Knocked out, Uruguay sends Palmeiras duo to World Cup 'Zero Club' | OneFootball

Uruguay’s elimination in the group stage of the 2026 World Cup placed two Palmeiras players on an exclusive list in the club’s history. Left-back Joaquín Piquerez and defensive midfielder Emiliano Martínez have now joined the so-called “Zero Club,” made up of Verdão players called up for World Cups but who never took the field.

The Uruguayan national team ended its campaign without winning a single match. La Celeste drew with Saudi Arabia and Cape Verde and lost to Spain, results that led to elimination in the very first stage and kept the two Palmeiras players from making their tournament debuts.

As a result, Piquerez and Martínez join other names who were also called up for World Cups without playing. The list includes Rodrigues Tatu (1954), Zequinha (1962), Leão and Baldochi (1970), Cesar Maluco (1974), and Leão again (1986).

Although being called up for a World Cup is one of the greatest achievements in a player’s career, the 2026 edition will be remembered by Piquerez and Martínez for taking part without seeing any minutes on the field and for the Uruguayan team’s early elimination.

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