Uruguay at the World Cup
Not only were Uruguay the host of the first World Cup in 1930, they were the subsequent winners. They were also the winner of the 1950 tournament when they beat the hosts Brazil 2-1. Other good results for Uruguay at the World Cup was finishing 4th in in 1970 and 2010, and 5th in 2018.
Trivia
- Uruguay is by far the smallest nation (in terms of population size) to win a World Cup.
- Uruguayan goalkeeper Antonio Mazzali returned home before kick-off of the 1930 finals as he had sneaked out from the hotel without permission. The Uruguayan team had been isolated in a Montevideo hotel for almost eight weeks before Mazzali sneaked out one night to visit his family. Mazzali was a member of Uruguay's Olympic gold medal teams in 1924 and 1928, but he had never appeared in any World Cup finals.
- Hector Castro, who scored Uruguay's winning goal in the 1930 Final, had only one hand. He had lost one hand and part of his arm in a childhood accident.
- After winning the World Cup in 1930, the Uruguayan players were treated as national heroes, and each player was presented with a plot of land and a new house by the municipality of Montevideo.
- Uruguay had five players sent off during its failed campaign to reach the 2006 World Cup - which was the most for any nation in the qualifying round.
- In Uruguay's final group game in 2014 against Italy, controversial player Luis Suárez was accused of biting Italian defender Giorgio Chiellini and was banned by the FIFA Disciplinary Committee for nine international matches and so missed the rest of the World Cup.
Related Pages
- List of all countries who have participated in the World Cup
- FIFA World Cup Home
- About Sport in Uruguay
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