Uruguay slams FIFA over chaotic travel delays ahead of World Cup opener in Miami
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "Uruguay slams FIFA over chaotic travel delays ahead of World Cup opener in Miami")
Uruguay slams FIFA over chaotic travel delays ahead of World Cup opener in Miami Photograph: (X)
Chaos hits the FIFA World Cup 2026 as Uruguay slams FIFA over a stranded charter flight from Mexico, delaying Marcelo Bielsa's squad ahead of their opener in Miami.
Two-time world champions Uruguay were left frustrated over chaotic travel delays ahead of their FIFA World Cup 2026 opener against Saudi Arabia. The Uruguayan team was stranded at their base in Mexico and had trouble arriving in the US city for their first match of the tournament on Monday (Jun 15). Per the latest reports, Marcelo Bielsa’s team travelled to Cancun, Mexico, to prepare for the showpiece event, but was made to wait to fly to the US after their aeroplane didn’t have clearance.
The prepared aeroplane was held back at the Cancun International Airport because the paperwork for the aircraft meant to carry the Uruguayan World Cup-bound players from Mexico to Miami wasn’t completed, leaving the management and the Uruguay FA angry with the governing body. The football team stayed back at the Mayakoba Complex, a hotel resort about 45 minutes away from the airport.
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FIFA also issued a statement, saying, "Due to an airline permitting error in Mexico, the Uruguay national team’s departure from Cancun to Miami was delayed. The airline has apologised for the inconvenience caused.
“FIFA remained in close contact with the Uruguay national team throughout their delay and worked alongside airport and operational partners to help expedite the process and minimise disruption to the team’s travel arrangements,” it read.
On the other hand, the AUF (Uruguayan Football Association) blamed FIFA for the departure delay just ahead of the team’s World Cup opener.
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“Due to problems beyond the control of the AUF, the departure from Mexico has been delayed. The squad is resting at the hotel. The new departure time set by FIFA is 4.15 pm,” the AUF statement read.
Meanwhile, Bielsa was scheduled to attend a pre-match press conference at the Miami Stadium on Sunday evening (8 PM local time).
Uruguay will face Saudi Arabia late on Monday (03:30 AM IST) at the Miami Stadium.
