Uruguay at the FIFA World Cup
International football delegation
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This is a record of Uruguay's results at the FIFA World Cup. Uruguay have won four FIFA-organized World Football Championships. They won the first World Championship organized by FIFA under the Olympic Committee umbrella with true representation from all continents; before then, football in the Olympics comprised only European teams. Uruguay then won the next two World Cups (Jules Rimet Trophy) in which they participated; these tournaments, the 1930 and 1950 FIFA World Cups, were fully independent from the Olympics and employed clear rules distinguishing professional and amateur football players. Since 1924 marked the beginning of true international football competition, organized by FIFA, FIFA recognizes Uruguay as two time world champions and allows the team to wear two stars on their uniforms during official international football competitions. (Before 1974, the FIFA World Cup was referred to as the Football World Championship, and the nine champions from 1930 to 1970 received replicas of the Jules Rimet Trophy.) Uruguay hosted and won the first FIFA World Cup in 1930, beating Argentina 4–2 in the final. They won their second and last title in 1950, upsetting host Brazil 2–1 in the final match. The team have qualified for fourteen World Cups, reaching the second round in ten, the semi-finals five times, and the final twice. They also won the gold medal in Olympic football twice, in 1924 and 1928, before the creation of the World Cup. Uruguay won the 1980 Mundialito, a tournament comprising former World Cup champions hosted in Uruguay to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the first World Championship. Uruguay is one of the most successful teams in the world, having won twenty FIFA official titles: two World Cups, two Olympic Games, fifteen Copa América championships, and the 1980 World Champions' Gold Cup.
Uruguay refused to participate in 1934 and defend their title because many European nations declined to take part in 1930 held in Uruguay. They also refused to enter in 1938 because FIFA's decision to hold the tournament in France caused outrage in South America where it was believed that the venue would alternate between the two continents.
World Cup record
| Year | Round | Position | Pld | W | D* | L | GF | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 1930 |
Champions | 1st | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 3 |
 1934 | Did not enter | |||||||
 1938 | ||||||||
 1950 | Champions[1] | 1st | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 15 | 5 |
 1954 | Fourth place | 4th | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 16 | 9 |
 1958 | Did not qualify | |||||||
 1962 | Group stage | 13th | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 6 |
 1966 | Quarter-finals | 7th | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 5 |
 1970 | Fourth place | 4th | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
 1974 | Group stage | 13th | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 6 |
 1978 | Did not qualify | |||||||
 1982 | ||||||||
| 1986 | Round of 16 | 16th | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 8 |
 1990 | Round of 16 | 16th | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 5 |
 1994 | Did not qualify | |||||||
 1998 | ||||||||
  2002 | Group stage | 26th | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 5 |
| 2006 | Did not qualify | |||||||
 2010 | Fourth place | 4th | 7 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 11 | 8 |
 2014 | Round of 16 | 12th | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 6 |
 2018 | Quarter-finals | 5th | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 3 |
 2022 | Group stage | 20th | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 |
 2026 | Qualified | |||||||
  2030 | Qualified as centenary co-hosts | |||||||
 2034 | To be determined | |||||||
| Total | 14/22 | 2 Titles | 59 | 25 | 13 | 21 | 89 | 76 |
*Draws include knockout matches decided via penalty shoot-out.
