Uruguay at the FIFA World Cup

☆ Save On Wikipedia ↗
The lineup of Uruguay that won the 1930 FIFA World Cup

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 was 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
Uruguay 1930 Champions 1st 4 4 0 0 15 3
Italy 1934Did not enter
France 1938
Brazil 1950Champions[1]1st4310155
Switzerland 1954Fourth place4th5302169
Sweden 1958Did not qualify
Chile 1962Group stage13th310246
England 1966Quarter-finals7th412125
Mexico 1970Fourth place4th621345
West Germany 1974Group stage13th301216
Argentina 1978Did not qualify
Spain 1982
Mexico 1986Round of 1616th402228
Italy 1990Round of 1616th411225
United States 1994Did not qualify
France 1998
South KoreaJapan 2002Group stage26th302145
Germany 2006Did not qualify
South Africa 2010Fourth place4th7322118
Brazil 2014Round of 1612th420246
Russia 2018Quarter-finals5th540173
Qatar 2022Group stage20th311122
CanadaMexicoUnited States 2026Group stage37th302134
MoroccoPortugalSpain 2030Qualified as centenary co-hosts
Saudi Arabia 2034To be determined
Total15/232 Titles622515229280

*Draws include knockout matches decided via penalty shoot-out.

Matches

Uruguay 1930

Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
 Uruguay 220050+54
 Romania 210135–22
 Peru 200214–30
Uruguay 1–0 Peru
Castro 65' Report
Attendance: 70,000

Uruguay 4–0 Romania
Dorado 7'
Scarone 26'[2]
Anselmo 31'
Cea 35'[2]
Report

Semi-finals

Uruguay 6–1 Yugoslavia
Cea 18', 67', 72'[2]
Anselmo 20', 31'[2]
Iriarte 61'[2]
Report Sekulić 4'[2]

Final

Uruguay 4–2 Argentina
Dorado 12'
Cea 57'[2]
Iriarte 68'
Castro 89'
Report Peucelle 20'
Stábile 37'[2]

Brazil 1950

Team Pld W D L GF GA Pts
 Uruguay 1100802
 Bolivia 1001080
 Scotland withdrew
 Turkey withdrew
Uruguay 8–0 Bolivia
Míguez 14', 40', 51'
Schiaffino 17', 53'
Vidal 18'
Pérez 83'
Ghiggia 87'
Report

Final round

Team Pld W D L GF GA Pts
 Uruguay 3210755
 Brazil 32011444
 Sweden 31026112
 Spain 30124111
Uruguay 2–2 Spain
Ghiggia 27'
Varela 72'
Report Basora 39', 41'

Uruguay 3–2 Sweden
Ghiggia 39'
Míguez 77', 84'
Report Palmér 4'
Sundqvist 41'

Uruguay 2–1 Brazil
Schiaffino 66'
Ghiggia 79'
Report Friaça 47'

Switzerland 1954

Team Pld W D L GF GA Pts
 Uruguay 2200904
 Austria 2200604
 Czechoslovakia 2002070
 Scotland 2002080
Uruguay 2–0 Czechoslovakia
Míguez 72'
Schiaffino 81'
Report
Attendance: 20,500

Uruguay 7–0 Scotland
Borges 17', 47', 57'
Míguez 30', 83'
Abbadie 54', 85'
Report
Attendance: 43,000

Quarter-final

Uruguay 4–2 England
Borges 5'
Varela 39'
Schiaffino 46'
Ambrois 78'
Report Lofthouse 16'
Finney 67'
Attendance: 35,000
Referee: Carl Erich Steiner (Austria)

Semi-final

Uruguay 2–4 (a.e.t.) Hungary
Hohberg 75', 86' Report Czibor 13'
Hidegkuti 46'
Kocsis 111', 116'

Match for third place

Uruguay 1–3 Austria
Hohberg 22' Report Stojaspal 16' (pen.)
Cruz red-colored football 59' (o.g.)
Ocwirk 89'
Attendance: 35,000
Referee: Raymon Wyssling (Switzerland)

Chile 1962

Team Pld W D L GF GA GAv Pts
 Soviet Union 3210851.605
 Yugoslavia 3201832.674
 Uruguay 3102460.672
 Colombia 30125110.451
Uruguay 2–1 Colombia
Sasía 56'
Cubilla 75'
Report Zuluaga 19' (pen.)

