Jul 14, 2024; Miami, FL, USA; Argentina forward Lionel Messi (10) celebrates after winning the Copa America Final against Colombia at Hard Rock Stadium.

soccer

Uruguay vs Argentina Head to Head: Who Holds the Edge Overall Head to Head?

The two heavyweights meet on Friday in the 2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers

Jul 14, 2024; Miami, FL, USA; Argentina forward Lionel Messi (10) celebrates after winning the Copa America Final against Colombia at Hard Rock Stadium.

Argentina and Uruguay are undoubtedly two of the giants in South American football. They have had a longstanding duel that dates back to the early 1900s. The reigning World Cup winners are set to renew the rivalry on Friday, when they travel to the Centenario Stadium for the 2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers.

Led ably by the one and only Lionel Messi, Argentina currently sits on pole position in the CONMEBOL table, closely followed by Brazil and Uruguay. But under manager Marcelo Bielsa, the Uruguay setup has a fresh energy and mindset. With Brazil beating Columbia to claim the second spot, La Celeste will be determined to regain their position.

After making a strong start to the World Cup Qualifiers under Bielsa, Uruguay have managed a solitary victory in half a dozen encounters ever since. With several poster boy stars such as Darwin Nunez, Ronald Araujo and Manuel Ugarte at their disposal, there is no shortage of talent for them to topple any side in the world.

With Messi set to miss the blockbuster clash, the onus will be on the Sky Blues to make full use of the advantage.

Uruguay vs Argentina Head to Head Record

Taking only official competitions into consideration, the head-to-head record between Argentina and Uruguay stands at:

Argentina Wins: 88

Draw: 46

Uruguay Wins: 51

Uruguay vs Argentina Last 5 Matches Head to Head

Argentina Wins: 3

Draw: 1

Uruguay Wins: 1

The most recent tussle between the two sides took place in November 2023, when goals from Araujo and Nunez helped the supposed minnows to a 2-0 victory over La Albiceleste. This was a 2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifier as well. Prior to that, Argentina notched three consecutive victories in the head-to-head; that too without conceding a goal.

Uruguay vs Argentina Recent Head to Head Scores

16 November 2023: Argentina 0 – 2 Uruguay (2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers)

12 November 2021: Argentina 1 – 0 Uruguay (2022 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers)

10 October 2021: Argentina 3 – 0 Uruguay (2022 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers)

18 June 2021: Argentina 1 – 0 Uruguay (2021 Copa America)

18 November 2019: Argentina 2 – 2 Uruguay (Friendly)

Uruguay vs Argentina 2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifier Team News

Marcelo Bielsa has named a 38-man squad for the next two games against Argentina and Bolivia. Manuel Ugarte is suspended for Friday’s clash against Argentina due to accumulation of yellow cards. Meanwhile, Araujo and Nunez are fit to start.

With plenty of stars sidelined due to injury, Lionel Scaloni will have to make the most of his available resources. Lionel Messi, Lautaro Martinez, Gonzalo Montiel, Paulo Dybala and Giovani Lo Celso are the primary absentees for the world champions.

Uruguay vs Argentina 2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifier Prediction

Uruguay 1 – 1 Argentina

Argentina

Darwin Nunez

FIFA World Cup

Lionel Messi

Ronald Araujo

Uruguay vs Argentina

Sankalp Harikrishnan

A passionate sports fan through and through, I am currently pursuing my MA in Global Sports Journalism. I specialise in tennis and football writing at The Playoffs News, and I have prior experience working at EssentiallySports and Sportskeeda. Born and raised in Bengaluru, India, sport was my safe space right from my childhood. After trying my hand at multiple sports and representing my educational institutions in cricket, badminton and table tennis, I found sports media to be my calling.