The Uruguay national under-23 football team (also known as Uruguay Olympic football team) represents Uruguay in under-23 international football competitions such as the Olympic Games, CONMEBOL Pre-Olympic Tournament and Pan American Games. The selection is limited to players under the age of 23, except three overage players. The team is controlled by the Uruguayan Football Association (AUF).
 | |||
| Nickname(s) | La Celeste Olímpica (The Olympic Sky Blue) La Celeste (The Sky Blue) | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Association | Asociación Uruguaya de Fútbol | ||
| Confederation | CONMEBOL (South America) | ||
| Head coach | Marcelo Bielsa | ||
| Captain | César Araújo | ||
| Home stadium | Estadio Centenario | ||
| FIFA code | URU | ||
| |||
| Olympic Games | |||
| Appearances | 1 (first in 2012) | ||
| Best result | Group Stage (2012) | ||
| Pan American Games | |||
| Appearances | 8 (first in 1963) | ||
| Best result | Gold medalists (1983, 2015) | ||
| CONMEBOL Pre-Olympic Tournament | |||
| Appearances | 14 (first in 1960) | ||
| Best result | Runners-up (1976) | ||
History
edit1924–1988
editUruguay's first participation in the Olympics was in Paris, France, in 1924. In that year, Uruguay won its first gold medal, beating Yugoslavia 7–0, United States 3–0, France 5–1, Netherlands 2–1, and in the Final defeating Switzerland 3–0.
Uruguay's second participation in the Olympics was in Amsterdam, Netherlands, in 1928. In that year, Uruguay won its second gold medal, beating Netherlands 2–0, Germany 4–1, Italy 3–2, and in the first Final tying Argentina 1–1, and defeating Argentina 2–1 in the second final.
During this time, the Uruguay Olympic football team was the Senior Uruguay national football team. The 1924 and 1928 Olympics were special tournaments that were the status equivalent of the FIFA World Cup. After the World Cup was established, in order not to compete with it, the Olympics became amateur players only (like prior to 1924) and then in 1992 became Under-23.
1992–present
editSince the 1992 Olympics, the football event was changed into a tournament for under 23 teams, with a maximum of three overaged players. The era of the Uruguay national under-23 football team began in earnest.
Competitive record
editOlympic Games
edit| Summer Olympics record | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Round | Position | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | Squad |
| Until 1988 | See Uruguay national football team | ||||||||
 1992 |
Did not qualify | ||||||||
 1996
| |||||||||
 2000
| |||||||||
 2004
| |||||||||
 2008
| |||||||||
 2012 |
Group stage | 9th | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | Squad |
 2016 |
Did not qualify | ||||||||
 2020
| |||||||||
 2024
| |||||||||
| 2028 |
To be determined | ||||||||
| Total | 2 Gold medals | 3/23 | 13 | 10 | 1 | 2 | 34 | 11 | — |
Pan American Games
edit| Pan American Games record | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Round | Position | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | Squad |
| Until 1995 | See Uruguay national football team | ||||||||
 1999 |
Preliminary round | 9th | 4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 9 | Squad |
 2003 |
Did not enter | ||||||||
| 2007
| |||||||||
 2011 |
Bronze medalists | 3rd | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 8 | Squad |
| 2015 |
Gold medalists | 1st | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 2 | Squad |
 2019 |
Fourth place | 4th | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 4 | Squad |
 2023 |
Fifth place | 5th | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | Squad |
| 2027 |
To be determined | ||||||||
| Total | 2 Gold medals | 8/19 | 23 | 10 | 3 | 10 | 24 | 25 | — |
Results and fixtures
editThe following is a list of match results in the last 12 months, as well as any future matches that have been scheduled.