| Uruguay's World Cup record | |
|---|---|
| First Match | Uruguay 1–0 Peru  (18 July 1930; Montevideo, Uruguay) |
| Biggest Win | Uruguay 8–0 Bolivia  (2 July 1950; Belo Horizonte, Brazil) |
| Biggest Defeat |  Denmark 6–1 Uruguay (8 June 1986; Nezahualcóyotl, Mexico) |
| Best Result | Champions in 1930 and 1950 |
| Worst Result | Group stage in 1962, 1974, 2002 and 2022 |
Matches
| List of FIFA World Cup matches | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Round | Opponent | Score | Result |
| 1930 | Round 1 |  Peru | 1–0 | Win |
| Round 1 |  Romania | 4–0 | Win | |
| Semi-final |  Yugoslavia | 6–1 | Win | |
| Final | Argentina | 4–2 | Win | |
| 1950 | Round 1 | Bolivia | 8–0 | Win |
| Final round | Spain | 2–2 | Draw | |
| Final round | Sweden | 3–2 | Win | |
| Final round | Brazil | 2–1 | Win | |
| 1954 | Round 1 |  Czechoslovakia | 2–0 | Win |
| Round 1 |  Scotland | 7–0 | Win | |
| Quarter-final | England | 4–2 | Win | |
| Semi-final |  Hungary | 2–4 (a.e.t.) | Loss | |
| Match for third place |  Austria | 1–3 | Loss | |
| 1962 | Group stage |  Colombia | 2–1 | Win |
| Group stage | Yugoslavia | 1–3 | Loss | |
| Group stage |  Soviet Union | 1–2 | Loss | |
| 1966 | Group stage | England | 0–0 | Draw |
| Group stage | France | 2–1 | Win | |
| Group stage | Mexico | 0–0 | Draw | |
| Quarter-final | West Germany | 0–4 | Loss | |
| 1970 | Group stage |  Israel | 2–0 | Win |
| Group stage | Italy | 0–0 | Draw | |
| Group stage | Sweden | 0–1 | Loss | |
| Quarter-final | Soviet Union | 1–0 (a.e.t.) | Win | |
| Semi-final | Brazil | 1–3 | Loss | |
| Match for third place | West Germany | 0–1 | Loss | |
| 1974 | Group stage |  Netherlands | 0–2 | Loss |
| Group stage |  Bulgaria | 1–1 | Draw | |
| Group stage | Sweden | 0–3 | Loss | |
| 1986 | Group stage | West Germany | 1–1 | Draw |
| Group stage | Denmark | 1–6 | Loss | |
| Group stage | Scotland | 0–0 | Draw | |
| Round of 16 | Argentina | 0–1 | Loss | |
| 1990 | Group stage | Spain | 0–0 | Draw |
| Group stage |  Belgium | 1–3 | Loss | |
| Group stage | South Korea | 1–0 | Win | |
| Round of 16 | Italy | 0–2 | Loss | |
| 2002 | Group stage | Denmark | 1–2 | Loss |
| Group stage | France | 0–0 | Draw | |
| Group stage |  Senegal | 3–3 | Draw | |
| 2010 | Group stage | France | 0–0 | Draw |
| Group stage | South Africa | 3–0 | Wim | |
| Group stage | Mexico | 1–0 | Win | |
| Round of 16 | South Korea | 2–1 | Win | |
| Quarter-final |  Ghana | 1–1 (4–2 p) | Draw | |
| Semi-final | Netherlands | 2–3 | Loss | |
| Match for third place | Germany | 2–3 | Loss | |
| 2014 | Group stage |  Costa Rica | 1–3 | Loss |
| Group stage | England | 2–1 | Win | |
| Group stage | Italy | 1–0 | Win | |
| Round of 16 | Colombia | 0–2 | Loss | |
| 2018 | Group stage |  Egypt | 1–0 | Win |
| Group stage | Saudi Arabia | 1–0 | Win | |
| Group stage | Russia | 3–0 | Win | |
| Round of 16 | Portugal | 2–1 | Win | |
| Quarter-final | France | 0–2 | Loss | |
| 2022 | Group stage | South Korea | 0–0 | Draw |
| Group stage | Portugal | 0–2 | Loss | |
| Group stage | Ghana | 2–0 | Win | |
Uruguay 1930
Semi-finals
Final
Brazil 1950
Final round
Switzerland 1954
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Uruguay |
2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 4 |
| Austria |
2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 4 |
| Czechoslovakia |
2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 0 |
| Scotland |
2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 8 | 0 |
| Uruguay | 2–0 | Czechoslovakia |
|---|---|---|
Míguez  72'Schiaffino 81' |
Report |
Quarter-final
Semi-final
Match for third place
Chile 1962
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GAv | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Soviet Union |
3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 5 | 1.60 | 5 |
| Yugoslavia |
3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 3 | 2.67 | 4 |
| Uruguay |
3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 0.67 | 2 |
| Colombia |
3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 11 | 0.45 | 1 |
England 1966
Mexico 1970
Quarter-final
| Uruguay | 1–0 (a.e.t.) | Soviet Union |
|---|---|---|
| Espárrago 116' |
Report |
Semi-final
Match for third place
| Uruguay | 0–1 | West Germany |
