Successor to the Argentine Bielsa… the legend Forlan as coach of the Uruguay national team

The Uruguayan Football Association announced the appointment of former star Diego Forlan as coach of the national team, succeeding Argentine Marcelo Bielsa.

Bielsa resigned from his position after the Uruguayan national team was eliminated from the 2026 World Cup in America, Mexico and Canada in the group stage.

Forlan (47 years old), a legendary football star in his country, will face a major challenge in his coaching career, as it is rebuilding the team that entered the World Cup with great ambitions, but left it with one of the worst performances in its history.

The Uruguay national team ranked third in the eighth group of the World Cup with two points in the group that included Spain, Cape Verde and Saudi Arabia. It also failed to qualify from the group stage, and the tournament witnessed great disappointment for Bielsa, who resigned shortly after the end of his team’s campaign in the World Cup.

The Uruguayan Federation stated in a statement that Forlan’s contract will extend until March 2027, and then the federation will evaluate his performance before making a decision on extending his contract or appointing a new coach for the next World Cup.

As the federation explained, Forlan will continue to coach the Uruguayan national team for less than 20 years, which will participate in the South American Youth Championship in 2027, as this will be a decisive tournament for the development of a new generation of players.

Forlan is the third all-time top scorer for the Uruguayan national team, with 36 goals. He also excelled in the 2010 World Cup in South Africa and was crowned top scorer in the tournament with five goals. He also won the Copa America title in 2011.