Uruguay 1–3 Yugoslavia
Cabrera 19' Report Skoblar 25' (pen.)
Galić 29'
Jerković 49'

Uruguay 1–2 Soviet Union
Sasía 54' Report Mamykin 38'
Ivanov 89'
Attendance: 9,973
Referee: Cesare Jonni (Italy)

England 1966

Team Pld W D L GF GA GAv Pts
 England 3210405
 Uruguay 3120212.004
 Mexico 3021130.332
 France 3012250.401
England 0–0 Uruguay
Report
Attendance: 87,000

Uruguay 2–1 France
Rocha 26'
Cortés 31'
Report De Bourgoing 15' (pen.)

Mexico 0–0 Uruguay
Report
Attendance: 61,000

Quarter-final

Uruguay 0–4 West Germany
Report Haller 11', 83'
Beckenbauer 70'
Seeler 75'
Attendance: 34,000
Referee: Jim Finney (England)

Mexico 1970

Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
 Italy 312010+14
 Uruguay 311121+13
 Sweden 31112203
 Israel 302113–22
Uruguay 2–0 Israel
Maneiro 23'
Mujica 50'
Report
Attendance: 20,000

Uruguay 0–0 Italy
Report

Uruguay 0–1 Sweden
Report Grahn 90'

Quarter-final

Uruguay 1–0 (a.e.t.) Soviet Union
Espárrago 116' Report

Semi-final

Uruguay 1–3 Brazil
Cubilla 19' Report Clodoaldo 44'
Jairzinho 76'
Rivellino 89'

Match for third place

Uruguay 0–1 West Germany
Report Overath 26'
Attendance: 104,403

West Germany 1974

Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
 Netherlands 321061+55
 Sweden 312030+34
 Bulgaria 302125–32
 Uruguay 301216–51
Uruguay 0–2 Netherlands
Report Rep 16', 86'

Bulgaria 1–1 Uruguay
Bonev 75' Report Pavoni 87'
Attendance: 12,000
Referee: Jack Taylor (England)

Sweden 3–0 Uruguay
Edström 46', 77'
Sandberg 74'
Report
Attendance: 27,100

Mexico 1986

Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
 Denmark 330091+86
 West Germany 311134–13
 Uruguay 302127–52
 Scotland 301213–21
Uruguay 1–1 West Germany
Alzamendi 4' Report Allofs 84'

Denmark 6–1 Uruguay
Elkjær 11', 67', 80'
Lerby 41'
Laudrup 52'
J. Olsen 88'
Report Francescoli 45' (pen.)

Scotland 0–0 Uruguay
Report

Round of 16

Argentina 1–0 Uruguay
Pasculli 42' Report
Attendance: 26,000
Referee: Luigi Agnolin (Italy)

Italy 1990

Group E

Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
 Spain 321052+35
 Belgium 320163+34
 Uruguay 311123–13
 South Korea 300316–50
Uruguay 0–0 Spain
Report
Attendance: 35,713
Referee: Helmut Kohl (Austria)

Belgium 3–1 Uruguay
Clijsters 16'
Scifo 22'
Ceulemans 48'
Report Bengoechea 74'

South Korea 0–1 Uruguay
Report Fonseca 90'
Attendance: 29,039
Referee: Tullio Lanese (Italy)

Round of 16

Italy 2–0 Uruguay
Schillaci 65'
Serena 85'
Report
Attendance: 73,303

South Korea/Japan 2002

Group A

Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
 Denmark 321052+37
 Senegal 312054+15
 Uruguay 302145–12
 France 301203–31
Uruguay 1–2 Denmark
Rodríguez 47' Report Tomasson 45' 83'
Attendance: 30,157
Referee: Saad Mane (Kuwait)

France 0–0 Uruguay
Report
Attendance: 38,289
Referee: Felipe Ramos (Mexico)

Senegal 3–3 Uruguay
Fadiga 20' (pen.)
Bouba Diop 26' 38'
Report Morales 46'
Forlán 69'
Recoba 88' (pen.)

