Uruguay will reportedly arrive in the US less than 24 hours before the kickoff time for their game against Saudi Arabia. Published On 15 Jun 202615 Jun 2026Uruguay’s national team have arrived in Miami after enduring a travel ordeal ahead of their opening World Cup match in the United States.The squad and support staff landed in Miami on Sunday, less than 24 hours before kickoff in their Group H match against Saudi Arabia.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of listUruguay pinned the blame for their troubles flying from Mexico to the US on FIFA. They also reportedly faced the threat of sanction if their head coach and captain could not make it to a mandatory news conference on the eve of the match.The original flight was reportedly not allowed to depart due to administrative issues, including some missing paperwork, and officials had to scramble to line up a new flight.FIFA is in charge of all travel related to the 48-team World Cup.Uruguay are training in Playa del Carmen, Mexico, and held a practice there on Sunday. When the traveling delegation reached the airport in Cancun, approximately 72km (45 miles) away, they learned that the group was not authorised to enter the US.The Uruguay Football Association (AUF) said that a second plane from South Florida was en route to pick up the squad, while the players waited at a resort outside Cancun until its arrival.“Due to problems beyond the control of the AUF, the departure from Mexico has been delayed,” the association said in a statement. “The squad is resting at the hotel. The new departure time set by FIFA is 4:15pm [21:15 GMT].”FIFA later released a statement, saying: “Due to an airline permitting error in M …
