Uruguay begins its 2026 FIFA World Cup Group H schedule on Monday against Saudi Arabia, with Juan Manuel Sanabria in line to chase a first tournament appearance as the campaign gets underway. It is the first step in a group that will quickly test a side that finished fourth in South American qualifying and carries the weight of two World Cup titles.
Sanabria has six assists in 11 MLS appearances in his debut season for Real Salt Lake, and the wingback is among the names being watched most closely as Uruguay opens a tournament that starts June 11 and runs until July 19 across 16 cities in the United States, Canada and Mexico. The 48-team format leaves more room for error than before, with the top two sides in each group and the eight best third-place finishers moving on to the knockout phase.
That is part of what makes Monday matter for Uruguay. Marcelo Bielsa’s team is not just beginning a group-stage schedule; it is trying to turn qualification form into a deep run at a World Cup where its history still speaks loudly. Uruguay is a 15-time World Cup participant and has lifted the trophy in 1930 and 1950, while Bielsa brings his own past World Cup touchpoints after coaching Argentina in 2002 and Chile in 2010.
Saudi Arabia brings a different kind of pressure. The team is in its seventh World Cup, its third straight, and it topped Group B in the fourth round of AFC qualifiers before arriving in North America. Salem Al-Dawsari returns as captain, Saud Abdulhamid provides pace at right back from RC Lens and Feras Al-Buraikan led the team with five goals in qualifying. The Saudis also arrive with a result that still echoes through the tournament record book, having beaten eventual champions Argentina 2-1 at Qatar 2022.
That contrast is the edge in this opener: a Saudi side that has already shown it can cut down a giant against a Uruguay team that is used to being one. The match gives Sanabria a chance to press his case for a World Cup debut while also setting the tone for how Bielsa’s squad handles the one result it cannot afford in a short group. Uruguay follows with Cape Verde on June 21 and Spain on June 26, while Saudi Arabia meets Spain on June 21 and closes against Cape Verde on June 26.
By the time the group stage turns to those final dates, Monday’s result should already have narrowed the path. For Sanabria, it is a chance to turn an impressive start with Real Salt Lake into something larger. For Uruguay, it is the first real measure of whether a familiar name can still move like a contender when the World Cup clock starts for real.
