Uruguay lands in Miami after flight delay ahead of World Cup opener against Saudi Arabia

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MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Uruguay arrived in South Florida on Sunday night ahead of its opening World Cup match after the team's plane was delayed for a couple of hours in Mexico.

Uruguay will face Saudi Arabia in a Group H opener Monday night at Hard Rock Stadium, one of 16 venues in the expanded 48-team tournament. The team held a training session in Cancun on Sunday morning.

“Due to an airline permitting error in Mexico, the Uruguay national team’s departure from Cancun to Miami was delayed,” FIFA said in a statement. “The airline has apologized for the inconvenience caused. FIFA remained in close contact with the Uruguay national team throughout their delay and worked alongside airport and operational partners to help expedite the process and minimize disruption to the team’s travel arrangements.”

Coach Marcelo Bielsa and defender Jose Maria Gimenez spoke to reporters at the stadium on Sunday night. Bielsa said the delayed flight “caused no problem."

Added Gimenez, through an interpreter: “We had some complications. It was a difficulty but we actually took advantage of it because we were able rest at the hotel.”

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