Uruguay kicked off their 2026 World Cup campaign with a 1-1 draw against Saudi Arabia — but the chaos surrounding their trip to the tournament may have been just as newsworthy as the result itself.

Marcelo Bielsa's side were left stranded in Mexico roughly 24 hours before their opening Group H fixture, after their initial flight was cancelled and a replacement service was significantly delayed. The knock-on effect left Uruguay running approximately two hours behind schedule at one of the most critical moments of their preparations.

Paperwork blamed for the hold-up

The cause of the disruption was attributed to missing or incorrect documentation. The fallout prompted an immediate blame game: the Uruguayan FA pointed the finger at FIFA, while FIFA in turn cited an airline permitting error in Mexico as the root cause.

Despite the turmoil, Bielsa publicly downplayed the disruption's impact on his squad's performance. His captain, Jose Maria Gimenez, was less diplomatic — describing the experience as