Win Draw Loss Fixture
2023
edit| 23 October 2023 2023 Pan American Games GS | Uruguay  | 1–0 | Dominican Republic | Viña del Mar, Chile |
| 15:00 UTC−3 | Rodriguez  35' |
Report | Stadium: Estadio Sausalito Referee: Juan López (Paraguay) |
| 26 October 2023 2023 Pan American Games GS | Chile | 1–0 | Uruguay | Valparaíso, Chile |
| 18:00 UTC−3 | Aravena 45+1' |
Report | Stadium: Estadio Elías Figueroa Brander Referee: Yender Herrera (Venezuela) |
| 29 October 2023 2023 Pan American Games GS | Uruguay | 0–1 | Mexico | Valparaíso, Chile |
| 13:00 UTC−3 | Report | Saldivia 28' (o.g.) |
Stadium: Estadio Elías Figueroa Brander Referee: Juan López (Paraguay) |
| 1 November 2023 2023 Pan American Games Fifth place match | Uruguay | 0–0 (4–3 p) |  Colombia | Valparaíso, Chile |
| 12:00 UTC−3 | Report | Stadium: Estadio Elías Figueroa Brander Referee: Manuel Vergara (Chile) | ||
| Penalties | ||||
2024
edit| 13 January 2024 Friendly | Uruguay | 4–1 |  Paraguay | Maldonado, Uruguay |
| 18:30 UTC−3 |
|
Report |
|
Stadium: Estadio Domingo Burgueño |
| 16 January 2024 Friendly | Uruguay | 0–2 |  Banfield | Maldonado, Uruguay |
| 18:30 UTC−3 | Report | Stadium: Estadio Domingo Burgueño |
| 24 January 2024 2024 Pre-Olympic Tournament GS | Paraguay | 4–3 | Uruguay | Valencia, Venezuela |
| 16:00 UTC−4 | Report |
|
Stadium: Estadio Misael Delgado Referee: Alexis Herrera (Venezuela) |
| 27 January 2024 2024 Pre-Olympic Tournament GS | Uruguay | 0–1 | Chile | Valencia, Venezuela |
| 19:00 UTC−4 | Report |
|
Stadium: Estadio Misael Delgado Referee: Flávio de Souza (Brazil) |
| 30 January 2024 2024 Pre-Olympic Tournament GS | Uruguay | 3–0 |  Peru | Valencia, Venezuela |
| 16:00 UTC−4 |
|
Report | Stadium: Estadio Misael Delgado Referee: Gery Vargas (Bolivia) |
| 2 February 2024 2024 Pre-Olympic Tournament GS | Argentina | 3–3 | Uruguay | Valencia, Venezuela |
| 19:00 UTC−4 | Report |
|
Stadium: Estadio Misael Delgado Referee: Jhon Ospina (Colombia) |
Players
editCurrent squad
editThe following 22 players are called up for the 2024 CONMEBOL Pre-Olympic Tournament.[1][2]
Caps and goals[a] as of 2 February 2024, after the match against Argentina.
Recent call-ups
editThe following players have also been called up to the squad in the past twelve months.
Coaching staff
edit- As of 5 December 2023[3]
| Position | Name |
|---|---|
| Head coach | Marcelo Bielsa
|
Honours
edit- Pan American Games:
- South American Games:
Silver Medalists (1): 2018
- CONMEBOL Pre-Olympic Tournament:
- Copa Mercosur[4]:
- Winners: 1996
See also
editNotes
edit- ^ Uruguayan Football Association currently doesn't keep record of matches played and goals scored by under-23 team players. Statistics here are calculated with the help of articles published in federation's official website, tweets from official X account and other reliable websites.
References
edit- ^ "Lista final para el CONMEBOL Preolímpico 2024" (in Spanish). 5 January 2024. Retrieved 5 January 2024.
- ^ "Sub-23: Cristian Olivera será baja para el Preolímpico y Uruguay viajará con 22 jugadores" (in Spanish). 17 January 2024. Retrieved 18 January 2024.
- ^ "Inicia la preparación para el Preolímpico 2024 con una base de jugadores sub-20" (in Spanish). 5 December 2023. Retrieved 6 December 2023.
- ^ "Copa Mercosur". RSSSF. Retrieved 10 February 2022.
