World Cup: Were the Uruguayan players really punished and forced to return home on their own?

According to several American media outlets, the Uruguayan Football Federation (AUF) has reportedly cancelled the charter flight that had been arranged to bring all the players and staff back to the country.

An elimination followed by punishment? Eliminated in the group stage to everyone's surprise at the expense of Cape Verde, Uruguay is one of the biggest, if not the biggest, disappointments of this 2026 World Cup, recording two poor draws and a defeat in three matches in Group H.

The early exit of Marcelo Bielsa and his team from the competition has caused a major stir and discontent within the Uruguayan Football Association (AUF), to the point that the federation has reportedly decided to cancel the charter flight that had been arranged to bring all the players and staff back from their training camp in Montevideo, Mexico, according to the daily newspaper El País and the Uruguayan television channel Tenfield. According to Tenfield, the AUF decided to cancel the private jet and allow the players to return home by booking a commercial flight themselves.

The Uruguayan Football Association (AUF) announced its return plan on Saturday following its elimination. Unlike the outbound flight, which was a charter flight carrying over 150 people and nearly five tons of luggage and equipment, the team will now return on commercial flights.

The federation maintains that a charter flight was "never considered."

The AUF clarified, however, that this option had been planned from the start of the competition. In a statement, the federation explained that "the return trip never considered the possibility of a charter flight" due to the uncertainty surrounding the departure city, which depended on the team's progress in the tournament.

Furthermore, the AUF emphasized that many members of the delegation will not return via Uruguay, but will go directly to the countries where they usually reside to join their respective clubs and resume preseason training.

Several members of the delegation began their return to Uruguay on various commercial flights this Sunday, and their arrivals in Uruguay are scheduled for Monday, in a staggered fashion, reports the Spanish-language media outlet Cope. The federation defended this plan, arguing that commercial flights represented "the fastest and most efficient option for each destination," adapting to the needs of each delegation member after the team's premature elimination from the World Cup.