|---|---|---|
| Report | Overath 26' |
West Germany 1974
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Netherlands |
3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 1 | +5 | 5 |
| Sweden |
3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | +3 | 4 |
 Bulgaria |
3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 5 | –3 | 2 |
| Uruguay |
3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 6 | –5 | 1 |
| Uruguay | 0–2 | Netherlands |
|---|---|---|
| Report | Rep 16', 86' |
Mexico 1986
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Denmark |
3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 1 | +8 | 6 |
| West Germany |
3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 4 | –1 | 3 |
| Uruguay |
3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 7 | –5 | 2 |
| Scotland |
3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 3 | –2 | 1 |
| Uruguay | 1–1 | West Germany |
|---|---|---|
| Alzamendi 4' |
Report | Allofs 84' |
Round of 16
Italy 1990
Group E
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spain |
3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 2 | +3 | 5 |
| Belgium |
3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 3 | +3 | 4 |
| Uruguay |
3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | –1 | 3 |
| South Korea |
3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 6 | –5 | 0 |
| South Korea | 0–1 | Uruguay |
|---|---|---|
| Report | Fonseca 90' |
Round of 16
South Korea/Japan 2002
Group A
South Africa 2010
Group A
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Uruguay |
3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | +4 | 7 |
| Mexico |
3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 2 | +1 | 4 |
| South Africa |
3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 5 | –2 | 4 |
| France |
3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 5 | –4 | 1 |
| South Africa | 0–3 | Uruguay |
|---|---|---|
| Report | Forlán 24', 80' (pen.) Á. Pereira 90+5' |
Round of 16
| Uruguay | 2–1 | South Korea |
|---|---|---|
| Suárez 8', 80' |
Report | Lee Chung-Yong 68' |
Quarter-final
Semi-final
| Uruguay | 2–3 | Netherlands |
|---|---|---|
| Forlán 41' M. Pereira 90+2' |
Report | van Bronckhorst 18' Sneijder 70'Robben 73' |
Match for third place
Brazil 2014
Group D
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Costa Rica |
3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 1 | +3 | 7 | Advance to knockout stage |
| 2 | Uruguay |
3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 6 | |
| 3 | Italy |
3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 3 | −1 | 3 | |
| 4 | England |
3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 4 | −2 | 1 |
| Italy | 0–1 | Uruguay |
|---|---|---|
| [Report 3] |
|
Round of 16
Russia 2018
Group A
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Uruguay |
3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | +5 | 9 | Advance to knockout stage |
| 2 | Russia (H) |
3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 4 | +4 | 6 | |
| 3 | Saudi Arabia |
3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 7 | −5 | 3 | |
| 4 | Egypt |
3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 6 | −4 | 0 |
| Egypt | 0–1 | Uruguay |
|---|---|---|
| [Report 4] |
|
Round of 16
Quarter-final
Qatar 2022
Group stage
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Portugal |
3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 4 | +2 | 6 | Advanced to knockout stage |
| 2 | South Korea |
3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 4 | |
| 3 | Uruguay |
3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 4 | |
| 4 | Ghana |
3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 7 | −2 | 3 |
| Ghana | 0–2 | Uruguay |
|---|---|---|
| [Report 9] |
|
Canada/Mexico/United States 2026
Group stage
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Spain |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Advance to knockout stage |
| 2 |  Cape Verde |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 3 | Saudi Arabia |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Possible knockout stage based on ranking |
| 4 | Uruguay |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Rules for classification: Group stage tiebreakers
