According to the ovaciondigital.com.uy news website, close to a thousand people arrived at the airport to welcome the team, despite the late hour and cold weather.

The fans cheered at the airport entrance with flags and songs, and the team greeted their fans in return before boarding a bus that would take them home.

The plane with 17 footballers and the coaching staff on board was scheduled to land at 02:00am local time, but was delayed by an hour.

The flight from the Russian city of Nizhny Novgorod, where Uruguay were based during the World Cup, took 16 hours.

Six out of the team's 23 players - Martin Silva, Gaston Silva, Lucas Torreira, Carlos Sanchez, Rodrigo Bentancur, Cristhian Stuani - did not return to Uruguay’s capital, for various reasons.

Two-time champions Uruguay advanced to the quarter-finals of the World Cup in Russia, before losing 2-0 to France in Nizhny Novgorod on Saturday morning.