Overview
- The Uruguayan Football Association confirmed Diego Forlan as interim head coach of the senior team and coach of the Under-20s following Marcelo Bielsa’s resignation after Uruguay’s 2026 World Cup exit.
- Forlan’s mandate runs through March 2027 and will be assessed after the September–November international windows and the January 2027 South American U-20 Championship.
- Uruguay’s World Cup campaign ended in the group stage with two points from matches against Spain, Cape Verde and Saudi Arabia, a result that triggered Bielsa’s immediate departure and urgent leadership change.
- The AUF framed the short-term arrangement as politically mindful because federation elections later in 2026 make a long-term contract impractical at this time.
- Forlan is a celebrated former international with 36 goals in 112 caps and the 2010 World Cup Golden Ball, but he has only brief senior coaching spells at Peñarol and Atenas, making this both a morale boost and a practical test of his managerial credentials.