Uruguay squad lands in US after flight delay ahead of World Cup opener

Uruguay's national football team has arrived in Miami after a travel ordeal that delayed their arrival less than 24 hours before their opening World Cup match in the United States.

The squad and support staff landed in Miami on Sunday, just hours before their Group H match against Saudi Arabia. The delay was caused by administrative issues, including missing paperwork, which prevented the original flight from departing Cancun.

The Uruguayan Football Association (AUF) said the problems were beyond their control and blamed FIFA, which is responsible for all team travel at the 48-team World Cup. The association stated that a new flight from South Florida was sent to pick up the team, while players waited at a resort outside Cancun.

Head coach Marcelo Bielsa and captain Jose Maria Gimenez missed the originally scheduled news conference on Sunday but attended after it was rescheduled to 8 pm Eastern Time. Gimenez said in Spanish that the trip went well and the team viewed it positively, taking the chance to rest at the hotel in Cancun.

When asked about the disruption, Bielsa downplayed any complications, emphasizing that the team had been well-rested during training camps in Montevideo and Playa del Carmen, Mexico.

Uruguay and Saudi Arabia will play their first Group H match at Miami Gardens at 6 pm local time, giving the team less than 24 hours to settle in. This is not the first travel issue at the World Cup: Somali referee Omar Artan was denied entry into the US, Iran's team received visas only 10 days before their first match, and Iraqi striker Aymen Hussein was detained at Chicago's airport before being allowed entry.