Ex-Leeds United boss Marcelo Bielsa ‘completes agreement’ as he lands first managerial role since Elland Road departure

Marcelo Bielsa has agreed to become the next manager of the Uruguay national team with an official announcement expected in the coming days.

That is according to reports in his native Argentina, with Buenos Aires-based César Luis Merlo and Joaquin Bruno of TyC Sports reporting Bielsa is set to take charge for the remainder of Uruguary’s World Cup qualifying campaign.

There is also the option to extend the deal if Uruguay qualify for the World Cup, which will be held in Canada, USA and Mexico in 2026.

The South American nation drew 1-1 with Japan and beat South Korea 2-1 during the March international break in two friendly games.

Uruguay will not begin their World Cup qualifiers until September, after dates for the CONMEBOL fixtures were confirmed last month.

10 nations will compete for a place at the 2026 World Cup, with every nation playing each other once in a 10-team table in a much-different format to UEFA’s qualifying procedure.

The top six nations after 18 games will earn a place at the World Cup, up from four from the previous qualification, while the seventh-placed team will enter an inter-continental play-off.

Ecuador will start the campaign in September with a three-point deduction after it was found Byron Castillo falsified birth documents in the previous qualifying campaign.

Bielsa’s first competitive games in charge of Uruguay will be against Chile and Ecuador, with matches against Colombia and Brazil following in October.

Uruguay endured a disappointing World Cup campaign in Qatar, as they failed to get out of their group as they finished behind Portugal and South Korea, missing out on second place on goal difference and have now turned to Bielsa to improve their fortunes.

Bielsa joined Leeds in the summer of 2018 and guided the club into the Premier League in his second season after reaching the play-offs during his first year in charge.

Leeds went up as Championship winners in 2020, ending a 16-year wait to return to the English top flight. He was sacked last season after a poor run of form and with the threat of relegation hanging over the club and replaced by Jesse Marsch.

He is still revered at Elland Road and his spell at Leeds is his longest period in charge of a single club. He managed 170 games, winning 81.

Bielsa has been linked with a return to the Premier League this season with Bournemouth and Everton previously interested in appointing the ex-Leeds boss after they opted to sack Scott Parker and Frank Lampard, respectively.

He held talks with Everton after they sacked Lampard but he did not want to take over the club midway through the season, with Sean Dyche instead appointed at Goodison Park.

Bielsa is no stranger to national team management, having taken charge of his native Argentina between 1998 and 2004 while also managing Chile between 2007 and 2011.

He finished second in the Copa America with his home nation in 2004 but did lead them to an Olympic gold medal in Athens in 2004. He took charge of 85 games with his home nation before a 51-match stint in charge at Chile.