Uruguay’s persistence paid off at Miami Stadium as they earned a 1-1 draw in their 2026 FIFA World Cup opener against Saudi Arabia.
Uruguay salvaged a point in their opening game at the 2026 World Cup as they drew 1-1 with Saudi Arabia.
Maxi Araújo scored a late equaliser for Uruguay after Abdulelah Al Amri gave Saudi Arabia a half-time lead, with all four teams in Group H starting with a draw following Spain’s earlier stalemate with Cape Verde.
Uruguay started on the front foot and tested Mohammed Al Owais early on as the Saudi Arabia goalkeeper pushed away a powerful drive from Araujo, while Federico Vinas mistimed his header from the resulting corner.
Marcelo Bielsa’s side had 60% possession during the opening 35 minutes, but were unable to find a breakthrough against a resolute defence.
Saudi Arabia then gained momentum towards the end of the half, with Al Amri forcing a good save from Fernando Muslera, though the goalkeeper could do nothing minutes later when Al Amri reacted quickest to a rebound from Mohamed Kanno’s header to tap in.
Uruguay were back on top to start the second half, and went close to an equaliser when Manuel Ugarte’s strike from distance was tipped onto the post by Al Owais.
They eventually levelled in the 80th minute as Araujo fired in at the near post from a tight angle after Vinas’ initial header was kept out by Al Owais.
Substitute Nicolás de la Cruz and Federico Valverde both went close to scoring a stoppage-time winner for Uruguay, but the Saudi Arabia goalkeeper stood firm to hold on for a draw.
Persistence Pays Off for Uruguay
Uruguay’s equalising goal came on their 12th attempt in the second half, at which point Saudi Arabia had not registered a shot after the break.
Overall, Uruguay accumulated 1.54 expected goals (xG) from 28 shots to Saudi Arabia’s 0.99 from just seven attempts.
The South American side would have been wondering if they would score after Ugarte struck the woodwork, but Araujo eventually found the magic touch to secure what could prove to be a vital point.
Araujo is the first Uruguayan player to score on his World Cup debut since Diego Forlan did so in 2002 against Senegal, while he has been directly involved in more goals than any other Uruguay player across their last two major tournaments (Copa America and World Cup), recording four goal involvements (three goals and one assist).
Saudi Arabia, meanwhile, will certainly take a point, especially after they pressure the faced in the second half.
Al Owais made nine saves to deny Uruguay victory, while a win against Spain or Cape Verde could now see Saudi Arabia reach the knockout rounds.
Saudi Arabia have advanced beyond the first round in just one of their six previous World Cup appearances – it was at the 1994 tournament in the USA.
Our Opta match centre delivers you all the Saudi Arabia vs Uruguay stats from their 2026 FIFA World Cup Group H meeting at Miami Stadium on 15 June.
The match centre below includes team and player stats, expected goals data, passing networks, an Opta chalkboard and more. It gives you everything you need to do your own match analysis.
Underneath the match centre you can find the official Opta stats on the game as well.
Saudi Arabia 1-1 Uruguay: Post-Match Opta Facts
- Teams from the AFC confederation is unbeaten in the 2026 FIFA World Cup so far, with two wins and three draws from their five matches – their longest ever unbeaten run to start an edition of the tournament.
- Conversely, CONMEBOL nations are yet to win a game (D2 L2) or even hold a lead in the 2026 competition, marking their worst start to a tournament since 1974 (9 matches, D6 L3).
- Uruguay had 67% possession against Saudi Arabia, their highest tally on record (since 1966) in a FIFA World Cup match. Their 22 shots in the second half equalled the most by any team in a FIFA World Cup half since East Germany attempted 24 shots in the first half against Chile in 1974.
- Abdulelah Al Amri scored his second goal for Saudi Arabia in this FIFA World Cup match, ending a 42-game goal drought for his national team; his only previous international goal came on his debut in a friendly against Kuwait in March 2021.
- Maxi Araújo has been directly involved in more goals than any other Uruguay player across their last two major tournaments (Copa América and FIFA World Cup), recording four goal involvements (three goals and one assist). Against Saudi Arabia, he also set the record for chances created from set pieces by an Uruguayan in the tournament since 1966 (5).
- Fernando Muslera became the player with the joint-most appearances for Uruguay in FIFA World Cup history (17, level with Edinson Cavani), while also being the oldest player to appear for Uruguay at the FIFA World Cup by over three years (39 years, 364 days, ahead of Diego Godin – 36 years, 285 days in 2022).
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