Uruguay leaves Luis Suárez out of 2026 World Cup squad, Bielsa cites form

Uruguay announced its 26‑man roster for the 2026 FIFA World Cup to be staged in the United States, Mexico and Canada. Striker Luis Suárez, 39, who retired from international duty at the end of 2024 and currently plays for Inter Miami, offered to return to the national team, but coach Marcelo Bielsa did not include him. Bielsa explained that the decision was based solely on sporting criteria, preferring the younger forwards Darwin Núñez, Federico Viñas and Rodrigo Aguirre, who have shown better recent form. He emphasized there is no personal conflict with Suárez. The Uruguay side will compete in Group H against Saudi Arabia, Cape Verde and Spain. Suárez remains Uruguay’s record scorer with 69 goals, but his recent six goals for Miami were deemed insufficient for selection.