Rare offside call denies Uruguay a World Cup win

Uruguay were held to a 2-2 draw with Cape Verde on Saturday night in the second round of the 2026 World Cup group stage, extending a disappointing start to the tournament. The Celeste appeared to be heading for a dramatic victory that would have brought them much closer to the round of 16, but a late goal was overturned after a lengthy VAR review.

The unusual incident happened in the 68th minute, when Uruguay scored and thought it had completed a comeback. After the video check, however, the goal was disallowed for an extremely rare offside. At first glance, the replay suggested Cape Verde’s last defender was almost on the goal line, which seemed to rule out offside.

The review then showed that Uruguay player Maxi Araujo had been outside the field near the touchline. Under the Laws of the Game, a player in that position is considered to be on the goal line, which made the goal illegal and kept the score at 2-2. The decision stunned fans and quickly spread on social media, but it was correct under the rules.

The result leaves Uruguay with only two points after two matches. Instead of taking their first win of the tournament, they settled for another draw and have complicated their path to the knockout stage. Their final group match will be against strong Spain.