South Africa 2010

Group A

Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
 Uruguay 321040+47
 Mexico 311132+14
 South Africa 311135–24
 France 301215–41
Uruguay 0–0 France
Report
Attendance: 64,100

South Africa 0–3 Uruguay
Report Forlán 24', 80' (pen.)
Á. Pereira 90+5'

Mexico 0–1 Uruguay
Report Suárez 43'

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

Uruguay 2–3 Germany
Cavani 28'
Forlán 51'
Report Müller 19'
Jansen 56'
Khedira 82'

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
Source: FIFA
Rules for classification: Tie-breaking criteria
Uruguay 1–3 Costa Rica
[Report 1]
Attendance: 58,679
Referee: Felix Brych (Germany)

Uruguay 2–1 England
[Report 2]

Italy 0–1 Uruguay
[Report 3]
Attendance: 39,706

Round of 16

Colombia 2–0 Uruguay
Rodríguez 28', 50' Report

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
Source: FIFA
Rules for classification: Group stage tiebreakers
(H) Hosts
Egypt 0–1 Uruguay
[Report 4]

Uruguay 1–0 Saudi Arabia
[Report 5]
Attendance: 42,678

Uruguay 3–0 Russia
[Report 6]
Attendance: 41,970

Round of 16

Uruguay 2–1 Portugal
Cavani 7', 62' Pepe 55'

Quarter-final

Uruguay 0–2 France
Varane 41'
Griezmann 60'

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
Source: FIFA
Rules for classification: Group stage tiebreakers
Uruguay 0–0 South Korea
[Report 7]

Portugal 2–0 Uruguay
[Report 8]
Attendance: 88,668

Ghana 0–2 Uruguay
[Report 9]
Attendance: 43,443

Canada/Mexico/United States 2026

Group stage

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Spain 3 2 1 0 5 0 +5 7 Advance to knockout stage
2  Cape Verde 3 0 3 0 2 2 0 3
3  Uruguay 3 0 2 1 3 4 1 2[a]
4  Saudi Arabia 3 0 2 1 1 5 4 2[a]
Source: FIFA
Rules for classification: Group stage tiebreakers
Notes:
  1. Tied on head-to-head result (Saudi Arabia 1–1 Uruguay). Overall goal difference was used as the tiebreaker.
Saudi Arabia 1–1 Uruguay
[Report 10]

Uruguay 2–2 Cape Verde
[Report 11]
Attendance: 64,003
Referee: Espen Eskås (Norway)

Uruguay 0–1 Spain
[Report 12]
Attendance: 45,065

Most appearances

Rank Player Matches World Cups
1 Fernando Muslera192010, 2014, 2018, 2022 and 2026
2Edinson Cavani172010, 2014 and 2018
3 Diego Godín162010, 2014, 2018 and 2022
Luis Suárez162010, 2014, 2018 and 2022
5 Ladislao Mazurkiewicz131966, 1970 and 1974
6 Martín Cáceres122010, 2014, 2018 and 2022
7 Julio César Cortés111962, 1966 and 1970
Egidio Arévalo Ríos112010 and 2014
9 José María Giménez102014, 2018 and 2022
Pedro Rocha101962, 1966, 1970 and 1974
Luis Ubiña101966 and 1970
Diego Forlán102002, 2010 and 2014
Maxi Pereira102010 and 2014

Top goalscorers

Rank Player Goals World Cups
1Oscar Míguez81950 (5) and 1954 (3)
2Luis Suárez72010 (3), 2014 (2) and 2018 (2)
3Diego Forlán62002 (1) and 2010 (5)
4 Pedro Cea51930
Juan Alberto Schiaffino51950 (3) and 1954 (2)
Edinson Cavani52010 (1), 2014 (1), and 2018 (3)
7 Alcides Ghiggia41950
Carlos Borges41954
9 Peregrino Anselmo31930
Juan Hohberg31954

Head-to-head record

See also

References

  1. There was no official World Cup final match in 1950. The tournament winner was decided by a final round-robin group contested by four teams (Uruguay, Brazil, Sweden, and Spain). However, Uruguay's 2–1 victory over Brazil (a match known as Maracanazo) was the decisive match (and also coincidentally one of the last two matches of the tournament) which put them ahead on points and ensured that they finished top of the group as world champions. Therefore, this match is often considered the "final" of the 1950 World Cup "WC Finals 1950" (PDF). Archived from the original (pdf) on December 6, 2006. | (150 KiB). Likewise, Sweden's 3–1 victory over Spain (played at the same time as Uruguay vs Brazil) ensured that they finished third.
  2. This is one of several goals for which the statistical details are disputed. The goalscorers and timings used here are those of FIFA, the official record. Some other sources, such as RSSSF, state a different scorer and/or timing. See "World Cup 1930 finals". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation (RSSSF).
  3. "FIFA World Cup Origin" (PDF). FIFA. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 29, 2007. Retrieved 2009-11-17.

Reports