Mexico vs Ecuador live online: updates, score, goals and highlights | 2026 World Cup round of 32

The delay could have an affect on both teams coming out of the gate. The anticipation has only been building as these guys has to wait an extra hour for the biggest game of their lives. 

WE ARE UNDERWAY FROM MEXICO CITY!!!

Mexico's 4-3-3 

It's Ragel in goal, Sanchez, Montes, Vasquez and Gallardo in the back. Mora in the middle with Lira and Romo in the middle. Alvarado, Jimenez and Quinones will be patrolling up top. 

Ecuador's 4-4-2

For Ecuador, it's Galindez in goal with HIncapie, Pacho, Ordonez and Franco in the back. Angulo, Vite, Caicedo and Yeboah in the middle. Up top it's Valencia and Plata .

Truely awesome scenes here from Mexico City. The anthem being sang here at the stadium and all around the country. This is by far the biggest match that has ever been played at this historic ground, and it's about to kick off. 

The players are out on the pitch and we are about to get this match underway!

You know the Mexico fans will be having their fun until kickoff time. The rain isn't going to wash out the party in Mexico City. 

Chicharito has done a wonderful job as an analyst this World Cup. He gave us a little insight on what it means to wear the Mexico shirt and what this team means to the country. 

Christian Pulisic took some time to preview tomorrow's USMNT round of 32 match against Bosnia and Herzegovina. He came on as a sub in the last game. Will he be fit to be in the starting XI tomorrow?

Kylian Mbappe joined Lionel Messi at the top of the Golden Boot race with a brace against Sweden. It's a race between two of the greatest players on the planet. 

The players are on the pitch warming up. That means we are nearing kick off, but we still don't know exactly when the officials will decide on a start time. 

In the meantime let's take a look at some happenings around the World Cup. Erling Haaland is going full cowboy after scoring the game winner against Ivory Coast early today. 

Word is we won't be getting underway here in Mexico City until 10 p.m. ET. Hope you don't have to be up early for work tomorrow. 

We have seen some weather delays before in this World Cup, and we will be hoping that this game gets underway in no time, but we still have no updates as to when this game will kick off.

WEATHER DELAY!!!

We are currently under a weather delay from Mexico City. The rain started about two hours ago, and we are waiting on word as to when this game will start 

Mexico know if they can keep doing what they have been doing in the back, their guys up top are going to take care of business. Much easier said than done, but this team should come into tonight with plenty of belief. 

A wild night for Ecaudor

These were the scenes outside of the Ecuador hotel last night. The fans did everything they could to keep their opponents from sleeping. Tonight they will give it their all to push their team to the round of 16. 

World Cup 2026

High altitude soccer: How playing at over 7,000 feet is a huge advantage for Mexico during the World Cup

The air up there

We are way up tonight at the Estadio Ciudad de Mexico. You have heard of Mile High Stadium, but this is a whole other level. The air is thin up here and that may have something to do with why Mexico is so dominant in this stadium. Our Williams Gittens has more. 

2026 World Cup

Why did Mexico fans gather outside Ecuador’s hotel before the World Cup game?

Mexico fans made a ruckus

It's not the first time in the history of the sport, and it won’t be the last time. Mexico fans camped out all night partying, making noise, lighting off the occasional fire work here and there. Mexico have the Ecuador a not so warm welcome last night, and the Ecuador media was not too impressed. Our David Nelson

First round of 32 full of late drama 

If this round of 32 has taught us anything, it's that we can never count a team out. We can never think a game is over. Stoppage time goals. Late winners and equalizers. High drama has inaugurated this first round 32 and there is plenty more coming. Canada started things off with a stoppage time winner. Brazil too. Paraguay went to penalties. Morocco equalized in stoppage time and won in penalties. It´s been a blast so far. Cross you fingers that it continues. 

Memo´s moment

Memo Ochoa made Mexico history in the final group stage match. The legendary keeper came off the bench as a sub, in the sixth World Cup that he has been a part of, and sent a ball over the top that led to a goal just a few touches later. He is in the final matches of his international career, and Mexico would love nothing more than to bid their hero turned teammate a proper farewell with a deep run in this tournament. 

