Hundreds of Mexican fans gathered outside the Ecuadorian team’s hotel in Mexico City late Monday night in an apparent attempt to disrupt the visitors’ preparations ahead of their 2026 FIFA World Cup Round of 16 match. A raucous crowd gathered shortly after midnight, creating a relentless atmosphere with drums, sirens, loudspeakers and shouts aimed at keeping Ecuador’s players awake ahead of one of their biggest games of the tournament.
Mexican fans target Ecuador team hotel
Videos widely shared on X show a large crowd stationed directly below the Ecuadorian team’s hotel, with fans singing, beating drums and honking car horns throughout the night. The atmosphere grew increasingly hostile as fans repeatedly chanted anti-Ecuador slogans, including “Ecuatorianos hijos de p*ta,” in an apparent attempt to unsettle the visiting team before kick-off.Several Ecuador players were seen looking out their hotel windows as the commotion continued into the early hours as team officials monitored the situation.
Huge stakes in Mexico City
The incident happened just hours before a tense round of 16 clash at the Mexico City Stadium (Estadio Azteca), where a place in the round of 16 is on the line. Mexico have enjoyed an outstanding tournament so far, winning all three of their group stage matches without conceding a goal under head coach Javier Aguirre. Ecuador, meanwhile, recovered from a difficult start to the competition by producing one of the biggest upsets of the tournament, eliminating Germany and reaching the knockout stages. The winner of Tuesday’s match will advance to the round of 16, where England or DR Congo await them.
