The Argentine specialist brought Celeste the first victory over his country’s national team in 10 years
68-year-old Argentine specialist Marcelo Bielsa back in the spotlight. And his team is, if not a sensation, then a surprise in the South American selection for the 2026 World Cup. Within a month Uruguay beat Brazil and Argentinaand Bielsa himself set several achievements.
Let’s begin with Bielsa became the first coach of the Uruguay national team in 64 years, which beat the teams of Brazil and Argentina in a row. The last time this happened was Juan Carlos Corasso at the 1959 Copa America.
Now Bielsa and Uruguay beat Brazil on October 18, and Argentina on November 17. Moreover, Celeste achieved both victories with the same score – 2:0.
Before Bielsa arrived Uruguay could not win seven matches in a row against Argentina (five defeats and two draws), and the last time he defeated Albiceleste was ten years ago – in October 2013.
Uruguay could not beat the Brazilian national team for 22 years – since July 1, 2001: seven defeats, five draws (two defeats in penalty shootouts) in 12 matches.
For Bielsa himself, victories over Argentina and Brazil became third in career. Before that, Marcelo beat Argentina twice with the Chilean national team, and beat Brazil twice with the Argentina national team.
Bielsa took charge of the Uruguay national team in May this year after almost a year and a half sabbatical following his sacking from Leeds. Celeste is at the helm Marcelo played seven matches – five wins, a draw and a loss.
Uruguay played five matches in qualifying for the 2026 World Cup: victories over Argentina, Brazil and Chile, a draw with Colombia and a defeat against Ecuador. So far, Uruguay, with 10 points and two points behind Argentina, is in second place.
Uruguay will play their next qualifying match on November 22, at home against Bolivia. Of the 10 South American teams, six will qualify directly for the final part of the 2026 World Cup, the seventh will play in the play-offs with a team from another confederation.
Source: Sportarena
I’m Todderic Kirkman, a journalist and author for athletistic. I specialize in covering all news related to sports, ranging from basketball to football and everything in between. With over 10 years of experience in the industry, I have become an invaluable asset to my team. My ambition is to bring the most up-to-date information on sports topics around the world.
