Hundreds of Mexican fans gathered outside Ecuador’s team hotel in Mexico City on Monday night in an apparent attempt to disrupt the visitors’ preparations ahead of their FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 32 match. A boisterous crowd gathered shortly after midnight, creating a restless atmosphere with drums, air horns, loudspeakers and chants aimed at keeping Ecuador’s players awake before one of their biggest matches of the tournament.
Mexican fans targeted the Ecuador team’s hotel
Videos widely shared by X show a large crowd set up directly under the Ecuador team’s hotel, with supporters chanting, beating drums and honking car horns throughout the night. The atmosphere turned increasingly angry as fans repeatedly chanted anti-Ecuadorian slogans, including “Ecuatorianos hijos de p*ta,” in an apparent bid to unsettle the visiting squad before kickoff.Several Ecuadorian players were seen looking out their hotel windows as the chaos continued into the early hours, while team officials monitored the situation.
Big stakes in Mexico City
The incident comes hours before a high-pressure Round of 32 showdown at the Mexico City Stadium (Estadio Azteca), with a place in the Round of 16 on the line. Mexico has enjoyed an incredible tournament so far, winning all three games in the group stage without conceding a single goal under head coach Javier Aguirre. Ecuador, on the other hand, recovered from a difficult start to the competition by producing one of the biggest upsets of the tournament, eliminating Germany to reach the knockout stage. The winner of Tuesday’s match will advance to the Round of 16, where England or DR Congo will be waiting.