squad
  1900 Did not participate
  1904
  1908
  1912
  1920
  1924 Gold medal 1st 5 5 0 0 20 2 Squad
  1928 Gold medal 1st 5 4 1 0 12 5 Squad
  1936 Withdrew[35]
  1948 Did not qualify
  1952
  1956
  1960
  1964
  1968
  1972
  1976 Withdrew[36]
  1980 Did not qualify
  1984
  1988
Since 1992 See Uruguay national under-23 football team
Total 2 Gold medals 3/19 10 9 1 0 32 7

Pan American Games

Pan American Games record
Year Round Position Pld W D* L GF GA
  1951 Did not participate
  1955
  1959
  1963 Fourth place 4th 4 1 0 3 4 6
  1967 Did not participate
  1971
  1975 Preliminary round 11th 2 0 1 1 1 2
  1979 Did not enter
  1983 Gold medal 1st 4 4 0 0 5 1
  1987 Did not participate
  1991
  1995
Since 1999 See Uruguay national under-23 football team
Total 1 Gold medal 3/12 10 5 1 4 10 9

Head-to-head record

Below is a list of all matches Uruguay have played against FIFA recognised teams.[37] Updated as of 2 December 2022.

  Positive Record   Neutral Record   Negative Record