Champions of the very first World Cup in 1930 on home soil; 2026 in North America will be Uruguay's 15th finals appearance.
Uruguay's box-to-box engine and creative heartbeat — a Real Madrid all-rounder who covers every blade of grass and strikes from distance. With Suárez and Cavani gone, La Celeste is his team now.
Captain at two World Cups; surpassed Maxi Pereira to set the all-time mark and never let it go.
Overtook Diego Forlán in 2013 to become the nation's all-time top scorer — by some distance.
⚠ The most-used eleven in recent matches under Marcelo Bielsa (June 2026) — a snapshot of recent form, never a forecast.
| PLAYER | POS | ERA | CAPS | GLS | FILE NOTE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Obdulio Varela #5 | CM | 1939–1954 | 52 | 9 | El Negro Jefe. Captain and conscience of the 1950 side; silenced a stadium and won a World Cup. |
| Juan Alberto Schiaffino #10 | AM | 1946–1954 | 21 | 9 | Pepe. Scored the equaliser in the Maracanã and was later sold to Milan for a world-record fee. |
| Héctor Scarone #10 | FW | 1917–1930 | 52 | 31 | El Mago. Two Olympic golds and the 1930 title; held the scoring record for 81 years. |
| Enzo Francescoli #10 | AM | 1982–1997 | 73 | 17 | El Príncipe. So elegant that a young Zidane named his son after him. |
| Diego Forlán #10 | FW | 2002–2014 | 112 | 36 | Golden Ball winner of 2010, when Uruguay stunned everyone by reaching the semis. |
| Luis Suárez #9 | FW | 2007–2024 | 143 | 69 | All-time top scorer. Genius and pantomime villain in equal, biteable measure. |
| Edinson Cavani #21 | FW | 2008–2024 | 136 | 58 | El Matador. Suárez's tireless strike partner across a golden generation. |
| Diego Godín #3 | CB | 2005–2022 | 161 | 8 | Record caps. A cathedral of a centre-half who defended like the badge depended on it. |
| José Nasazzi #2 | DF | 1923–1936 | 41 | 0 | El Mariscal. Lifted the very first World Cup as captain in 1930. |
| Pedro Petrone #9 | FW | 1923–1930 | 29 | 24 | El Artillero. The teenage spearhead of the 1924, 1928 and 1930 golden age. |
Two stars, four on the badge, and a population smaller than many cities — Uruguay is football's great improbability. The tiny nation that won the first World Cup and the loudest one, that gave the game garra charrúa and a museum's worth of icons. With Suárez and Cavani finally retired, Bielsa's young Celeste arrives in North America light on goals but heavy on history. Never, ever count them out.