The Uruguayan Football Association (AUF) confirmed Diego Forlán as the new interim coach of the Uruguayan national team. The announcement was made by the president of the organization, Ignacio Alonso, who explained that the former soccer player will lead the celestial team until March 2027.
However, Forlán will not yet be the official coach. The AUF will hold presidential elections at the end of this year and, until the new board is defined, a long-term contract will not be signed. The continuity of the former forward will depend both on sporting results and the consensus with the new authorities.
At this stage, the coach will be in charge of Uruguay during the FIFA windows of September, October and November of this year, in addition to possible friendly matches at the beginning of 2027.
Forlán, 47 years old, is one of the greatest figures in the history of Uruguayan football. He played 112 games for the national team and scored 36 goals. His brightest moment came at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, where he led the Celeste to the semifinals and won the Ballon d’Or as the best player of the tournament.
A year later he was also a key player in winning the 2011 Copa América, Uruguay’s last major title, establishing himself as one of the country’s great idols.
His arrival on the bench comes after the disappointing performance of the Celeste in the 2026 World Cup, where they did not achieve victories and were eliminated in the group stage with two draws and one defeat against Spain, Saudi Arabia and Cape Verde. After that failure, Marcelo Bielsa left office amid poor results and tensions with several players.
Now, Forlán will face the challenge of rebuilding a team that seeks to regain international prominence and once again compete among the best in the world.