Most appearances
| Rank | Player | Matches | World Cups |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Edinson Cavani | 17 | 2010, 2014 and 2018 |
| 2 | Fernando Muslera | 16 | 2010, 2014, 2018 and 2022 |
| Diego Godín | 16 | 2010, 2014, 2018 and 2022 | |
| Luis Suárez | 16 | 2010, 2014, 2018 and 2022 | |
| 5 | Ladislao Mazurkiewicz | 13 | 1966, 1970 and 1974 |
| 6 | Martín Cáceres | 12 | 2010, 2014, 2018 and 2022 |
| 7 | Julio César Cortés | 11 | 1962, 1966 and 1970 |
| Egidio Arévalo Ríos | 11 | 2010 and 2014 | |
| 9 | José María Jiménez | 10 | 2014, 2018 and 2022 |
| Pedro Rocha | 10 | 1962, 1966, 1970 and 1974 | |
| Luis Ubiña | 10 | 1966 and 1970 | |
| Diego Forlán | 10 | 2002, 2010 and 2014 | |
| Maxi Pereira | 10 | 2010 and 2014 |
Top goalscorers
| Rank | Player | Goals | World Cups |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oscar Míguez | 8 | 1950 (5) and 1954 (3) |
| 2 | Luis Suárez | 7 | 2010 (3), 2014 (2) and 2018 (2) |
| 3 | Diego Forlán | 6 | 2002 (1) and 2010 (5) |
| 4 | Pedro Cea | 5 | 1930 |
| Juan Alberto Schiaffino | 5 | 1950 (3) and 1954 (2) | |
| Edinson Cavani | 5 | 2010 (1), 2014 (1), and 2018 (3) | |
| 7 | Alcides Ghiggia | 4 | 1950 |
| Carlos Borges | 4 | 1954 | |
| 9 | Peregrino Anselmo | 3 | 1930 |
| Juan Hohberg | 3 | 1954 |
Head-to-head record
| Opponent | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Win % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Argentina |
2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 3 | +1 | 50.00 |
| Austria |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | −2 | 0.00 |
| Belgium |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | −2 | 0.00 |
| Bolivia |
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | +8 | 100.00 |
 Brazil |
2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 4 | −1 | 50.00 |
| Bulgaria |
1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | +0 | 0.00 |
| Colombia |
2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | −1 | 50.00 |
| Costa Rica |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | −2 | 0.00 |
| Czechoslovakia |
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | +2 | 100.00 |
| Denmark |
2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 8 | −6 | 0.00 |
| Egypt |
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | +1 | 100.00 |
| England |
3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 3 | +3 | 66.67 |
| France |
4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | −1 | 25.00 |
| Germany |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | −1 | 0.00 |
| Ghana |
2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | +2 | 50.00 |
 Hungary |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 4 | −2 | 0.00 |
| Israel |
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | +2 | 100.00 |
| Italy |
3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | −1 | 33.33 |
| Mexico |
2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | +1 | 50.00 |
| Netherlands |
2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 5 | −3 | 0.00 |
| Peru |
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | +1 | 100.00 |
| Portugal |
2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | −1 | 50.00 |
| Romania |
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | +4 | 100.00 |
| Russia |
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | +3 | 100.00 |
| Saudi Arabia |
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | +1 | 100.00 |
| Scotland |
2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 0 | +7 | 50.00 |
| Senegal |
1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 3 | +0 | 0.00 |
| South Africa |
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | +3 | 100.00 |
| South Korea |
3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | +2 | 66.67 |
| Soviet Union |
2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | +0 | 50.00 |
| Spain |
2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | +0 | 0.00 |
| Sweden |
3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 6 | −3 | 33.33 |
| West Germany |
3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 6 | −5 | 0.00 |
| Yugoslavia |
2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 4 | +3 | 50.00 |
| Total | 59 | 25 | 13 | 21 | 89 | 76 | +13 | 42.37 |