FC Barcelona counts on Ronald Araujo for pre-season after Uruguay’s World Cup exit

Uruguay’s 1-0 loss to Spain on June 26 sealed the team’s fate at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, sending them home after the group stage for the first time since 2002. For La Celeste fans, it stings. For FC Barcelona manager Hansi Flick, it means he gets Ronald Araujo back early.

The Uruguayan defender, who dealt with muscle issues during the tournament, is now free from international duty and available to join Barcelona’s pre-season preparations for the 2026-27 campaign.

A defender without a clear role

Flick isn’t exactly short on centre-backs. The Uruguayan currently sits fifth in Flick’s pecking order at the position, behind Pau Cubarsí, Gerard Martín, Eric García, and Andreas Christensen.

Uruguay finished third in Group H. For Araujo specifically, being sidelined during key matches only reinforced the narrative that his body hasn’t been cooperating with his ambitions.

What this means for Barcelona’s season

The early return from the World Cup gives Araujo roughly two to three additional weeks of pre-season work compared to teammates whose national teams advanced deeper into the tournament.

The crypto angle: BAR token and WhiteBIT

The club extended its sponsorship deal with crypto exchange WhiteBIT through 2030 back in April 2026. Then there’s the BAR fan token, which launched on the Chiliz platform back in June 2020. The token allows holders to participate in certain club decisions through the Socios.com app, ranging from jersey design votes to other fan engagement activities.

Araujo’s return from World Cup duty hasn’t produced any measurable spike in BAR token prices or trading volumes so far.

Disclosure: This article was edited by Editorial Team. For more information on how we create and review content, see our Editorial Policy.