Marcelo Bielsa announces his resignation from the Uruguay squad

Marcelo Bielsa has announced that he is stepping down as coach of the Uruguay national team, RMC Sport reported. The decision comes after the early elimination of Celeste during the group stage of the 2026 World Cup: Uruguay finished third in Group H and did not advance to the knockout stages.

The technician, whose decision was described as “very painful” according to the report, took full responsibility for the result obtained by his team. “My responsibility is perfectly clear, I cannot justify our final result,” he said, still according to RMC Sport. Bielsa added: “In summary, I said I managed the resources I had — I'm talking about the level of the players — not to the level required. We did everything we could, but it was clearly insufficient. I am convinced that even if I had made other decisions, it would not have led to different results. »

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These words reflect a sporting impasse which puts an end to this chapter of the Uruguayan selection. Third place in Group H means that the team failed to qualify for the knockout phase of the tournament, an outcome which is now prompting a change of direction at the head of the technical staff.

Bielsa's resignation opens a period of uncertainty for the Uruguayan Federation: it will now be necessary to appoint a new coach capable of analyzing the underlying reasons for this failure and preparing the reconstruction in view of the continental and world events to come. Bielsa, who took full responsibility for the poor performance and considered that other choices would not necessarily have changed the outcome, thus closes an important chapter in his career on the international scene.

Onze Actu will follow the evolution of the situation in Uruguay and the follow-up given by the federation, in particular the identification of a successor and the sporting orientations to straighten out the trajectory of the selection after this failed 2026 World Cup. For now, it is the immediate consequence of the campaign in the group stage which precipitates this departure: Celeste must now look to the future without Marcelo Bielsa at its head.