Uruguay have announced the 26-man squad for their trip to Qatar to participate in the 2022 FIFA World Cup which takes place from November 20 to December 18, 2022.
Diego Alonso named his list on Friday to the delight of Uruguay fans as most of the expected names were included in the list. As expected, there are a few who will get their maiden World Cup experience, the most popular being Manchester United youngster Facundo Pellistri, whose performance has caught the eye of many European top clubs.
The list is a solid blend of youth, experience and veterans as Diego Godin, Luis Suarez, Martin Caceres and Fernando Muslera join the likes of Lucas Torreira, Mattias Vecino and Maxi Gomez to support the youngsters like Darwin Nuñez, Federico Valverde and Facundo Pellistri.
Nuñez is a no-brainer for the squad but it will be a big task for the Liverpool forward to get into the starting lineup with the veterans Luis Suarez and Edinson Cavani, who will be playing at their fourth tournament, both expected to lead the line.
Suarez has finally left Europe to play for his boyhood club, Nacional, in Uruguay and just recently led them to a title. Cavani is currently leading the line in Gennaro Gattuso's Valencia and both strikers are not slowing down soon.
Nuñez will definitely get his chance but many believe this tournament as his training tournament, seeing as this is his first official outing with Uruguay.
Another player whose inclusion is making fans happy is Real Madrid midfielder Federico Valverde. The 24-year-old has been one of the Spanish giant's best players this season and his performances have already seen him being touted for the Ballon d'Or, much like Luka Modric.
Fans are excited to see how he will perform at his first World Cup and most importantly, to see which position he will be used in, as he has proven to be one of the most versatile players around.
The Uruguay squad list in full is below.
Goalkeepers: Fernando Muslera (Galatasaray), Sergio Rochet (Nacional), Sebastian Sosa (Independiente).
Defenders: Jose Maria Gimenez (Atletico Madrid), Sebastian Coates (Sporting CP), Diego Godin (Velez Sarsfield), Martin Caceres (LA Galaxy), Ronald Araujo (Barcelona), Guillermo Varela (Flamengo), Jose Luis Rodriguez (Nacional), Mathias Olivera (Napoli), Matias Vina (Roma).
Midfielders: Lucas Torreira (Galatasaray), Manuel Ugarte (Sporting CP), Matias Vecino (Lazio), Rodrigo Bentancur (Tottenham Hotspur), Federico Valverde (Real Madrid), Facundo Pellistri (Manchester United), Nicolas De La Cruz (River Plate).
Forwards: Agustin Canobbio (Atletico Paranaense), Facundo Torres (Orlando City), Giorgian De Arrascaeta (Flamengo), Maxi Gomez (Trabzonspor), Luis Suarez (Nacional), Edinson Cavani (Valencia), Darwin Nunez (Liverpool)
Uruguay are in Group H and will face off against Portugal, Ghana and South Korea.
