MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. – The Uruguay men’s national football team touched down in South Florida on Sunday evening, wrapping up a disrupted travel day that saw their flight delayed for two hours on the ground in Mexico, just one day before their opening match of the 2025 expanded FIFA World Cup.
Set to kick off Group H play against Saudi Arabia on Monday night at Hard Rock Stadium, one of the 16 host venues for the tournament’s new 48-team format, the squad had completed a scheduled training session in Cancun earlier the same Sunday morning before heading to the airport for their final journey to the match site.
In an official statement released following the disruption, FIFA explained the hold-up stemmed from an administrative permitting error on the airline’s part in Mexico. “The airline has apologized for the inconvenience caused. FIFA remained in close contact with the Uruguay national team throughout their delay and worked alongside airport and operational partners to help expedite the process and minimize disruption to the team’s travel arrangements,” the governing body noted.
Despite the unplanned disruption, both head coach Marcelo Bielsa and starting defender Jose Maria Gimenez struck a relaxed tone when speaking to reporters at the stadium shortly after the team’s arrival. Bielsa downplayed the issue, saying the delayed flight “caused no problem” to the squad’s preparations.
Speaking through a professional interpreter, Gimenez acknowledged the unexpected complications but framed the delay as a non-issue for the team. “We had some complications. It was a difficulty but we actually took advantage of it because we were able rest at the hotel,” the defender added.
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