Uruguay’s World Cup preparation thrown into chaos after flight disruption

WorldFootball
15 Jun 2026 • 8:53 PM MYT
The Independent
The Independent

The world’s most free-thinking newspaper

Uruguay’s World Cup preparation thrown into chaos after flight disruption

  • Uruguay's national football team experienced significant travel delays from their training base in Cancun, Mexico, to Miami, USA, ahead of their World Cup opener against Saudi Arabia.
  • The delay was caused by issues with the paperwork for their plane, which prevented it from receiving clearance to fly to the United States.
  • The Uruguayan Football Association (AUF) expressed anger and held Fifa responsible for the logistical problems, stating the squad's departure was delayed due to circumstances beyond their control.
  • The incident jeopardised manager Marcelo Bielsa's scheduled pre-match press conference in Miami, and Uruguay legend Diego Forlan publicly questioned the accountability for the situation.
  • This travel disruption is one of several issues affecting teams and officials for the tournament, including a Somalian referee being denied US entry, Palestine's football chief awaiting permission, Iran's fan ticket allocation reportedly revoked, and Ghana's Thomas Partey denied entry to Canada.

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