Uruguay Sets Fixtures as Bielsa Pushes for Game Outside Montevideo

According to FútbolUy, Jorge Giordano, director of national teams at the Uruguayan Football Association, outlined the reasoning behind the Celeste’s upcoming fixtures for the FIFA windows in October and November. Uruguay will travel to Malaysia to face Uzbekistan and the Dominican Republic, opponents chosen under the constraints of the international calendar.

Giordano noted that the Nations League in Europe and Concacaf limited options. “Uruguay has a fee for its matches, and not every federation is willing to pay it,” he said. On the choice of the Dominican Republic, he added: “It’s one of the fastest-growing teams in Central America thanks to its physical strength, a foreign coach, and its fight to reach the World Cup. There are aspects that can help us from a sporting point of view,” though he admitted the team is already out of contention after failing to reach the third round of Concacaf qualifiers.

He also confirmed that, by contract, top names such as Valverde, Darwin Núñez, Ronald Araújo and De Arrascaeta are expected to feature, while stressing that “the first priority is the sporting side.” As for Uzbekistan, the matchup was easier to secure since the team has already qualified for the World Cup.

In November, Uruguay will play Mexico in Torreón and the United States in Tampa. Looking ahead to March, Giordano mentioned possible high-profile friendlies in Europe once qualifiers conclude. For June, he revealed a special request from Marcelo Bielsa: “It’s Bielsa’s idea to play a match outside Montevideo. When we told him that most of the supporters who attend games come from the interior, he felt those people deserved to have the national team visit.”