💥End of an era: Bielsa quits Uruguay after World Cup flop | OneFootball

Argentine head coach Marcelo Bielsa gave a press conference in which he officially announced his departure from the Uruguay national team. The 70-year-old coach took full responsibility for La Celeste’s surprising and chaotic elimination in the group stage of the 2026 World Cup, where the team managed just two points against Spain, Saudi Arabia, and Cape Verde.

No excuses, but backed by the statistics

Bielsa described his farewell as “painful” and admitted that the elimination was an unexpected frustration that no one can accept. Despite acknowledging that he failed to manage the squad’s resources properly, the strategist defended his footballing approach by leaning on the game’s analytical data.

“I have no excuses. However, there is no serious analysis that doesn’t have us beating Saudi Arabia and Cape Verde, and drawing with Spain. We created five times more danger than Saudi Arabia,” the coach argued.

A healthy atmosphere in the dressing room

The former Leeds manager categorically denied any kind of conflict with his players.

In his assessment, he praised goalkeeper Fernando Muslera’s greatness and captain Federico Valverde’s total willingness, concluding that the players gave everything under his leadership.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.

📸 Ernesto Ryan - 2026 Getty Images