La Celeste are one of the most successful nations in World Cup history, however are never really spoken about when considering the tournament's favourites in recent years.
They were the first ever champions of the tournament in 1930 as hosts, before doubling their titles in 1950 with a shock win over hosts and South American rivals Brazil.
Making up the best of the rest in their qualification group, the Sky Blues finished third, a cut adrift from the unbeaten Brazil and Argentina in first and second and two points above fourth-placed Ecuador.
Uruguay are an interesting mix up experience and youth as they head into their 14th World Cup, with one generation coming through as another closes in on its end.
Last hurrahs for veteran strikers Luis Suarez and Edinson Cavani will be at the forefront of La Celeste's tournament, whilst the likes of Federico Valverde and Darwin Nuñez will be looking to showcase their talents on the world stage.
As well as fresh faces on the pitch, there has been significant change off it as Uruguay appointed a new manager in former player Diego Alonso, replacing the dismissed Óscar Tabárez who was in charge for an impressive fifteen years.
The 47-year-old will looking to put his stamp on this new era of Uruguayan football and perform at the greatest show on Earth after securing his country's qualification.
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Uruguay's Group H chances (and beyond)?
Summary:
The Sky Blues find themselves drawn alongside Euro 2016 champions Portugal who will prove tough competition, whilst they're also due to face Ghana and South Korea.
Uruguay's side is arguably an underrated one, with quality on all areas of the pitch.
Quality centre backs in José María Giménez and Ronald Araújo make up the heart of the defence, taking over from the vastly experienced Diego Godín, whilst Champions League winner Valverde champions the midfield alongside Spurs' Rodrigo Bentancur.
Liverpool's new signing Nuñez has the tutelage of top scorer Suarez and Cavani to thrive off as La Celeste look to upset group favourites in Portugal and top the final group.
The Europeans will be looking to give international all-time top goalscorer Cristiano Ronaldo a fitting send-off and are kitted out with an immensely deep squad which will be difficult to overcome.
The two sides also have recent history, with Portugal seeking revenge after La Celeste's victory over them in the Round of 16 at the 2018 World Cup, where Cavani scored a brace to see them secure a 2-1 win in Russia.
Both sides will be strong favourites to progress through to the Round of 16 ahead of South Korea and Ghana, who lack the quality of the other two nations.
Prediction:
Despite the quality that Uruguay possess, the ability and experience of Portugal may be hard to surpass, and the Sky Blues may have to settle for second in their group.
- Portugal
- Uruguay
- Ghana
- South Korea
After getting through the group, they look likely to face France (if they finish second) or Denmark (if they finish first), both who are solid sides with impressive performances in recent tournaments.
It will be a tough task to topple either of these sides, and with the transition of generations in the squad, they could stumble at this hurdle and be eliminated at the Round of 16, looking positively forward to 2026.
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Key Player
The poster boy of Uruguay's up and coming generation, Federico Valverde will be the beating heart of La Celeste this winter.
After cementing himself in the side of Champions League winners Real Madrid, the 24-year-old has shown his quality as well as recently adding end product to his game.
He currently sits on six goals and one assist in eleven games so far this season after being challenged by coach Carlo Ancelotti.
After making his debut for his country at 19, the midfielder already has 44 appearances, scoring four times in those games.
Fede Valverde missed out on the final 23-man squad for the 2018 World Cup after making the initial 26-man list, and so will be extra desperate to make an impression in his first ever appearance on the world stage.
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When do Uruguay play?
La Celeste kick off their campaign against South Korea on November 24th, at 1pm UK time.
They then compete against group favourites Portugal at 7pm, November 28th, before ending their group stage games against Ghana on December 2nd.