Mexico beat Ecuador to reach World Cup Round of 16 and break 40-year curse

Julian Quinones and Raul Jimenez scored first-half goals as Mexico advanced to the FIFA World Cup 2026 round of 16, beating 10-man Ecuador 2-0 in Tuesday’s clash at Mexico City Stadium.

Tournament cohosts Mexico, who have maintained a 100 percent record at this year’s World Cup, will face either England or the Democratic Republic of the Congo in the last-16 fixture on Sunday at the same venue.

Tuesday’s round-of-32 match in Mexico City was due to begin at 7pm local time (01:00 GMT), but was delayed by one hour due to heavy rain and lightning.

Ecuador ended the game with 10 players after Piero Hincapie was sent off in the fifth minute of stoppage time for covering his mouth during a confrontation with an opposition player.

More to follow…