Cavani’s penalty for Uruguay, which settled a tight game against Paraguay in the early hours of Tuesday morning, confirmed the Celeste as second-place finishers in Group A, placing them in a different half of the bracket from Brazil.
The host nation strolled through Group B, with Fred starting three out of the four games as they claimed 10 points to finish top of the pool.
Chile, the Selecao’s opposition in the last eight, plus the winner of the Peru v Paraguay tie, now stand between the holders and a 21st final in this tournament.
Cavani and Uruguay, who are aiming to emulate their victory of 10 years ago and extend their tally of wins to 16, will play 2001 champions Colombia in Brasilia.