Mexico relies on a 12th man to face Ecuador at the Azteca

On July 1, the Azteca Stadium in Mexico City will be the scene of a fierce Latin American derby: the teams of Mexico and Ecuador will meet in the match of the 1/16 finals of the World Cup. After a perfect performance in the group stage, El Tri face their first serious test in the playoffs. The head coach of the Mexican national team, Javier Aguirre, is sure that the home stands will be the decisive factor in the upcoming match. From the very beginning of the tournament, the matches of the national team gather tens of thousands of devoted fans. "Our home fans are our 12th player. We realize that the whole country is behind us and that motivates us a lot. You can see it just by watching the team's training: the players take their work seriously and are disciplined. We are in a very good position now," Aguirre emphasized during a press conference on Monday. Mexico entered the playoffs from first place in Group A, having won three games in three matches (including over South Africa and the Czech Republic) and not conceding a single goal. Ecuador, on the other hand, finished third in a difficult Group E, ahead of Germany and Ivory Coast, but it was the victory over the Germans that proved the high potential of the team. Midfielder of the Mexican national team and Atletico Madrid Obed Vargas noted that the "dry" series gave the team confidence, but it is too early to relax: "We expect a very dynamic Ecuador team... It will be a very tough match. If we don't win, we will be relegated. That's the kind of attitude we need and we will go out and give everything for this country." Besides the rabid fan support, geography plays on Mexico's side. The capital is located at an altitude of 2,240 meters above sea level, which traditionally creates problems for rivals. Although the Ecuador national team is used to playing at an even higher altitude in their native Quito (2,850 meters), their training base for this World Cup was located in the state of Ohio (USA). Sebastian Beccachese's team had no matches in high altitude conditions during the tournament. The Ecuadorians tried to bring their arrival in Mexico City earlier to acclimatize, but will arrive in the capital just 24 hours before kick-off. The history of the last meetings of these teams shows their equality: the last three head-to-head matches ended in a draw, including a friendly in October 2025 (1:1). The winner of this intriguing Latin American confrontation will receive a ticket to the 1/8 finals, where they will meet the winner of the pair England - Democratic Republic of Congo. This match will take place on July 1 at 19:00 in Atlanta.