Uruguay has won two World Cup titles but there are four stars on its uniform. Here’s why

Uruguay is one of the most famous soccer countries on the planet.

Despite boasting the most recent world title in memory, the South American nation owes much of its notoriety to its heyday, winning the first FIFA World Cup in 1930 and again in 1950 in Brazil. It is derived from

Earlier this summer, Uruguay needed just one win to qualify for the Copa America, but lost to Colombia in the semifinals. In addition to the World Cup, the Copa America is the second biggest tournament in South America, with Uruguay having won it 15 times since 2011.

However, winning a national championship does not add a star above the emblem of your country's uniform. Winning major world titles will also be added.

Uruguay has only won the FIFA World Cup twice. So why are there four stars on the uniform?

FIFA response

Before achieving World Cup glory in 1930, Uruguay won the 1924 and 1928 Olympic Games. The 3-0 win over Switzerland in 1924 and the match that definitely started the rivalry after a 2-1 loss to fellow South American country Argentina in 1928 were actually sanctioned by FIFA. However, it had not yet been officially recognized by the International Olympic Committee. .

You see, the IOC has given FIFA, which was already in the act when it comes to soccer, the lead in organizing the soccer portion of the Summer Games. That job had been given to FIFA until soccer's biggest governing body decided to organize its own competition. tournament.

In 1930, 13 countries participated in the FIFA World Cup.

Still, FIFA can almost stake a claim on hosting Olympic soccer, so any country that wins those games will be recognized as a FIFA-sanctioned victory.

This means Uruguay has two wins in the Summer Games and two wins in the World Cup.

4 stars.

Photo by Steven Nadler/ISI Photography/Getty Images

Controversy continues

However, FIFA reportedly wanted to withdraw Uruguay's four-star honor ahead of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. The group is said to have contacted Uruguay's official apparel supplier, Puma, and instructed them to remove two of the stars on the uniform.

Naturally, Puma contacted the Uruguayan federation, but was appalled by FIFA's decision and did not want to immediately celebrate the victories of the 1924 and 1928 Summer Games, but did not first inform the federation of the decision. Ta.

“FIFA has always recognized, even publicly, that Uruguay has hosted the World Cup four times. [the Olympic football tournament] “It was a competition organized by FIFA, and it was in 1930 that FIFA decided to organize its own championship,” said AUF Vice-President Gaston Tieldy. According to a 2022 ESPN report.

lastly…

Despite FIFA's, uh, suggestion, Uruguay attended the Qatar match proudly sporting four stars on their Puma kits, making it perhaps the best user case for this hilarious meme…

However, at that tournament, La Celeste Alternatively, “The Sky Blue'' were eliminated from Group H, missing out on a place in the World Cup finals for the first time since 2022. Coupled with the fact that we lost 2-0 to Portugal and fell behind in goals, being able to be proud of our four-star rating always felt like a small victory.