World Cup 2022 Qatar -Groups and Teams

The Teams of the 2022 World Cup (Group H) – Uruguay

A hundred years ago Uruguay was the best soccer nation. It won the Olympic soccer tournaments in 1924 and 1928 and consequently also the first World Cup title in 1930 in its own country. Twenty years later, the second World Cup title followed in Brazil. Since then, no further titles have been won. In 1954, 1970 and 2010 they reached the semifinals and final 4th places.

A hundred years ago Uruguay was the best soccer nation. It won the Olympic soccer tournaments in 1924 and 1928 and consequently also the first World Cup title in 1930 in its own country. Twenty years later, the second World Cup title followed in Brazil. Since then, no further titles have been won. In 1954, 1970 and 2010 they reached the semifinals and final 4th places.

At the 2018 World Cup in Russia, Uruguay reached the quarterfinals.

The road to qualification

Uruguay qualified for the World Cup as 3rd in the South America group. However, the road there was rocky and only came about through an outstanding final spurt in the spring of 2022, when the last 4 games were won.

Before that, Uruguay had gone 5 games in a row without a win and they had already slipped out of the Top5. In total, they only managed 8 wins in 18 games and conceded 6 defeats. Uruguay benefited above all from the poor performance of their rivals from Colombia and Chile.

The Stars

For many years, Uruguayan soccer was dominated by Luis Suarez (Club Nacional) and Edinson Cavani (Valencia FC), who are still around.

But Uruguay 2022 has new hopefuls. Leading the way are Spain legionnaires like Real Madrid midfielder Federico Valverde and FC Barcelona defender Ronald Araujo. In attack, the team is relying on the qualities of Liverpool FC star Darwin Nunez.

The coach

Diego Alonso has been the new coach of the Sky Blues since December 2021. Under him, Uruguay managed the turnaround in the fight for qualification. Out of 7 games under him, 6 were won, with Uruguay scoring 16 goals and conceding only one.

Prior to that, Alonso’s main role was as a coach in Mexico, where he coached Monterrey and Pachuca, among others. This was followed by a brief stint with David Beckham’s Miami FC. In the important qualifying matches, he relied on a 4-4-2.

Best lineup

Sergio Rochet (Club Nacional) – Damian Suarez (Getafe FC), Ronald Araujo (FC Barcelona), Jose Maria Gimenez (Atletico Madrid), Mathias Olivera (SSC Napoli) -Facundo Pellistri (Manchester United), Rodrigo Bentancur (Tottenham Hotspurs), Federico Valverde (Real Madrid), Georgian De Arrascaeta (Flamengo Rio) – Darwin Nunez (Liverpool FC), Luis Suarez (Club Nacional)

World Cup 2022

At the 2022 World Cup, the 13th in the FIFA world rankings will face Portugal, South Korea and Ghana. Based on Uruguay’s performance this year under their new coach Diego Alonso and an all-around revamped team, Uruguay is definitely going into the tournament in Qatar as something of an insider’s tip.

However, the performance against Ghana is awaited with great excitement, as the Africans make no secret of their desire to avenge their elimination from the 2010 World Cup. The key match will be against Portugal. A group win is important, as the runners-up will almost certainly face Brazil afterwards.

All in all, one can be curious about Uruguay, who are not unjustly treated as secret favorites. A place in the round of 16 seems a certainty.

If they can avoid their neighbors Brazil, anything is possible for Uruguay. Even the World Cup title.