End of an era: Marcelo Bielsa leaves the Uruguayan national team after the unsuccessful World Cup

Argentine coach Marcelo Bielsa officially announced his departure from the position of coach of the Uruguay national team at a press conference. The 70-year-old coach took full responsibility for Uruguay's surprising and chaotic elimination in the group stage of the 2026 World Cup. The team scored just two points in matches against Spain, Saudi Arabia and Cape Verde. Bielsa described his farewell as "painful" and admitted that elimination was an unexpected frustration that no one can accept. Although he admitted to mistakes in personnel management, he defended his tactical approach based on match data analyses. "I have no excuses. However, there is no serious analysis that does not show our victory over Saudi Arabia and the Cape Verde Islands and the draw against Spain. We created five times more chances than Saudi Arabia," argued the coach. The former Leeds manager has strongly denied any conflicts with players. In his assessment, he appreciated the greatness of goalkeeper Fernando Muslera and the full commitment of captain Federico Valverde, emphasizing that the players gave their all under his leadership.