World Cup 2026

How USMNT vs Mexico could happen at the 2026 World Cup

Is MEX-USMNT possible?

The dream derby is not out of the question. Mexico and the USMNT could just meet in the final but it won't be happening anytime soon. These two teams have plenty to worry about until that, but maybe just maybe we could have a match up between the cohosts and bitter rivals. Our Roddy Cons has more. 

World Cup 2026

Born in the USA, repping El Tri: Which Mexico stars were born on American soil?

What could have been 

There are a few guys on this Mexico squad who might well have ended up on Mauricio Pochettino's final squad had they chosen their allegiances differently a long time ago. I'm not going to tell them who they are. To find out who could have been playing with the red, white and blue, click on the link so Roddy Cons tell you all about it. 

The hosts with the most

Would you believe that all three co-hosts are still alive. Maybe the US and Mexico were expected to be there but Canada not only won their first games in World Cup history, but they advanced past group stages, and now they are on to the round of 16 after beating South Africa in the opening round of 32 match. Mexico is up tonight, and tomorrow it will be the USA taking on Bosnia and Hervegovina.

World Cup 2026

Why Estadio Azteca lost its historic name and it’s called Mexico City Stadium during the World Cup

Azteca no more 

This is without question the most historic stadium in Mexico. I know we are in the World Cup and because of advertising we can't call these stadiums how we are used to calling them, but even if we were calling them by their usual name, we wouldn’t be calling this coliseum Estadio Azteca. Our

World Cup 2026

El Tri vs La Tri: Why are Mexico and Ecuador called by the same famous nickname?

El Tri vs. La Tri

It's tough to figure out just who is El Tri. Mexico stake claim to it but so do plenty of other teams who have a three colored flag. Ecuador on the other had, has switched it up a bit and they go by La Tri. Why? My man Calum Roche is here with all the info you need. 

Who's up next 

It’s not going to get much easier for the winner of this game heading into the round of 16. Whoever comes out of tonight victorious will most likely have to face either England or DR Congo in the round of 16. It’s not a given that the English will ease past the African side, but they are heavy favorite to meet who ever advances from this knockout game tonight. 

Ecuador XI

This is La Tri's starting XI. Sebastian Beccacece is going with his big guns against this Mexico side on their home soil. Will they be able to create anything in the attacking third agianst this defense? That's the big question coming into tonight. 

Guillermo Mora is already making headlines and history in the World Cup. At just 17 years old he is going to get the start in the biggest match of his life. If the match against South Africa showed us anything, it's that he is ready for the big stage. 

What happened earlier

This is the third of three matches on the third day of the round of 32. Earlier Norway and Ivory Coast played and Norway left it late but an Erling Haaland goal sealed the deal for the Vikings who are on to the next round. France demolished Sweden and reminded us why they are the favorites to win it all. They beat the Swedes 3-0 to ease past the round of 32 and into the round of 16. This match looks more like an Ivory Coast - Norway match than a France - Sweden match up.

World Cup winning odds  

Taking a look at the odds for these two teams we see that Mexico’s odds have bettered significantly over the last few weeks. They started out at 66/1 but after three wins in the group stages they are now 51/1 which is still a long shot but much better than before. Ecuador is still a long way from Mexico on the odds board. They are paying 126/1 after just squeaking out of the group stages. 

Mexico XI 

We have Javier Agruirre's XI for this knock out match. It's Rangel in goal with Sanchez, Montes, Vasquez and Gallardo in the back. Lira, Romo and Mora in the middle and Alvarado, Jimenez and Quinones up top. 

Estadio Ciudad de México 

We are back at the Estadio Ciudad de Mexico and so is the Mexican national team. That's good news for El Tri who are undefeated in the nine World Cup matches they have played at this stadium. They have won five of those matches, and drawn four. Two of those wins came in the group stages, when Mexico beat South Africa and Czechia. They need one more win in this stadium to get back to the round of 16, but the way this team is playing, they should be setting their sights much higher. 

