Saudi Arabia holds Uruguay to a draw in the opening of their 2026 World Cup journey

Miami —
The Saudi national team started its journey in the 2026 World Cup with a valuable draw against the Uruguay national team with a score of 1-1, in the match that took place at the «Hard Rock» stadium as part of the first round of the group stage.

The «Green» team delivered a defensively disciplined match, successfully absorbing the pressure from the Uruguayan team during important periods of the game, before taking the lead through Abdulilah Al-Amri in the 41st minute, after exploiting a ball inside the penalty area and placing it in the net.

In the second half, the Uruguay team intensified their offensive attempts seeking a comeback, amid a clear brilliance from goalkeeper Mohammed Al-Owais, who blocked several dangerous chances and maintained the Saudi team's lead until the final minutes.

The equalizing goal came in the 80th minute by Maximiliano Araújo, after he shot from inside the penalty area, bringing the team from South America back into the match.

Despite the continuous Uruguayan pressure in the final minutes, the Saudi team maintained the result and earned a valuable point against a strong opponent with extensive experience in World Cup finals.

This is the third draw for the Saudi national team in its World Cup history, after drawing with South Africa in the 1998 edition, and with Tunisia in the 2006 edition.

This performance gives the Saudi team an important moral boost at the start of its journey, especially with the remarkable level of goalkeeper Mohammed Al-Owais and the defensive discipline the team showed against one of the historic teams in the tournament.