Luis Suarez left out of Uruguay’s 2026 World Cup squad as coach Bielsa unveils just three forwards

Luis Suarez had recently floated the possibility of a return to the Uruguay national team and a place in the 2026 World Cup squad. But when Marcelo Bielsa finally unveiled his 26-man roster for North America, Suarez was not among the three forwards named, ending any lingering hope of a farewell on the world stage.

On Sunday, May 31, the Uruguay Football Federation officially released its World Cup squad list. The group closely reflected the core that has represented the Celeste in recent months, though the exclusion of Nahitan Nandez, a regular in the side over the last several games, caught many off guard, with several players like Manuel Ugarte speaking out about the decision.

Suarez’s absence, while perhaps anticipated by some, is nonetheless significant. The Inter Miami striker announced his retirement from international football in September 2024, playing his final game against Paraguay before publicly criticizing Bielsa and the atmosphere he felt the coach had created within the squad.

Despite that falling out, Suarez had recently opened the door to reconsidering his retirement ahead of the 2026 tournament. Bielsa did not extend the invitation. With that, the 39-year-old will miss what would have been his fifth World Cup appearance in the blue shirt of Uruguay, a career that spanned the 2010, 2014, 2018 and 2022 editions and placed him second among Uruguay’s all-time World Cup scorers with seven goals, behind Oscar Miguez’s eight, and ahead of Diego Forlan’s six.

Uruguay’s 2026 World Cup squad

The 26 players that coach Marcelo Bielsa picked to represent Uruguay in the 2026 World Cup are the following:

• Goalkeepers: Fernando Muslera, Sergio Rochet, and Santiago Mele.
• Defenders: Ronald Araujo, Jose Maria Gimenez, Santiago Bueno, Sebastian Caceres, Mathias Olivera, Guillermo Varela, Matias Viña, Joaquin Piquerez, and Juan Manuel Sanabria.
• Midfielders: Federico Valverde, Rodrigo Bentancur, Manuel Ugarte, Emiliano Martinez, Rodrigo Zalazar, Giorgian De Arrascaeta, Nicolas De La Cruz, Agustin Canobbio, Maximiliano Araujo, Brian Rodriguez, and Facundo Pellistri,
• Forwards: Darwin Nuñez, Federico Viñas, and Rodrigo Aguirre.

Only three forwards in Uruguay’s squad

While Suarez’s absence was one of the more predictable outcomes given the circumstances, the overall composition of the squad raised eyebrows almost immediately. The breakdown of Bielsa’s 26 players consists of three goalkeepers, nine defenders, 11 midfielders and just three forwards.

Darwin Nuñez, Federico Viñas and Rodrigo Aguirre are the only players listed as recognized center forwards on the roster, which only deepened questions about the decision to leave Suarez out. However, the thinking behind the lean forward count becomes clearer when you consider that players such as Agustin Canobbio, Facundo Pellistri and Maximiliano Araujo, while classified as midfielders, are all capable of operating in wider attacking roles, giving Bielsa functional depth in the attacking third without needing a dedicated fourth striker.