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Uruguay are already encountering difficulties at the 2026 World Cup — and not all of them are related to football.

Their opening match at the 2026 World Cup did not unfold as expected for a national side led by one of the most respected tactical minds in modern football.

Marcelo Bielsa guided his Uruguayan squad into their first fixture against Saudi Arabia on Sunday evening, but the team stumbled to a 1-1 draw despite having the upper hand for much of the game.

While Uruguay’s on-field performance left room for improvement, it was off the pitch where the squad faced even bigger challenges. So, what exactly caused this travel ordeal for the South American team?

Bielsa’s men dominated play against Saudi Arabia, registering nearly three times the expected goals (xG) of their opponents. However, behind the scenes, a frustrating and potentially game-altering incident occurred during their journey to the tournament venue.

Just a day before their opening World Cup match, Uruguay’s squad found themselves stranded in Mexico after their aircraft was unable to depart as planned.

The team’s initial flight was cancelled, and their replacement flight was then delayed, compounding the situation and leaving the players approximately two hours behind their intended schedule so close to their opening fixture.

The reason for this disruption was reported to be due to missing or incorrect travel documentation, sparking a round of finger-pointing between the involved authorities.

The Uruguayan Football Association placed the blame on FIFA, while FIFA attributed the issue to an airline authorisation mistake made in Mexico.

The result was a major inconvenience – though Bielsa downplayed its impact – with team captain Jose Maria Gimenez describing the incident as “difficult” and full of “complications.”

This situation adds to what appears to be a growing pattern of travel and visa-related problems affecting participants at the 2026 World Cup.

Just last night, Iran forward Mehdi Taremi labelled his national team’s travel situation a “disaster” and said that constant fatigue from repeated travel issues was taking a toll on their performance.

Earlier this month, Somali referee Omar Artan was denied entry to the United States, prompting FIFA to continue paying his World Cup wages even though he could not officiate at the tournament.

As logistical and administrative challenges persist off the field, the quality of play on the field risks being affected.

For now, Uruguay will look to regroup and prepare for their next Group H encounter against Cape Verde, hoping that further off-field obstacles do not hinder their campaign.