Stay up to date with notifications from The IndependentNotifications can be managed in browser preferences.Jump to contentThank you for registeringPlease refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged inAllNewsSportCultureLifestyleUruguay's national football team experienced significant travel delays from their training base in Cancun, Mexico, to Miami, USA, ahead of their World Cup opener against Saudi Arabia. The delay was caused by issues with the paperwork for their plane, which prevented it from receiving clearance to fly to the United States. The Uruguayan Football Association (AUF) expressed anger and held Fifa responsible for the logistical problems, stating the squad's departure was delayed due to circumstances beyond their control. The incident jeopardised manager Marcelo Bielsa's scheduled pre-match press conference in Miami, and Uruguay legend Diego Forlan publicly questioned the accountability for the situation. This travel disruption is one of several issues affecting teams and officials for the tournament, including a Somalian referee being denied US entry, Palestine's football chief awaiting permission, Iran's fan ticket allocation reportedly revoked, and Ghana's Thomas Partey denied entry to Canada. In fullUruguay blame Fifa after flight chaos hurts plans for World Cup 2026 matchThank you for registeringPlease refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in