Uruguay and Argentina have confirmed a new chapter in their historic rivalry with a friendly match scheduled for November 13 in Tel Aviv. This will be the third friendly between the two South American giants this century, adding another page to a fiercely competitive fixture. The match finds Uruguay in a confident mood, following their last result, a 6-1 victory over India on October 6.
The game will be held at the New Bloomfield Stadium, the same venue that hosted their last friendly encounter on November 18, 2019, which ended in a 2-2 draw. On that occasion, Edinson Cavani and Luis Suárez scored for Uruguay, while Lionel Messi and Sergio Agüero found the net for Argentina. Lionel Scaloni was in charge of Argentina, with Óscar Washington Tabárez managing Uruguay.
Historical context
The only other friendly this century took place much earlier, on August 20, 2003 in Italy, where Argentina won 3-2. That match saw Diego Forlán serve as Uruguay's interim coach opposite Marcelo Bielsa's Argentina, with goals from Juan Sebastián Verón, Walter Samuel, and Andrés D’Alessandro for the winners, and Diego Forlán and Martín Ligüera for Uruguay.
The overall historical record is heavily contested. According to AUF data, the teams have met 196 times, with Argentina winning 92, Uruguay 58, and 46 draws. The most recent competitive meetings, however, came in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers and highlighted the current balance of power: Uruguay won 0-2 at La Bombonera with goals from Ronald Araujo and Darwin Núñez, and Argentina won 1-0 at the Estadio Centenario thanks to a Thiago Almada strike.
Uruguay's current form
This friendly arrives during a positive spell for Diego Forlán's Uruguay. La Celeste is on a two-game winning streak, having beaten India 6-1 and South Korea 4-1 during the October international window. In the rout of India, Maximiliano Araujo and Darwin Núñez both scored braces, with Núñez also providing an assist. Their recent form across the last three matches reads two wins and one loss, putting them on a two-game winning run. In the 4-1 victory over South Korea on September 28, Darwin Núñez was again key, scoring twice. The forward is shaping up as the team's top scorer in this period, having also found the net in the 3-1 loss to Japan on September 24.
Scaloni's coaching staff, which includes former players like Walter Samuel and Pablo Aimar who featured in the 2003 friendly, prepares for a always-special clash. Forlán, who played in that same match, now leads from the dugout as he looks to fine-tune his squad. The November 13 encounter will serve as a valuable test for both sides, closing the year with a high-stakes classic on neutral ground.
First reported at EFE - Agencia de noticias
