Diego Forlán has named his first squad as interim manager of the Uruguay national team, calling up forward Miguel Merentiel and four other players based in the Argentine league. The announcement signals the start of a renewal after the team's group-stage exit at the 2026 World Cup, where they finished third with just 2 points from three matches.

Forlán, the Golden Ball winner at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, took on the challenge following Uruguay's failure in North America. His first test will be a friendly against Japan on September 24 in Rifu, as listed on the official fixtures page. La Celeste will aim to improve their recent form, which reads zero wins, four draws and one loss in their last five outings, including a 0-1 defeat to Spain on June 27.

Who are the new faces in Forlán's squad?

Forlán's reserved list gives prominence to players developing their careers in Argentine clubs. Striker Miguel Merentiel, aged 30 and currently at Boca Juniors, returns to the senior side after being overlooked by Marcelo Bielsa for the recent World Cup. Joining him are goalkeeper Santiago Mele (Independiente), fellow keeper Thiago Cardozo (Belgrano), midfielder Matías Abaldo (Independiente) and forward Agustín Álvarez Martínez (Talleres), completing the contingent from Argentine football.

This call-up represents a second chance for Merentiel, who previously debuted under Bielsa. Forlán has also included other goalkeepers based abroad, such as Christopher Fiermarín (Bucaramanga, Colombia) and Ignacio de Arruabarrena (Arouca, Portugal). The full list of called-up players is available in our squad section.

What about the historic generation?

A notable absence from this first list is Luis Suárez. The legendary striker retired from the national team in 2024, though he left the door open for a return if needed before the 2026 World Cup. Regarding his status, Forlán stated: "Mientras estuviera disponible, Suárez era un futbolista 'elegible'." However, the interim manager has chosen to look forward with other attacking options.

The forward line for these friendlies will consist of seven men. Besides Merentiel and Álvarez Martínez, it includes Martín Satriano (Getafe), Rodrigo Aguirre (Tigres), Federico Viñas (Toluca), Darwin Núñez (Al-Diriyah) and Álvaro Rodríguez (Bournemouth). In defence and midfield, the squad retains pillars like Ronald Araujo (Liverpool), José María Giménez (Deportivo La Coruña) and Federico Valverde (Real Madrid), who provide experience during this transitional period.

What is Uruguay's immediate schedule?

After the match in Japan, the Uruguayan team will travel to Seoul to face South Korea on September 28. The third confirmed fixture is against India on October 6 in Calcutta. The federation is still working to finalise a fourth friendly for this September-October window.

These matches are important for Forlán to assess his group ahead of the rebuild. Uruguay starts from a difficult position, having scored 3 and conceded 4 goals in the recent World Cup group stage, leaving them 5 points behind leaders Spain. The team's performance in these friendlies will be key to defining the future of the project. Fans can track the squad's evolution and statistics in our stats section.

The first test of the new cycle comes in less than three weeks, when Uruguay visits Japan on September 24.