Araujo is starting on the bench as he’s been dealing with a persistent calf injury. The Barcelona defender missed the first two group stage games and now will be a substitute for the match between Uruguay and Spain at Guadalajara Stadium.

Uruguay have looked vulnerable so far in this 2026 World Cup. After scratching out two draws in their opening matches, Los Charruas find themselves in a precarious position. Facing a multitude of elimination scenarios, they need a signature performance against a tournament favorite to keep their World Cup dreams alive.

Spain haven’t quite locked up their place in the Round of 32 either, though a victory would secure it. With both powerhouses playing for survival and Araujo watching from the bench, Group H is braced for a chaotic, high-stakes finish.

Who has been replacing Araujo for Uruguay?

With Araujo sidelined, Bielsa has tapped Club America defender Sebastian Caceres, who has been playing with a mask, to fill the vacancy in central defense. Caceres has started both group-stage matches for Uruguay so far.

While Caceres has fought hard, Uruguay have clearly missed Araujo’s elite anchoring and veteran presence. Los Charruas have uncharacteristically leaked three goals, including a shocking pair against a heavy underdog Cape Verde side.

Confirmed lineup for Uruguay against Spain

Apart from Araujo, Uruguay will also have Giorgian De Arrascaeta on the bench. Here is the confirmed starting XI for Uruguay against Spain:

• Goalkeeper: Fernando Muslera
• Defenders: Guillermo Varela, Sebastian Caceres, Mathias Olivera, Juan Manuel Sanabria
• Midfielders: Manuel Ugarte, Federico Valverde, Rodrigo Bentancur
• Forwards: Agustin Canobbio, Darwin Nunez, Maximiliano Araujo

Araujo has been sidelined ever since sustaining a calf injury during practice with Uruguay’s national team. Araujo traveled to Spain to undergo a series of medical exams and regenerative treatment for his calf tear, but has joined the rest of La Celeste at their 2026 World Cup camp in Cancun, Mexico.

Araujo missed Uruguay’s debut against Saudi Arabia, although he was with the rest of the team, and will also be out for the group-stage match against Cape Verde. Whether he’ll be back for the final game against Spain remains to be seen, but it’s clear Marcelo Bielsa and his Uruguayan teammates will need him to take down a red-hot Spain.

On paper, Cape Verde shouldn’t put Uruguay in too much trouble, but who knows? Maybe the Charruas come to miss Araujo against the Blue Sharks. Uruguay are also missing Luis Suarez at the 2026 World Cup, but that was due to a decision by Bielsa when selecting the final 26-man roster.

Araujo’s stats with national team

Since making his debut with Uruguay’s senior national team in October 2020, Araujo has played 27 games for La Celeste. Araujo received his first call-up to the national team when historic Uruguayan head coach Oscar Washington Tabarez was still at the helm. However, he’s had his best moments since Bielsa took over.

Undoubtedly, Araujo’s highlight with the national team was his goal against Argentina in Buenos Aires back in November 2023, when Uruguay won 2-0 and snapped La Albiceleste’s 25-game unbeaten streak in CONMEBOL World Cup qualifiers. That has been Araujo’s only goal for the national team.

Will Araujo play against Spain?

For the time being, that’s the million-dollar question surrounding Uruguay. Coming into the 2026 World Cup, it was expected that Araujo would miss the opening games of the group stage. However, the third—and most important—showdown against the current European champions has left room for doubt.

Whether Araujo will play against Spain has yet to be seen and will likely hinge on the defender’s progress in the coming days. If Uruguay defeat Cape Verde, whose FIFA ranking improved after the debut, a draw against Spain would be enough to punch their ticket to the round of 32, and thus they might be extra cautious with Araujo. However, Bielsa might bench Araujo just in case, rather than leaving him off the matchday squad entirely.

Araujo suffered a calf injury during a training session with Uruguay’s national team, which led him to travel to Spain for medical treatment. However, Bielsa has opted to keep him in the 26-man squad for the 2026 World Cup.

Uruguay knew Araujo was going to be absent in the World Cup debut against Saudi Arabia, but they remain hopeful he will return at some point of the group stage. Uruguay are also missing Luis Suarez, who won’t play in the 2026 World Cup, but that was due to a tactical decision made by the coaching staff.

Will Araujo be back in time for Uruguay?

