Uruguay Faces Criticism For 'Cruel' Punishment To Players at World Cup

Uruguay entered the 2026 FIFA Men's World Cup as a potential dark horse contender. But the country has not even reached the knockout round.

The South American country, which entered play ranked No. 16 in the world, did not make it out of the group stage.

Uruguay's World Cup campaign ended on Friday with a 1-0 loss to Spain. Cape Verde shockingly made it out of the group, as Uruguay was unable to come through when it mattered most.

Uruguay, which was led by Real Madrid midfielder Federico Valverde and former Liverpool striker Darwin Nunez, was initially scheduled to return to South America via a private chartered jet.

However, that will not be happening.

Instead, the AUF (Uruguay's soccer federation) has determined that players are set to return home on commercial airlines, as confirmed by Uruguayan outlet Tenfield.

Is that fair or cruel punishment?

Soccer fans are a bit amused by the punishment, though some find it's a bit cruel to change travel plans based on a result.

"That's funny, but it's just cruel, too," one fan wrote.

"I get that they disappointed but come on, that is not sending the right message," one fan added.

Others, meanwhile, disagreed.

"I don't feel bad for them at all. They undermined the coach; like him or not that isn't acceptable. Played poorly. Embarrassed the nation with their antics and inability to remain level headed on the pitch and did so further failing to qualify in such a mid group," one fan added.

"Classy move. Entitlement doesn't fly after first-round exits," one fan added.

"The overhead bins just became their toughest opponent of the tournament," another fan added.

The 2026 FIFA World Cup will continue on Monday.

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This story was originally published June 28, 2026 at 5:08 PM.