WORLD CUP QUALIFIERS
When is Uruguay striker Luis Suárez retiring from international soccer?
The Inter Miami star was called up for the 2026 World Cup qualifiers but announced his intention to stop playing for Uruguay last week.
Inter Miami striker Luis Suárez is set for an emotional farewell as a Uruguay player in Friday’s 2026 World Cup qualifier against Paraguay at Estadio Centenario in Montevideo.
The former Barcelona attacker was called up for September’s qualification double header against Paraguay (Friday, September 6) and Venezuela (Tuesday, September 10) but gave an emotional press conference announcing his retirement from international duty last Monday (September 2).
When is Suárez’s last game for Uruguay?
Suárez is, however, available for the first of this week’s two matches against Paraguay, giving Uruguay fans the chance to say their goodbyes to the country’s all-time leading goalscorer.
“I’ve been thinking about this and analysing this. I believe this is the right time,” the 37-year-old said last week. “I want to be relaxed when I play my last game with the national team. I’ll be just as excited to play as I was in 2007 when I played for my national team for the first time.”
The highs and lows of Suárez’s Uruguay career
Suárez has scored 69 goals in 142 caps for Uruguay, 11 more than former international teammate Edinson Cavani, now playing for River Plate in Argentina. The ex-Liverpool forward scored in the final against Paraguay as La Celeste lifted the Copa América in 2011, their last major trophy, and helped them finish third in the 2024 tournament in the United States this summer.
But he was also involved in his fair share of controversy. His deliberate handball on the goal line in the final minute of extra time earned him a red card and prevented Ghana from becoming the first African team to reach the semifinals of a World Cup in 2010.
He was then banned for nine international matches after biting Italy defender Giorgio Chiellini during a group stage game at the 2014 World Cup, an offence he had previously been guilty of in club soccer.
Suárez’s big impact at Inter Miami
The veteran has made a big impact since joining Inter Miami in December last year.
His 16 goals in 20 MLS games (20 in 27 in all competitions) have led the Florida team to the top of the MLS Eastern Conference and overall standings.
However, he has lost his place in the Uruguay starting lineup in recent times and didn’t start any of the six games at the 2024 Copa América. Suárez scored one goal in four substitute appearances (totalling 76 minutes) at the summer tournament in the U.S.