For the time being, Araujo’s status for Uruguay’s second Group H match against Cape Verde remains uncertain. Moreover, La Celeste have no guarantees that the 27-year-old, who can play both center back and right back, will be available against Spain in the final match of the group stage.

If Uruguay don’t make it out of Group H, there’s a very real possibility Araujo fails to play a single game during the 2026 World Cup. He is in a race against the clock, and time is definitely not on his side.

Araujo is with the team

Although he was left out of the team for the debut against the Green Falcons, Araujo is around his countrymen and in good spirits as he hopes to be back healthy before it’s too late in the 2026 World Cup.

Prior to kickoff at Miami Stadium, Araujo was seen with teammate and captain Federico Valverde, drinking “mate“, a traditional Uruguayan hot drink, and chatting on the pitch. Araujo is sporting a sky-blue dye in his hair, showing his full support for the national team even if he’s unable to help during games.

When do Uruguay play next?

Once the first game against Saudi Arabia is over, Uruguay will turn their attention to the other opponents in Group H. On June 21, La Celeste will take on Cape Verde at 6:00 p.m. ET in Miami. On June 26, they will close out the group stage with a pivotal showdown against Spain at Estadio Guadalajara in Mexico.

The families of the Uruguayan players were caught in the midst of Colombian supporters. After La Celeste’s defeat, various players noticed that their family members, some of whom included small children, were having physical encounters with Colombian fans. They rushed into the stands to defend their families. The end result was a brawl between Uruguayan players and fans.

Darwin Núñez was captured on video trying to throw a chair into the stands. A total of 11 players were involved in the incident, and despite Marcelo Bielsa’s impassioned speech regarding the faults of the organizers, Conmebol was firm in its sanctions.

Uruguay’s Punishment After Copa América Incident

The following sanctions have been issued to the Uruguayan national team:

THREE MATCHES

Mathias Olivera, Ronald Araujo, and José María Giménez

They will all miss the World Cup qualifying matches against Paraguay, Venezuela, and Peru. They will be available to play in October against Ecuador on matchday 10.

FOUR MATCHES

Rodrigo Bentancur, who will miss the matches against Paraguay, Venezuela, Peru, and Ecuador. He will return in November for matchday 11.

FIVE MATCHES

Darwin Núñez, who will miss the matches against Paraguay, Venezuela, Peru, Ecuador, and Colombia. He will be eligible to play against Brazil in November.

Santiago Mele, Matías Viña, Sebastián Cáceres, Emiliano Martínez, Facundo Pellistri, and Brian Rodríguez were each fined $5,000, without a match suspension.

AUF and the 11 offending players received a total fine of $120,000.

Despite some defensive mishaps, Uruguay held firm and sealed a 3-1 victory, putting them at the top of the group. Ronald Araujo, who had a solid first half, was substituted at half-time, sparking shock among Uruguay and Barcelona fans, who feared an injury.

Barcelona defender Ronald Araujo dispelled injury concerns when he posted on Instagram.

Ronald Araujo Assures Fans He’s Okay

On Instagram, Ronald Araujo reassured everyone, stating he was “okay” and was substituted at half-time due to dehydration and a drop in blood pressure. The substitution was precautionary, and Araujo remains crucial to Uruguay’s defense.

Uruguay’s next match will be against Bolivia, who lost 2-0 to the USMNT in their opening match on Thursday, in the second group match of the Copa America.

“If he fouled him, I guess it’s a red card. I haven’t seen the replay. It’s difficult to say, in these crucial moments, you need to be sure to get the ball. If you don’t get it, and I don’t know if he did, you have to stay away. I prefer to concede a goal there or to leave the striker one on one, even though he played the ball quite far ahead, so I don’t know if he would reach the ball,” Gundogan told CBS. “But let the goalkeeper have a chance to save us or even concede a goal. To get a red card, to go a player down so early, it just kills the game.”

Araujo was sent off after 29′ for taking down Bradley Barcola on a potential one-on-one situation. Barcelona were leading 1-0 at home (4-2 on aggregate), but the red card proved costly, with Paris Saint-Germain eventually turning things around.

Speaking at a charity event in Barcelona on Thursday, the Uruguayan defender reacted to his teammate’s public criticism. While Araujo didn’t call out Gundogan, he did take a subtle shot at the German for not keeping things private: “I prefer to keep to myself what I think about Gündogan’s comments. I have certain values and they have to be respected.”

