Maximiliano Araújo is in red-hot form for Uruguay at the ongoing FIFA World Cup 2026. The 26-year-old left winger scored for the two-time champions in their opening Group H match against Saudi Arabia at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens on June 15 and found the back of the net again in their second match against Cape Verde at the same venue on Sunday (Monday IST).
Araújo scored the equaliser for the South American giants in the 44th minute and then provided an assist for Agustín Canobbio in the sixth minute of first-half stoppage time.
His two goals in Uruguay’s opening two matches of the tournament helped him equal a 72-year-old record. The Sporting CP star is the first player since Óscar Míguez in 1954 to score in each of Uruguay’s first two matches of a FIFA
World Cup edition.
Players to score in first two matches of a FIFA Word Cup edition for Uruguay
| PLAYER | EDITION | GOALS IN MATCH 1 | GOALS IN MATCH 2 |
| Alcides Ghiggia | 1950 | 1 (vs Bolivia) | 1 (vs Spain) |
| Óscar Míguez | 1954 | 1 (vs Czechoslovakia) | 2 (vs Scotland) |
| Maximiliano Araújo | 2026 | 1 (vs Saudi Arabia) | 1 (vs Cape Verde) |
Míguez scored once in Uruguay’s opening match of the 1954 FIFA World Cup against Czechoslovakia at Wankdorf Stadium in Bern on June 16 and added two more goals against Scotland in their second match at St. Jakob Stadium in Basel on June 19.
Araújo’s tally of two goals and one assist in the 2026 FIFA World Cup has also made him the first player since 1966 to be directly involved in three goals in Uruguay’s opening two matches of a World Cup campaign.
3 – Maxi Araújo es el primer jugador que participa en tres goles en los dos primeros partidos de Uruguay 🇺🇾 en una Copa del Mundo desde, al menos, 1966 (2 goles y 1 asistencia).
Es, además, el primer jugador de Uruguay 🇺🇾 que marca y asiste en un mismo partido del torneo desde… pic.twitter.com/njp6mv2rIq
— OptaJose (@OptaJose) June 21, 2026
He is also the first Uruguay player to both score and provide an assist in the same FIFA World Cup match since Juan Martín Mugica achieved the feat against Israel in 1970.
