Saudi Arabia - Uruguay / 2026 FIFA World Cup

Follow the LIVE broadcast of the Saudi Arabia vs. Uruguay match in Group H of the 2026 FIFA World Cup on ŠPORT.sk! The match, also broadcast live on JOJ Šport, kicks off at 00:00 CET.

This Group H World Cup clash pits two teams against each other who have both, in recent memory, managed to shock the footballing world. However, they currently find themselves in very different situations. South American favorites Uruguay cannot afford any slip-ups against Saudi Arabia, but the Asian representatives have often shown that the underdog role suits them best.

Coach Marcelo Bielsa's squad has navigated a truly winding path recently. They kicked off their South American qualifiers in grand style, dropping points in only two of their opening six matches – a 2-1 loss in Ecuador and a 2-2 draw in Colombia. Fans particularly remember their home triumph over Brazil (2-0) and a valuable 2-0 victory on hostile ground in Argentina. However, at the Copa América two years ago, Colombia halted their progress in the semi-finals (0-1), and since then, their form seemed to vanish.

Uruguay found themselves in a deep crisis, managing only one win from their subsequent nine qualifying matches. A resurgence in performance finally arrived a year ago with back-to-back victories against Venezuela (2-0) and Peru (3-0). However, a goalless draw in the final round against Chile (0-0) ultimately pushed them out of second place in the qualifying table. Their subsequent warm-up matches offered little improvement – after a 0-0 draw in Mexico, they suffered a crushing 5-1 defeat in the USA. A glimmer of hope emerged in March in London, where a 94th-minute penalty secured a 1-1 draw against favored England, but they failed to win again in their final friendly against Algeria (1-1). To make matters worse for coach Bielsa, injuries to key players R. Araújo and Giorgian De Arrascaeta are a concern, with Martín Cáceres' participation also doubtful.

On the other hand, Saudi Arabia aims to build on their legendary debut in 1994, when, in their very first World Cup appearance, they shocked everyone by reaching the Round of 16 at the expense of Belgium and Morocco. In their five subsequent attempts, they failed to advance from the group stage, but four years ago in Qatar, they caused a major sensation by defeating eventual world champions Argentina (2-1) in their opening match.

However, the current form of the Asian side is inconsistent. At last year's Gold Cup, Mexico eliminated them in the quarter-finals (0-2). In the main phase of Asian qualifiers, they finished a mere third in their group and had to secure qualification through an additional stage, where they drew with Iraq (0-0) and defeated Indonesia (3-2). In the spring months, they endured a losing streak, culminating in a late May defeat to Ecuador (1-2). Just before departing for the tournament, they found some solace with a 3-0 triumph over Puerto Rico and a goalless draw against Senegal, but they enter the match against Uruguay knowing that any points gained would be a huge success.

The history of their head-to-head encounters offers an interesting perspective. In two friendly matches, Uruguay failed to defeat Saudi Arabia even once, but in their most crucial showdown at the 2018 World Cup, the South Americans celebrated a narrow 1-0 victory.