Barça atmosphere not great after Gundogan’s public criticism of Araujo

Gundogan’s comments created quite a situation in the Barcelona dressing room, with the likes of Sergi Roberto and Jules Kounde showing support for Araujo after the Champions League elimination.

“Now more united than ever, here we win and lose together!”, the Spanish full-back wrote in an Instagram post, while the Frenchman said: “By the way, we win as a team and we also lose as a team.”

On top of that, Gundogan’s wife also had something to say about this. In an Instagram story she later deleted, Sara Arfaoui defended her husband posting a picture of him lifting the Champions League trophy with Manchester City.

In that same post, she wrote: “This man is a working hard man and his football opinions is about improving and he is giving everything to this team. His mentality is a treble mentality.”

Gundogan already called out Barça teammates before

Gundogan had already made headlines for throwing his teammates under the bus in October 2023. Following Barcelona’s 1-2 loss to Real Madrid in El Clasico last year, the German midfielder said:

“I don’t want to say something wrong, to be honest, but I was now in the dressing room, and of course people are disappointed, but especially after such a big game and such a result, I wish (for) more frustration, more anger and more disappointment. This is a little bit the problem. I don’t know, there has to be more emotion, especially when you lose and you know you can perform better in certain situations, and you just don’t react and it transfers to the pitch.”

Barcelona’s next game after the Champions League exit will be against Real Madrid on Sunday, so it will be interesting to see how Gundogan, Araujo and company respond.

Xavi Hernandez’s men are still alive in the title race, but since they trail leaders Madrid by eight points, Sunday’s Clasico is a must-win for the Cules if they want to challenge for the trophy until the end.

Last season, Barca tasted LaLiga glory for the first time in three years after winning the Spanish Super Cup against Real Madrid in January. Now, the Spanish boss aims to make the club competitive in the UEFA Champions League.

What Xavi has done so far is quite remarkable, as not only he delivered results but also rebuilt the club’s identity by helping academy players establish themselves in the first team.

Ronald Araujo’s value rises to €70m under Xavi

Ronald Araujo has benefited from Xavi’s arrival, as his market value increased €45 million since the 43-year-old took charge of Barcelona. According to Transfermarkt, the Uruguayan defender was worth €25m in June 2021, rising to €35m in December.

In the latest update (June 2023), the 24-year-old’s market value was set at €70 million. Araujo has become a regular starter both at his club and national team, making a name for himself in world soccer. Of course, Xavi deserves credit for his progress.

When does Ronald Araujo’s deal expire?

Ronald Araujo is under contract with Barcelona through the 2025-26 season.

Uruguay were drawn in Group Hof the 2022 World Cup with Portugal, Ghana and SouthKorea. In the 2018 World Cup in Russia, Uruguay was drawn in Group A with Saudi Arabia, Egypt and the host Russia. After three games, the CONMEBOL side was 1st place, which made them played against Portugal. They won 2-1 over Portugal, but fell short to eventual World Cup winnners France in a 2-0 loss in the QF stage.

For the CONMEBOLqualifiers for the 2022 World Cup, Uruguay finished on thirdplace. Just behind Argentina, and Brazil. Thanks to their FIFA Ranking place, the team managed by Diego Alonso were placed in Pot 2 for the official draw, making them one of the toughest teams to beat in the world tournament.

Uruguay’s final roster for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar

Group H could be one of the troublemakers through the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. Not only because of the caliber of the teams, but the recent history between Portugal and Uruguay makes it even more special. However, South Korea seem to have a decent squad, while Ghana clearly sets behind in this group.

Goalkeepers: Sergio Rochet (Nacional), Fernando Muslera (Galatasaray), Sebastian Sosa (Independiente).

Defenders: Ronald Araujo (Barcelona) , Diego Godín (Velez Sarsfield), José María Giménez (Atletico Madrid), Matías Viña (Roma), Mathías Olivera (Napoli), Sebastián Coates (Sporting Lisbon), José Luis Rodríguez (Nacional) , Martín Cáceres (LA Galaxy), Guillermo Varela (Flamengo).

