It’s win-or-go-home time for Team Mexico as they prepare to face Ecuador in the World Cup knockout round of 32 on Tuesday.
Mexico has not won a knockout match since 1986, but the team heads into the knockouts unscathed from group play and with the 13th-best odds to win it all, per DraftKings Sportsbook.
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They face an opponent in Ecuador, who finished third in Group E after a dramatic upset victory over Germany, which just barely qualified them for the knockout stage.
Mexican midfielder Obed Vargas was asked on Monday how his team, who’s favored, will match up appropriately against Ecuador.
“By doing what we’ve been doing,” Vargas said. “Being solid on defense, giving our all and trying to play our best football. I think we already have a very good identity, and we’re going to rely on what got us here.”
Mexico and Ecuador last played in a friendly in October, which ended 1-1. Now, Mexico gets Ecuador again on home turf at Azteca Stadium in Mexico City.
Mexican fans have taken to the streets and public squares throughout the World Cup to show their appreciation for their national team, making a case to be considered among the most passionate soccer fans in the world.
Those demonstrations haven’t gone unnoticed to Team Mexico. In fact, they relish the support.
“First of all, I want to thank them because we feel their support on the pitch,” Jesús Gallardo said. “Whether they’re at the Azteca or not, we feel that support. And honestly, it motivates us. We want to give back to them. They deserve it, and we hope to keep bringing them plenty of joy.”
Team Mexico isn’t taking their home support for granted, either.
The Mexicans have had the convenience of playing every match on home grass so far in the tournament, while Ecuador has traveled over 3,000 miles with stops in East Rutherford, Kansas City and Philadelphia, traveling out of their base camp in Columbus, Ohio.
“I think the Azteca is a very important, historic venue, and having our fans there gives us an extra boost,” said Armando González. “But I know (Ecuador) won’t use, ‘Oh, we traveled a lot,’ as an excuse. They’re going to leave it all on the field, so we can’t afford to give anything away.”
González, like 10 of his 26 teammates, had never played in a World Cup before 2026. The manager of the Mexican national team, Javier Aguirre, is in his fifth appearance.
Aguirre was a part of the ‘86 team that last won a knockout match as a player. He then served as an assistant coach for the national team in 1994 and later as the head coach in 2002 and 2010.
40 years after his first World Cup experience, Aguirre’s team may have its best opportunity yet to break the infamous streak of seven straight knockout round losses.
“These are very evenly matched matches,” Aguirre said. “I think tomorrow’s match will be the same. (Ecuador is) a team with World Cup stats showing that they don’t let you play much in your own half. They win the ball back high up the pitch, one of the best at doing so among the 48 teams participating.
“All I can say is that we have to play an almost perfect game to stay in the competition.”
This year, Mexico became just the sixth nation in World Cup history to win all three group games without giving up a goal.
Should they make it past Ecuador, Mexico will have a chance to slay the demons of “the fifth game curse,” or as it’s known in Mexico, “El Quinto Partido” (the Curse of the Fifth Game), the game the knockout rounds used to begin before the expansion to 48 teams this year.
Finally breaking that streak is something Mexican fans would most certainly take to the streets to celebrate.
“Mexican fans are passionate and joyful,” Aguirre said. “They show up and travel a lot. But now, we are truly aware that we have an entire country behind us, and that motivates us immensely, really immensely. So, I’d say we are all, myself included, very excited about what’s coming up.”
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