MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Uruguay arrived in South Florida Sunday night ahead of Opening Day. world cup The game came after the team’s flight was delayed for several hours in Mexico.
Uruguay will face Saudi Arabia in their Group H opener on Monday night at Hard Rock Stadium, one of 16 venues in the expanded 48-team tournament. The team held a training session in Cancun on Sunday morning.
“The departure of the Uruguay national team from Cancun to Miami has been delayed as the airline has acknowledged a mistake made in Mexico,” FIFA said in a statement. “The airline apologized for the inconvenience caused. FIFA remained in close contact with the Uruguayan national team during the delay and worked with airports and operational partners to expedite the process and minimize disruption to the team’s travel arrangements.”
Manager Marcelo Bielsa and defender Jose María Jimenez spoke to reporters at the stadium on Sunday night. Bielsa said the flight delay was “not a problem”.
“There were some problems. It was difficult, but we actually took advantage of it because we were able to rest in the hotel,” Jimenez added through an interpreter.
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