The Uruguay national team were held to a 1-1 draw by Saudi Arabia in their Group H encounter at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

The clash between Saudi Arabia and Uruguay took place on Tuesday (June 16, 2026) at Miami Stadium, located in Miami Gardens, Florida.

Uruguay attempted to assert their dominance early in the game, pressing hard within the first five minutes, but their efforts did not yield results.

Despite controlling possession, the South American side found it difficult to penetrate Saudi Arabia’s defensive line, with the score still goalless by the 15th minute.

Saudi Arabia’s goalkeeper Al Owais delivered an outstanding performance, denying several chances created by Marcelo Bielsa’s men.

By the 30th minute, Uruguay continued to launch waves of attacks, forcing Al Owais to make multiple crucial saves to keep his team in the game.

However, disaster struck for Uruguay in the 41st minute when Al Amri found the back of their net.

The goal stemmed from a dangerous set-piece situation as Musab Al Juwayr delivered an accurate cross into the penalty area.

Mohamed Kanno rose high in the box and directed a strong header from about 10 metres towards the lower centre of the goal, but Uruguay’s goalkeeper managed to make a sharp save.

From the resulting corner, Abdulhamid’s header rebounded into the path of Al Amri, who reacted quickest to slot the ball into the net, giving Saudi Arabia a surprising 1-0 lead.

The first half ended with Saudi Arabia ahead 1-0, a result that stunned many observers.

In the second half, Uruguay showed renewed attacking intensity, especially after the introduction of Darwin Nunez and Sanabria, who added pace and creativity to the frontline.

It took almost the entire half for Uruguay to finally find an equaliser, which arrived in the 80th minute.

The goal began with a dangerous cross from Sanabria into the box. Federico Vinas met it with a powerful header from 10 metres, but Al Owais once again produced a fine save to parry the low shot directed towards the centre of goal.

The rebound fell kindly to Maximiliano Araujo, who calmly finished past the goalkeeper to level the score at 1-1.

Neither side managed to score again, and Uruguay had to settle for a 1-1 draw against Saudi Arabia.

Line-ups

Saudi Arabia:
Al Owais, Abdulhamid, Al-Amri, Tombakti, Al Harbi, Al Shamat (Boushal 81'), Kanno, Al Khaibari, Salem Al-Dawsari, Al Brikan, Al Juwayr (Nasser Al Dawsari 63')
Coach: Giorgios Donis

Uruguay:
Muslera, Vina (Sanabria 45'), Olivera, Caceres, Varela, Araujo (Rodriguez 81'), Bentancur, Ugarte (de la Cruz 72'), Valverde, Nunez (Canobbio 45'), Vinas (Aguirre 90')
Coach: Marcelo Bielsa