Saudi Arabia's Performance Against Uruguay in Their Only Official Encounter

The Saudi national team is preparing to face a strong match against Uruguay in the opening of their campaign in the 2026 World Cup, at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami.

The Green team will play the match early Tuesday morning, June 16, as part of Group H, which also includes the teams of Spain, Cape Verde, and Uruguay.

The records of the Saudi national team do not show many encounters against Uruguay, as the two teams have met in only three matches, including one official match and two friendly matches.

The first friendly encounter between the two sides dates back to 2002, when the Saudi national team won 3-2, while the second encounter in 2014 ended in a 1-1 draw.

The only official meeting was at the 2018 World Cup in Russia, when the Green Falcons faced the Uruguay national team in the second round of the group stage.

The Saudi national team entered the match after losing to Russia, prompting coach Juan Antonio Pizzi to make several changes to the starting lineup in search of improved performance.

The match saw the participation of Mohammed Al-Owais as the goalkeeper, alongside Ali Al-Bulaihi, Hattan Bahebri, and Fahad Al-Muwallad, after they were given the opportunity to start.

Despite the improvement in the Green team's performance compared to the first match, the Uruguay national team managed to secure the win with a single goal scored by star player Luis Suarez in the 23rd minute.

The match began with mutual attempts, as the Saudi team appeared more balanced and tried to threaten the opponent's goal through side attacks.

Fahad Al-Muwallad almost gave the Green Falcons an early lead after a dangerous cross, but it reached the Uruguay goalkeeper without turning into a goal.

On the other hand, the Uruguay national team threatened Saudi Arabia's goal with several chances before Suarez capitalized on a defensive error to score the only goal of the match.

During the second half, the Green team continued to search for an equalizing goal, while the Uruguay team attempted to extend their lead without success.

Despite the pressure and repeated attempts from the Saudi players, the match ended with Uruguay winning 1-0, leaving this as the only official encounter between the two teams before their 2026 meeting.