Uruguay midfielder Manuel Ugarte has vowed to come back stronger after suffering a serious left knee ligament injury that has left him at "rock bottom."

Uruguay's head coach Marcelo Bielsa placed blame following the team's 1-0 loss to Spain and early World Cup exit.

Lamine Yamal starts for Spain against Uruguay in theirWorld Cup ​Group H match on Friday, as coach ‌Luis de la Fuente makes three changes from the side which beat Saudi Arabia 4-0.

Ricardo Mazalan is AP’s Latin America deputy director of storytelling and photos. He is veteran of World Cups, dating back to France 1998. Mazalan his also worked numerous Olympics. Why this photo? Spain versus Uruguay was the only group-stage clash between two former World Cup champions and one of the most anticipated matches of the opening round.

The 2026 World Cup group stage wasn’t predictable. Sure, favorites have dominated at the top of every group, but there’s been a lot of unforeseen outcomes. Who could have guessed that Cape Verde and DR Congo would get draws against Spain and Portugal,

The second match in Group H also ended with a surprise. Following Cape Verde’s 0-0 draw with Spain, Saudi Arabia secured a 1-1 draw against Uruguay.