Toxic Bielsa leaves ‘nothing good’ behind as Uruguay suffer World Cup shock
Key takeaways
- Uruguay’s out-going Argentinean coach Marcelo Bielsa has previously described himself as a ‘toxic perfectionist’.
- The South Americans lost 1-0 to group-winning Spain to leave the tournament without a victory.
- At 19th in the FIFA rankings, Uruguay is the highest-ranked team to be eliminated so far.
Why this matters: an international story with cross-border implications worth tracking.
Uruguay’s out-going Argentinean coach Marcelo Bielsa has previously described himself as a ‘toxic perfectionist’.
xwhatsapp-strokecopylinkgoogle Add Al Jazeera on Googleinfo Marcelo Bielsa previously said he would leave the Uruguay job after the World Cup [Eloisa Sanchez/Reuters]By The Associated Press and Al Jazeera staff and The Associated Press Published On 27 Jun 202627 Jun 2026Uruguay coach Marcelo Bielsa has taken full responsibility for his team’s elimination from World Cup 2026 and blamed himself for leaving ‘nothing good’ for Uruguayan football during his stint with the national team.
The South Americans lost 1-0 to group-winning Spain to leave the tournament without a victory. The exit came off the back of draws against Saudi Arabia and Cape Verde – the latter, newcomers to the World Cup advanced from Group H in second -place.