Uruguay's 26-man World Cup squad is notable less for who made it than for who missed out. Luis Suárez is left at home despite his public plea, while Fernando Muslera returns for a record fifth World Cup. Suárez said he wanted the call-up, but Marcelo Bielsa's decision went the other way.

Why Suárez's omission is the headline

Suárez did not hide what he wanted. "I wanted to be called up," he told si.com. He also said he would never turn down Uruguay, and that he had stepped aside before because he felt he needed to make way for younger players.

The selection means he will miss the World Cup for the first time since 2010. That is a big call even by tournament-squad standards, because Uruguay are leaving out their all-time leading scorer with 69 goals in 143 appearances.

This is not a case of a player drifting into the margins quietly. Suárez made his position clear, and Uruguay still opted against bringing him. That is the real story of the roster, not the names that naturally filled the first draft of it.

Muslera, Valverde and the shape of the squad

Muslera's inclusion gives Uruguay the opposite storyline. At 39, he was named in the squad for a fifth tournament appearance, covering 2010, 2014, 2018, 2022 and 2026, which is a Uruguayan record.

The rest of the group leans on familiar quality too. Federico Valverde arrives after a 2025 all-comps season of 33 appearances, 2,751 minutes, 5 goals and 8 assists for Real Madrid. Manuel Ugarte is also part of the core, with 22 Premier League appearances, 901 minutes and a 6.68 rating for Manchester United in 2025.

That mix says plenty about how Marcelo Bielsa wants Uruguay to look: experienced where it matters, energetic in midfield, and not especially sentimental. The Suárez omission will dominate the reaction, but Muslera's fifth World Cup is the cleaner football decision to celebrate inside the same squad list.

Uruguay open Group H against Saudi Arabia on 2026-06-15, then face Cape Verde Islands on 2026-06-21 and Spain on 2026-06-27.

Written by Sam Whitfield with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 2 outlets. How we work →