Midfielders: Lucas Torreira (Galatasaray), Giorgian De Arrascaeta (Flamengo), Rodrigo Bentancur (Tottenham), Federico Valverde (Real Madrid), Matías Vecino (Lazio), Nicolás De La Cruz (River Plate), Agustín Canobbio (Athletico Paranaense), Facundo Pellistri (Manchester United), Manuel Ugarte (Sporting Lisbon), Facundo Torres (Orlando City),

Forwards: Darwin Núñez (Liverpool), Luis Suárez (Nacional), Edinson Cavani (Valencia), Maximiliano Gómez (Trabzonspor)

Ronald Araujo is probably one of the best center-backs in the game right now. The Uruguayan is know for giving his best in every single game. His strength and pace helps him to win most of the duels against forwards. Barcelona’s future seems to be safe with him as he is part of the new generation that the Culers are trying to develop nowadays.

As for Federico Valverde, fellow countryman of Araujo, he is also a pretty solid midfielder and he has a bright future in front of him. He has already won the Champions League with Real Madrid and his box-to-box caracteristics make him one of the most interesting players for his position. Despite what some may think, he has a good friendship with Araujo as they leave the Barcelona-Real Madrid rivalry aside when they meet with their national team.

Video: Araujo and Valverde try to speak English as they forget the Barcelona-Real Madrid rivalry

Federico Valverde is probably one of the most hilarious players around the world. His laugh and jokes are part of every single one of his interviews and he knows how to take advantage from it. Now, he records videos for his social media and reveals the intimacy of a player in his common days.

With the Uruguay national team, in which he is part of the starting XI, Valverde showed a clip where he is joined by Ronald Araujo to go to practice. “I’m going for Ronald Araujo; he is my friend, despite he is from Barcelona”, says Federico in the video.

When Ronald Araujo gets into the car, the jokes started. They revealed how they talked with people in the United States while they where in the country for their friendly matches with Uruguay, but they do not know the language very well and had lots of problems to communicate with the citizens. The Barcelona defender did not know the translation for “card” and confused it with “target”, which is similar to the word in Spanish “tarjeta”.

Barcelona has improved under Xavi, that is undeniable, still the team has had their breakdowns like their unexpected defeat to Eintracht Frankfurt in the Europa League and losing 2 of their last five in LaLiga.

Barcelona is a squad full of young up and coming players like Gavi and Sergiño Dest and is slowly building a backbone to let those young talents stride. Now the club has kept one of its biggest assets in Uruguayan defender Ronald Araujo.

Ronald Araujo has $1 Billion release clause at Barcelona

According to ESPN the Uruguayan international re-signed with the club until 2026 and his release clause is an exaggerated $1.16 billion. Araujo had peaked interest from Premier League sides Manchester United and Liverpool after showing well this season for Barcelona and the Uruguayan national team.

Ronald Araujo has played over 50 games for the Catalan giants after arriving atthe club in 2018 playing for Barcelona B. In 2020 Araujo was promoted to the first team and has become a surprise leader at the back for Barcelona.

Despite his age, only 23, Ronald Araujo has become a leader at the back, showing the qualities to command a defense that is traditional with Uruguayan defenders.

This season the former Boston River defender has played 39 games across all competitions and has scored 4 goals. One of which was against Real Madrid at the Bernabeu.

On the national team Araujo will be one of the key defenders for Diego Alonso’s side. Araujo has 9 caps for Uruguay and has played on the flanks in defense and barring injury will be in Qatar 2022.

With Diego Godin playing his final World Cup, Araujo will surely move to the central defense for La Celeste post 2022. At Barcelona Araujo has won one title, the Copa del Rey in 2021.

With Barcelona having paid attention to all their incoming transfers, they are now looking at finding a solution to the players they want to keep on their squad for the long term. In Araujo’s case the defender’s current deal ends in June of 2023.

Araujo has played 45 games for Barcelona in three years after playing in Barcelona B and coming from Boston River in Uruguay back in 2018. Now according to Marca, Manchester United is “serious” about signing the youngster.

Ronald Araujo on Manchester United’s shortlist

The Uruguayan defender is reported by Marca to have opened talks with United prior to the pandemic. Nonetheless, with the Premier League clubs back in the transfer market, “The Red Devils” are looking to extend a substantial offer for the Uruguayan.

Araujo has seen his performances rise at Barcelona, becoming one of the few players at the club who have saved face amid the up and down season Barcelona has had. On the international level, Araujo has played 7 times for Uruguay and recently played against Venezuela where he was played as a wing back and performed very well.