Uruguay’s 36-year World Cup wait without Luis Suarez or Edinson Cavani goes on | OneFootball

Uruguay’s 2-2 draw with Cape Verde in group H, overnight Sunday to Monday, extended a 36-year World Cup sequence. They have not won a tournament match without either Luis Suarez or Edinson Cavani on the pitch.

L'Équipe notes that television coverage repeatedly showed Suarez in the stands. The 39-year-old remains with Inter Miami and retired from international duty in 2024. Both he and Edinson Cavani are now out of the national team, a detail the superstitious underline.

Suarez and Cavani were three when Uruguay last won a World Cup match without them, 1-0 against South Korea on 21 June 1990, in their third group game in Italy.

Uruguay missed the tournaments in 1994, 1998 and 2006, and, like France, failed to win a game in group A in 2002. They had to wait until 2010 to taste victory again.

The pair were involved in all three wins in 2010, 3-0 against South Africa and 2-0 versus Mexico in the group, then 2-1 over South Korea in the last 16.

They figured in two wins in 2014, 2-1 against England and 1-0 versus Italy in the group, and four in 2018, 1-0 against Egypt, 1-0 over Saudi Arabia and 3-0 against Russia in the group, then 2-1 over Portugal in the last 16. Uruguay’s last World Cup victory was 2-0 against Ghana in 2022.

At the 2026 finals, Uruguay have also drawn 1-1 with Saudi Arabia. The run underlines the generational gap since their two prolific scorers stepped away.

Source: L'Équipe