Mexico City, Mexico — Mexico defeated Ecuador 2-0 on Tuesday to advance to the round of 16 at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, extending the co-hosts' unbeaten start on home soil.
Julian Quinones opened the scoring in the 22nd minute with a close-range finish at Estadio Ciudad de Mexico, according to FIFA's official match record. Raul Jimenez doubled Mexico's lead nine minutes later, converting after a quick exchange with Quinones to put the match out of reach before halftime.
Ecuador, playing in the knockout stage for the first time in 20 years, finished the match with 10 men after Piero Hincapie was shown a red card in second-half stoppage time. Mexico held a 2-0 advantage from the 31st minute onward and did not concede despite Ecuador holding 57% possession over the course of the match, per FIFA statistics.
The result marks Mexico's first World Cup knockout-stage victory in four decades, according to match commentary carried by ESPN. The team advanced to the round of 32 after finishing atop its group and had entered Tuesday's match unbeaten in the tournament.
Mexico will next face the winner of the England-DR Congo round-of-32 tie in the round of 16, with the fixture set to be played in Mexico City, FIFA said. A date and kickoff time for that match had not yet been confirmed at time of publication.