Traveling fans on the move

We may be in Mexico City, but there will be plenty of Ecuador fans in attendance tonight. They will be outnumbered. They will have their world cut out for them. Just like their team. They beat Germany, so what makes them think they can't beat Mexico?

Golden Boot chase 

There aren't any Golden Boot contenders in this match, but it’s always a good idea to keep an eye on the race. Coming into the day, Lionel Messi sits on top of the list with 6 goals, but after a brace against Sweden, Mbappe is now level with Messi at 6 goals. Haaland scored his fifth, and the game winner against Ivory Coast to send his side to the round of 16 and move to five goals in his first World Cup. Mbappe and Vinicius are still in the mix with four goals a piece.  

FIFA Rankings 

As always, we pause to take a look at the ever changing FIFA Rankings, and I am not sure if there is any team that has made a bigger leap up the standings than this Mexico side. They started the tournament in 14th place, and after three straight wins, they are sitting in 9th ahead of Belgium in 10th. Portugal and the Netherlands are ahead of them in 7th and 8th but the 7th ranked Dutch are out of the tournament after last night’s shootout. After their convincing win over Sweden, France have overtaken Argentina for the second time in this tournament.

World Cup 2026

Mexico breaks historic World Cup curse on a record night for Memo Ochoa

Aguirre, Mexico already historic 

There feels like there is something magical about this team coached by Javier Aguirre. It might be the rock solid defense, it might be Quinones and the rest of the trident in the attack. Or it might be something else. History has already been made by the Mexico side, and they will be looking to make more history tonight and throughout the rest of the tournament. Our Javier Galez haș more.

A heroes welcome

Have a look at the welcome El Tri got pulling up to the stadium. They are already heroes in the eyes of the fans, but tonight it's time to become legends. Chances like this don't come around too often. A knockout match on your home soil. This could be a night to remember for everyone in Mexico City and all around the country. 

El Tri in rare air 

You know you are performing well when you put your name on a list with France and Argentina. After winning all of their group stage matches, they joined the two last World Cup winners in the list of teams that had perfect group stages. What that means going into the next phase of the tournament? Not much. Better to be on that list than off, though. 

Clean sheet gurus 

Mexico is one of only two teams that have no conceded through three games in the tournament. The other one is Spain, but this stretches much farther back than the start of the tournament for El Tri. First of all, they are undefeated in their last 11 matches. In those 11 matches, they have allowed just two goals and posted nine clean sheets. With those kinds of numbers, it's going to be hard for any team to beat them in this edition of the World Cup. The question is, can they keep it up?

World Cup resume: Ecuador 

This is supposed to be a World Cup to announce their presence as a capable team against some of the world's biggest sides. Its only the fifth time that Ecuador has been to the World Cup, with their first appearance coming in 2002. They would get knocked out in group stages, but went to to the round of 16 in 2006, which was the farthest they have ever been in the tournament. They were in Brazil in 2014 and in Qatar but didn’t get past the group stages in either of those editions. Tonight they can make history by wining their first knock out game in the country’s World Cup history. 

World Cup resume: Mexico 

This is Mexico's 18th time in what they call the World Cup finals. The qualified for the first one in 1930, and have been a regular in the tournament ever since. In 1934 they failed to qualify, and in the next edition they withdrew. They failed to qualify in 1974, and 1982 and were banned form the 1990 World Cup for fielding over age players at the 1988 Olympics. In their 17 appearances, the best they have done is reached the quarterfinals. It happened twice in 1970 when the World Cup was hosted in Mexico, and again when Mexico hosted the tournament in 1986. Now that they are co-hosting, should we expect them to at least get to the quarterfinals?

Star watch: Ecuador 

The biggest star on this team is Willian Pacho. The PSG defender who has won back to back Champions Leagues has held down the back line, but he's going to need some help from his guys up top if they are going to have a chance to beat Mexico. Nilson Angulo and Gonzalo Plata are the top strikers on this side but even when you look at their club stats, you get the idea that this is a team that is lacking in attacking potential. Since 2024 these two strikers have combined for a total of 12 goals. They have to have an exceptional night if they are going to keep up with this incredibly talented Mexico side with an incredible back line. 

