Uruguay name strong squad for India friendly, Valverde and Nunez included

Uruguay have announced a strong squad for their October 6 friendly against India in Kolkata, with Real Madrid captain Federico Valverde, Darwin Nunez and Ronald Araujo among the key names. The match will also mark Diego Forlan’s start as head coach.

Montevideo: Two-time FIFA World Cup champions Uruguay has announced a strong squad for the international friendly match against India, which will be held in Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan in Kolkata on October 6.

The match will also be the start of the tenure of Uruguay’s new coach, Diego Forlan, who joined the team after Marcelo Bielsa resigned from the post, following a disappointing FIFA World Cup 2026 campaign in which they exited from the group stage.

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Forlan’s squad includes established internationals and emerging talents across all positions. Spanish club Real Madrid’s captain Federico Valverde is among the biggest names in the list. The 28-year-old midfielder featured in all the matches for Uruguay in the FIFA WC and has won the UEFA Champions League two times.

Former Liverpool striker Darwin Nunez is also among the forwards named by Forlan. He will be joined by three-time La Liga winner Ronald Araujo, who will play in India for the first time.

The fixture will be India’s third high-profile international friendly of the window, following the match against Panama on September 25 in Bengaluru and the much-anticipated encounter against five-time world champions Brazil on October 3 in Kolkata.

One of the most decorated teams in international football, Uruguay are currently ranked 20th in the FIFA World Ranking. The current head coach of Uruguay, Diego Forlán, played for Mumbai City FC in 2016.

Uruguay squad for 2026 India football friendly

Goalkeepers: Santiago Mele, Cristopher Fiermarin, Ignacio de Arruabarrena, Sebastian Jaume, Thiago Cardozo

Defenders: Kevin Amaro, Jose Luis Rodriguez, Guillermo Varela, Nahitan Nandez, Santiago Mourino, Nicolas Marichal, Ronald Araujo, Alexander Barboza, Jose Maria Gimenez, Juan Rodriguez, Sebastian Boselli, Santiago Bueno, Sebastian Caceres, Mathias Olivera, Joaquin Piquerez, Lucas Olaza, Marcelo Saracchi, Juan Manuel Sanabria

Midfielders: Emiliano Martinez, Lucas Torreira, Rodrigo Bentancur, Facundo Bernal, Santiago Homenchenko, Federico Valverde, Agustin Canobbio, Matias Abaldo, Facundo Pellistri, Luciano Rodriguez, Maximiliano Araujo, Lucas Villalba, Brian Rodriguez, Rodrigo Zalazar, Diego Rossi, Giorgian de Arrascaeta

Forwards: Martin Satriano, Agustin A. Martinez, Rodrigo Aguirre, Federico Vinas, Miguel Merentiel, Darwin Nunez, Alvaro Rodriguez