The Uruguay Copa America 2024 squad has been announced by manager Marcelo Bielsa.
Under Bielsa, Uruguay's squad has been given a brand new lease of life, with young players being brought into the fray to replace the older members who have proved so valuable in previous years. Gone are the days when Uruguay relied on Luis Suarez, Edinson Cavani and Diego Forlan, with the squad a lot more balanced nowadays.
They do have a brilliant midfield, though, with Rodrigo Bentacur of Tottenham and PSG's Manuel Ugarte both supplementing the effervescent Federico Valverde. Plus, Darwin Nunez leads the line up front in what could prove an effective yet chaotic combination at Copa America.
Drawn into a group containing USA, Panama and Bolivia, Uruguay will hope they have enough to reach the knockout stages - and from there, who knows? They've beaten Argentina and Brazil in recent months, highlighting their credentials on the big stage.
Uruguay's squad
Uruguay Copa America 2024 squad: The full team
- GK: Sergio Rochet (Internacional)
- GK: Franco Israel (Sporting CP)
- GK: Santiago Mele (Atlético Junior)
- DF: Jose Gimenez (Atletico Madrid)
- DF: Nicolás Marichal (Dynamo Moscow)
- DF: Sebastián Cáceres (América)
- DF: Ronald Araujo (Barcelona)
- DF: Guillermo Varela (Flamengo)
- DF: Mathías Olivera (Napoli)
- DF: Matías Viña (Flamengo)
- DF: Lucas Olaza (Krasnodar)
- MF: Rodrigo Bentancur (Tottenham Hotspur)
- MF: Nicolás de la Cruz (Flamengo)
- MF: Nahitan Nández (Cagliari)
- MF: Giorgian de Arrascaeta (Flamengo)
- MF: Federico Valverde (Real Madrid)
- MF: Manuel Ugarte (Paris Saint-Germain)
- MF: Maximiliano Araujo (Toluca)
- FW: Luis Suarez (Inter Miami)
- FW: Facundo Pellistri (Granada)
- FW: Agustín Canobbio (Athletico Paranaense)
- FW: Brian Rodríguez (América)
- FW: Darwin Nunez (Liverpool)
- FW: Cristian Olivera (Los Angeles)
- FW: Brian Ocampo (Cadiz)
Uruguay fixtures and results
June 23: Uruguay v Panama, Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens, United States
June 27: Uruguay v Bolivia, MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, United States
July 1: United States v Uruguay, Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, United States
Uruguay manager: Marcelo Bielsa
After being sacked by Leeds United in February 2022, Bielsa took over a year out of football to recharge. In May 2023, he finally agreed to a return to football, with Uruguay, and conducted a mass overhaul of the team, calling up 14 uncapped players in his first squad.
Results have gone well ever since, with victories over Argentina, Brazil and Chile in World Cup 2026 qualifying slightly marred by the loss to Ecuador and draw with Colombia. Regardless, Bielsa has got the team playing some intense football, as they currently sit second in CONMEBOL qualifying.
Uruguay's star player
Federico Valverde
Valverde is the epitome of a Marcelo Bielsa player, with his workrate and high-pressing attitudes extremely conducive to the Argentine's methods. But that's not to say the midfielder doesn't have plenty of quality on the ball, either, proven during his successful time at Real Madrid.
If Uruguay are to perform well in the United States, then Valverde will need to be an integral member of the team. While there's other talented players around him, the 25-year-old is head and shoulders above the rest.
‘Slot hasn’t come in and changed everything, making it all about himself – it’s been about the players he’s inherited, getting the best out of a system he likes’: Liverpool manager impressing former players with personality and tactical approach
‘We thought we’d signed him, but Chelsea blew us away. I think they signed him so we couldn’t have him, as much as because they really wanted him’: Liverpool actually failed to sign Mohamed Salah in 2014, three years before finally getting the Egyptian
