Uruguay coach Oscar Tabarez was fired Friday amid his team's poor run in World Cup qualifying.

The Uruguayans are in seventh place in the 10-team South American qualifying group.

They have four matches remaining to reach next year's World Cup in Qatar.

The 74-year-old Tabarez coached Uruguay for 15 years in his second stint in the job, including at the last three World Cups.

He led Uruguay to a fourth-place finish at the 2010 tournament in South Africa and also won the 2011 Copa America.

Tabarez also coached Uruguay from 1988-90.

The Uruguayan soccer federation said in a statement that firing Tabarez and his staff is "a difficult decision due to present circumstances, in a commitment with the future and the achievement of the results we all want."

Tabarez had said he was not "throwing in the towel" after Tuesday's 3-0 loss at Bolivia.

The Uruguayan soccer federation has not announced a replacement for Tabarez.