Star watch: Mexico 

He wasn't the biggest star coming into this World Cup, but he is making a name for himself in this tournament. There is a reason the Saudi clubs wanted to pay Julian Quinones the big bucks and he is proving his worth on the biggest stage in the world. He has scored 53 league goals over the last two seasons and he’s bagged two already in his first three World Cup games. He is the danger man in a side that is full of undervalued, understated forwards. When the lights are brightest, Quinones seems to thrive, and tonight the lights couldn’t be brighter. 

How they got here: Ecuador 

Ecuador was on their way to an early exit after two terrible matches to start this tournament. After being tabbed as one of the under the radar teams that could have a surprise run in this World Cup, they lost their opening match to Ivory Coast, and then suffered a 0-0 draw with Curacao to put all the pressure on themselves on the final matchday of the group stages. They delivered a heroic performance that spared the embarrassment of an early exit by beating the four time World Cup winners and sneaking into the round of 16. 

How they got here: Mexico 

Mexico came into this World Cup knowing that they had a decent team, but I'm not sure if anyone was ready for them to look this good. Defensively is where this side thrives, but their attacking play has been fantastic in each match. The 2-0 result against South Africa could have and should have been much wider of a margin of victory. The 1-0 win against South Korea was the toughest match they had in the group stage, but they secured the top spot in the group with a Luis Romo goal as Mexico kept another clean sheet. Their final match against Czechia was a chance to take a load off and enjoy the stage they were in before things got serious in the next round. A fabulous second half closed out a perfect group stage and now they are looking to keep that form up in their first real test of the tournament. 

Last game: Ecuador 

After two disappointing matches in which Ecuador didn't score a single goal, they went into their final match of the group stages needing to beat Germany. The match got off to a nightmare start as Ecuador saw their opponents take a goal lead in the first two minutes of the game. Leroy Sane put the Germans up after a controversial no call foul on Germany. That meant Ecuador was going to have to fight back if they were going to have any chance of moving on to the knock out round. Nilson Angulo answered back in the 9th minute with a long range effort that beat Manuel Neuer to equalize early in the match. They had to wait for their chance to take the lead, but in the 77th minute Ecuador earned a corner kick that was nodded at the front post and tapped in by Gonzalo Plata to send Ecuador in to the round of 32.  

Last game: Mexico

Mexico ended their group stage campaign in style, beating Czechia 3-0 to lock up the top spot in the group and soar into the knockout stages. It was the complete performance that coach Javier Aguirre was looking for throughout the group stages, and his side looked to hit stride just before entering the next phase of the tournament. It was an underwhelming first half, but the halftime chat must have woken this Mexico side up. With the group already wrapped up, they gave home fans in Mexico City a second half they will remember for a long time. Mateo Chavez scored the opener in the 55th minute, the Julian Quinones doubled the lead six minutes later. Alvaro Fidalgo added the cherry on top with a third and final goal in the 94th minute to ignite the Mexico fans into a frenzy to end the group stages. 

We are live from CDM 

Hello everyone and welcome to the Estadio Ciudad de Mexico where El Tri are looking to keep their perfect start to the tournament rolling. This has been a historic World Cup campaign already for El Tri, but they still have business to tend to. Ecuador is up next, and they went from dark horses, to disappointments, to a team of destiny after a bumpy ride in the group stages. Now they take on the co-hosts on their home soil. 

Mexico vs Ecuador: Round of 32 live  

Believe or not, we are almost midway through the round of 32, and we end the first half of this inaugural stage of the tournament with a cracking match from Mexico City. Mexico aren't just the co-hosts, they have looked like one of the top teams in the tournament and there is growing hope that this team is capable of a historic run through the tournament. First they have to get through an Ecuador team that struggled to get to this stage of the tournament, but they are here and this isn’t a side that anyone wants to play despite their slow start to the World Cup. AS English will be with you all night, providing live coverage, stats, highlights and analysis of tonight’s knock out match.