Uruguay national football team

The Uruguay national football team (Spanish: Selección de fútbol de Uruguay), nicknamed La Celeste ("The Sky Blue") and Los Charrúas ("The Charrúas"), have represented Uruguay in international men's football since their first international match in 1902 and is administered by the Asociación Uruguaya de Fútbol (English: Uruguayan Football Association), the governing body of football in Uruguay, which is a founding member of CONMEBOL since 1916 and a member of FIFA since 1923. It was also a member of PFC, which was the attempt at a unified confederation of the Americas from 1946 to 1961. Uruguay's home stadium is the Estadio Centenario, and they have been coached by Marcelo Bielsa since 2023.

Considered one of the most successful national teams in international competitions and by FIFA as "football's first global powerhouse,"^[8] Uruguay has won four world FIFA–organized championships, two Olympic titles and two FIFA World Cups.^[9][10] Their first two senior world titles came at the Olympic tournaments of Paris 1924 and Amsterdam 1928,^[11] two events that were directly organized by FIFA as open tournaments that included professionals.^[12] In the former, Uruguay beat Switzerland 3–0 in the final, whereas in the latter, Uruguay defeated Argentina 2–1.^[13] They then secured a third consecutive title at the inaugural FIFA World Cup in Montevideo, where they beat Argentina 4–2 in the decisive match.^[14] Uruguay's fourth title came in 1950 after beating hosts Brazil in the final match 2–1, a match that still holds the record for the highest official attendance for a football match ever (173,850 people at the gate). On account of these achievements, the Uruguayan national team displays four five-pointed stars approved by FIFA on its football crest. Uruguay were unbeaten in world championship matches from the 1924 Olympics until their semi-final loss in the 1954 World Cup marking a 30-year win streak and winning four consecutive world titles in tournaments they participated in, having chosen to opt out of the 1934 and 1938 World Cups. In regional competitions, Uruguay has won the Copa América 15 times, having also won the inaugural edition in 1916, second only to Argentina for the most titles in the tournament's history, with their most recent title in 2011. As of 2025, based on international senior official titles, Uruguay have won the second most major trophies, behind Argentina.^[15]

Uruguay has consistently performed well in global football rankings throughout their history, achieving their highest FIFA World Ranking of 2nd place in June 2012.^[16] In the World Football Elo Ratings, they have also reached the top spot on multiple occasions.^[17] Uruguay has also developed many rivalries through the years, with the most notable ones being with neighboring countries Argentina, known as the Clásico del Río de la Plata based on their geographical location and cultural similarities, and Brazil, known as the Clásico del Río Negro in reference to the 1950 FIFA World Cup final known to football fans as the Maracanazo.^[18] Additionally, FIFA officially recognizes Uruguay as Champions of World Champions, following their victory in the 1980 World Champions' Gold Cup (also known as the 1980 Mundialito). This unique designation makes Uruguay the only national team in football history to be formally acknowledged by FIFA with that title.^[19]

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