Uruguay blames FIFA after travel chaos and plane mix-up

Uruguay blamed FIFA after travel delays left the team waiting for permission to fly to its first World Cup match. The squad had been training in Cancún ahead of Monday evening's game in Miami against Saudi Arabia. The plane scheduled to take them to Florida lacked authorization to enter the US because of paperwork issues, Uruguayan media said, and the Uruguayan Football Association said the departure was delayed "due to problems beyond the control of the AUF." An AUF spokesperson told The Athletic the delay was FIFA's fault.

FIFA said the flight was delayed "due to an airline permitting error in Mexico." The organization added that the airline had apologized and that FIFA remained in close contact with the Uruguay national team, working alongside airport and operational partners to help expedite the process and minimize disruption to the team's travel arrangements.

Uruguay arrived in Florida on a different plane.

Uruguay, Cancún, Miami

uruguay, fifa, auf, world cup, travel delays, plane mix-up, cancún, miami, saudi arabia, airline error