The Uruguay international is reportedly scheduled to arrive in the United States within 24 hours of kick-off time for the match against Saudi Arabia.
Published June 15, 2026
The Uruguay national team overcame the challenges of travel to arrive in Miami ahead of their first World Cup match in the United States.
The team and support staff arrived in Miami on Sunday, less than 24 hours before kickoff for the Group H game against Saudi Arabia.
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Uruguay blamed FIFA for problems on a flight from Mexico to the United States. It was also reported that the head coach and captain could have been threatened with sanctions if they failed to attend the mandatory press conference the night before the game.
The original flight was reportedly not allowed to depart due to administrative issues, including missing documentation, and authorities had to scramble to arrange a new flight.
FIFA is responsible for all travel related to the 48-team World Cup.
The Uruguay team trains in Playa del Carmen, Mexico, and practiced there on Sunday. When the traveling delegation arrived at Cancun’s airport, about 72 kilometers (45 miles) away, they learned they were not allowed to enter the United States.
The Uruguayan Football Federation (AUF) announced that a second flight from South Florida was on its way to pick up the team and the players were waiting at a resort outside Cancun until arrival.
“The departure from Mexico was delayed due to issues beyond AUF’s control,” the association said in a statement. “The team is resting in a hotel. The new departure time set by FIFA is 4:15 pm (21:15 GMT).”
FIFA later issued a statement saying: “The departure of the Uruguayan national team from Cancun to Miami has been delayed as the airline has acknowledged a mistake made in Mexico.
“The airline apologized for the inconvenience caused. FIFA remained in close contact with the Uruguayan national team during the delay and worked with airports and operational partners to expedite the process and minimize disruption to the team’s travel arrangements.”
Uruguay coach Marcelo Bielsa and team captain Jose María Jimenez missed an originally scheduled press conference in South Florida on Sunday due to the issue. The press conference was postponed to 8pm ET (00:00 GMT) and the coach and captain were also in attendance.
“The trip went well. We made the most of it and looked at it positively,” Jimenez said in Spanish. “I had a chance to rest at a hotel (in Cancun).”
Bielsa was asked what kind of disruption the plane crash had caused to his team.
“No, this plane won’t cause any problems,” Bielsa said, before turning the conversation to the team’s preparations in both Uruguay’s capital Montevideo and Mexico’s Playa del Carmen.
“In Montevideo, the players always had obligations, but they also had time with their families, which we felt was necessary.”
Uruguay and Saudi Arabia are scheduled to play their first Group H game at Miami Gardens at 6pm (22:00 GMT), with less than 24 hours to settle before kick-off.
The other members of the group, Spain and Cape Verde, will play in Atlanta on Monday.
Uruguay is the latest World Cup player to face travel issues.
Somalia’s top referee, Omar Altan, was denied entry to the United States this week after being deemed “inadmissible due to vetting concerns.”
Meanwhile, the Iranian team received their US visas just 10 days before their first match in Los Angeles. And Iraqi striker Aymen Hussein was interrogated for several hours at the Chicago airport before finally being allowed to enter the country. However, the team’s photographer refused.
