Bielsa steps down following Uruguay’s dismal World Cup campaign

Syndicated reporting provided by Stats Perform and reviewed by the SoccerNews editorial team.

Marcelo Bielsa has confirmed his resignation as Uruguay coach following their disastrous World Cup campaign.

It was all but certain Bielsa would step away after Uruguay crashed out in the group stage, finishing behind tournament debutants Cape Verde.

Uruguay took just two points, drawing against Saudi Arabia and Cape Verde and losing to Spain.

And Bielsa, who took charge of Uruguay in 2023, has now officially announced his departure from the role.

“It was completely unexpected that our situation would turn out the way it did,” he told reporters in a typically fiery press conference.

“My responsibility is very clear; I cannot justify the position we ended up in. My resource management was insufficient. We gave everything, my team and the players, but it wasn’t enough.

“For me, it’s clear that this ending is very painful due to the high hopes I had when I took on this project, and because of the unfortunate way it concluded.

“I have pushed many people to make tremendous efforts, especially the players who have shown an exceptional ability to sacrifice and work.”

— Selección Uruguaya (@Uruguay) June 27, 2026

With Uruguay trailing to Alex Baena’s goal against Spain, Bielsa made the eyebrow-raising decision to take off his captain and star player, Federico Valverde.

However, Bielsa insists he has no issues with the Real Madrid midfielder.

“I have never had any problems with Valverde at all,” he added.

“I have not made concessions to any player more than I have to Valverde, because he deserves it.”

Bielsa also refuted the suggestion that the relationship between his players and himself resulted in their exit.

“We created five times more danger than Saudi Arabia, 50% more scoring opportunities than Cape Verde, and the same number of dangerous situations as Spain,” he said.

“How can I accept that my relationship with the team was what prevented us from winning the first few matches and caused us to lose the last one?”

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