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Uruguay vs Argentina 2026 World Cup Qualifiers | Match Preview, Head-to-head, Possible Lineups and Scoreline Prediction

Read the full match preview, head-to-head stats, possible starting lineups, and Scoreline Prediction of the Uruguay vs Argentina match tonight in the 2026 World Cup CONMEBOL Qualifiers.

Soumit BhattacharyaMarch 21, 2025 at 11:08 AM • 4 min read
Uruguay vs Argentina 2026 World Cup Qualifiers | Match Preview, Head-to-head, Possible Lineups and Scoreline Prediction
Read the full match preview, head-to-head stats, possible starting lineups, and Scoreline Prediction of the Uruguay vs Argentina match tonight in the 2026 World Cup CONMEBOL Qualifiers.

Argentina, the defending World Champions, will recommence their journey in the 2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers in the CONMEBOL zone as they take on Uruguay on March 22nd at the Estadio Centenario in Montevideo, Uruguay.

On 17 November 2023, Uruguay handed Argentina their first defeat since the World Cup win, when they defeated La Albicelestes by 2-0 in the reverse fixture of the qualifiers at La Bombonera in Buenos Aires.

From possible starting XIs to Fantasy predictions, here is everything you need to know about the Uruguay vs Argentina fixture in the 2026 World Cup CONMEBOL Qualifiers.

Match Details 

Match: Uruguay vs Argentina match - 2026 World Cup Conmebol Qualifiers

Date: 22 March 2025

Time: 5:00 AM IST

Venue: Estadio Centenario, Montevideo, Uruguay

Uruguay vs Argentina 2026 World Cup Qualifiers | Match Preview, Head-to-head, Possible Lineups and Fantasy XI Prediction-sportzpoint.com
(Image Credit | ESPN Uruguay)

Broadcasting and Streaming Details

The live streaming of the Uruguay vs Argentina, CONMEBOL Qualifiers match will be available on the FanCode app and website. There is no official TV broadcasting available in India.

Team News

Uruguay 

Uruguay vs Argentina 2026 World Cup Qualifiers | Match Preview, Head-to-head, Possible Lineups and Fantasy XI Prediction-sportzpoint.com
Uruguay against Colombia last November. (Image Source | X)

Uruguay have emerged triumphant against Brazil and Colombia at home since former Argentina boss Marcelo Bielsa's appointment in May 2023.

The 'Los Charrúas' are currently standing in the third position of the CONMEBOL Qualifiers leaderboard, having earned 20 points in 12 matches. 

Marcelo Bielsa has made an unusual decision by naming a 38-man squad for the qualifying matches against Argentina and Bolivia, which offers a whole new set of players an opportunity to feature for the national team in these important matches. 

Manchester United midfielder Manuel Ugarte was among the names selected, but he will miss the game against Argentina, due to the accumulation of yellow cards. 

Federico Valverde, Ronald Araujo, Rodrigo Bentancur, and Darwin Nunez are all expected to start, whereas Nunez has expressed his desire to come out of his struggling form at Liverpool.

Argentina

Uruguay vs Argentina 2026 World Cup Qualifiers | Match Preview, Head-to-head, Possible Lineups and Fantasy XI Prediction-sportzpoint.com
Argentina won 1-0 against Peru in their last game in November. (Image Credit | Reuters)

Argentina have accumulated 25 points from their 12 qualifying matches and currently sits at the top of the table. La Albicelestes can secure their place in the next World Cup if they end the March international break with a 13-point lead over the seventh-placed team. 

The Lionel Scaloni-led team is currently the top-ranked national team in FIFA Rankings, but their form has been inconsistent since winning the 2024 Copa America title. In their last six matches, they have won three, lost two, and drawn one, with none of those victories coming in an away game.

Ahead of the team selection, Lionel Scaloni has faced significant injury woes, as his biggest weapon, captain Lionel Messi has been sidelined due to an adductor injury. Striker Lautaro Martinez had also withdrawn himself from the squad due to hamstring issues.

Scaloni will have to field a competitive eleven without the services of Gonzalo Montiel, Giovani Lo Celso, and Paulo Dybala as well, who all have been ruled out due to different injury concerns.

Head-to-head Stats 

Here are the head-to-head stats between Uruguay and Argentina in the FIFA World Cup, World Cup Qualifiers and Copa America matches. 

Matches Played: 49

Uruguay won: 17

Argentina won: 24

Draws: 8

Possible Playing XI

Uruguay 

Sergio Rochet; Nahitan Nandez, Ronald Araujo, Jose Gimenez, Marcelo Saracchi; Federico Valverde, Rodrigo Bentancur, Rodrigo Aguirre; Facundo Pellistri, Maximiliano Araujo, Darwin Nunez

Argentina

Emiliano Martinez; Nahuel Molina, Cristian Romero, Nicolas Otamendi, Nicolas Tagliafico; Rodrigo De Paul, Alexis Mac Allister, Enzo Fernandez; Angel Correa, Nico Gonzalez, Julian Alvarez

Scoreline Prediction

Uruguay has already defeated Brazil and Colombia at home in the current qualifying cycle. Given that Argentina will be without stars like Messi and Martinez, we believe the hosts have a great opportunity to secure all three points. This is also significant as the visitors have lost two of their last three away qualifiers.

Our Prediction: Uruguay 2-1 Argentina

Tags:

ArgentinaFIFA World Cup QualifiersConmebolUruguayArgentina Vs Uruguay

Soumit Bhattacharya

Soumit Bhattacharya's path to football content writing has been a natural progression of his innate love for sports, especially for football. Being a dedicated football enthusiast since childhood, he is well-versed and has a profound passion for the beautiful game, sharing readers a vast knowledge base through insighful narratives.

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