Uruguay held to 1–1 draw by Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia produced another spirited performance on the World Cup stage as they held two-time champions Uruguay to a 1–1 draw in their FIFA World Cup 2026 Group H encounter.

The Asian side took a surprise lead in the 41st minute when Abdulla Al-Amri reacted quickest inside the box to turn in the rebound after Hassan Al-Tambakti’s header was spilled by Uruguay goalkeeper Fernando Muslera from a corner. Saudi Arabia went into half-time leading 1–0.

Uruguay responded with sustained pressure after the break, with Federico Valverde, Darwin Núñez and Maximiliano Araújo driving repeated attacks. Despite prolonged dominance in possession and territory, they struggled to break through Saudi Arabia’s compact defensive structure.

The equaliser arrived in the 80th minute when Maximiliano Araújo found the breakthrough to level the contest at 1–1, ending Saudi Arabia’s resistance.

Both sides pushed for a late winner in the closing stages, but neither could find the decisive goal as the match finished level.

The result continues Saudi Arabia’s reputation as World Cup giant-killers following their famous win over Argentina in 2022, while Uruguay are forced to settle for a point after a hard-fought comeback.