World Cup Exit Fallout
Uruguay Cancels Team Charter Flights Home Following Humiliating World Cup Elimination
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Uruguay's World Cup campaign ended in disgrace on June 26, and the fallout has been swift. The Uruguayan Football Association (AUF) canceled the team's charter flight home to Montevideo after the squad finished third in Group H with just 2 points — draws against Saudi Arabia and Cape Verde, and a 1-0 loss to Spain. Players were told to book individual commercial flights back, a move Hindustan Times described as a deliberate signal of the federation's
The humiliation was compounded by who finished ahead of them: Cape Verde, a nation of just 600,000 people making their World Cup debut. Uruguayan media called it "the biggest embarrassment of the last 50 years," according to local journalist Martín Charquero, who first broke the story of the canceled charter.
Cape Verde Stuns Uruguay, Forcing Early Exit
Uruguay entered the 2026 World Cup ranked 16th in the world and as heavy favorites to top Group H. Instead, they were eliminated after collecting just 2 points across three matches. Their campaign opened with a 1-1 draw against Saudi Arabia on June 16 — a match they arrived at less than 24 hours before kickoff after a travel nightmare, according to Al Jazeera.
Things got worse on June 21, when Cape Verde held Uruguay to a 2-2 draw in a historic upset. Then came the fatal blow: a 1-0 loss to Spain on June 26, sealed by a goalkeeping error from 40-year-old Fernando Muslera. Uruguay managed zero shots on target against Spain until the 83rd minute, The Guardian reported. Cape Verde advanced to the knockout stage — the smallest nation by population ever to do so.
Charter Canceled as Punishment, or Standard Protocol?
On the morning of June 27, Martín Charquero reported that the AUF had scrapped the team's return charter flight. Players were told to make their own way home, either to their European clubs or back to Montevideo on commercial routes. Local outlets framed it as a "severe punishment" meant to signal the federation's disgust.
The AUF pushed back. In a clarifying statement, the federation said a charter was never organized in the first place, calling individual returns "standard post-tournament protocol." But Uruguayan journalists were unconvinced. The absence of a unified return flight — usually provided as a courtesy — is a deliberate break from tradition, they argued. Either way, the optics were damaging.
Bielsa Quits, Valverde Fumes, and a Locker Room Implodes
Behind the scenes, the squad was already fracturing. At 12:30 AM on June 27, reports emerged of a furious 48-minute locker room meeting. Senior players Federico Valverde and Rodrigo Bentancur reportedly clashed with head coach Marcelo Bielsa over his 4-3-3 tactics. Valverde had already been substituted during the Spain match and was filmed covering his mouth with his shirt in visible anger.
Bielsa confirmed his exit at a press conference on June 27 evening, taking full responsibility and saying, "What I leave to Uruguayan football is nothing." Analyst Tim Vickery described the campaign as a "complete horlicks," blaming "training ground burnout" from Bielsa's exhausting routines. The exit leaves Uruguay without a manager just weeks before the next qualifying cycle begins.
AUF Faces $5 Million Loss and Calls for Resignations
The sporting failure carries a steep financial cost. By not advancing past the group stage, the AUF forfeited at least $5 million in additional FIFA prize money. Uruguay collects the $12.5 million base payment, but reaching the Round of 32 would have secured $17.5 million. The 2026 World Cup prize pool totals $871 million — a 65% increase from 2022.
AUF President Ignacio Alonso now faces calls to resign. He made the key decisions on both the coaching structure and logistics that defined this disastrous campaign. Fans in Montevideo have expressed what local outlets called "rabia y decepción" — rage and disappointment — with some calling the squad "clowns of South America." Uruguay's second straight group-stage exit has sparked a crisis with no easy fix.
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