Read for 2 minutesUpdated: 1 July 2026 06:56 AM IST
The Round 32 match between Mexico and Ecuador was delayed due to thunderstorms in the Mexico City stadium area. According to the news agency Associated Press, the storm started in the area two hours before the start of the knockout match.
No announcement has been made as to when it will start, the report said.
Mexico is one of the three co-hosts of the ongoing FIFA World Cup, along with Canada and the USA. The South American side will be hoping to use the home conditions to make a deep run in the tournament. Mexico’s best World Cup performances (reaching the quarter-finals) have always been in 1970 and then in 1986.
Mexico have already won all three of their group stage games at the 2026 World Cup using home conditions. Meanwhile, Ecuador qualified third in Group E behind Germany and Ivory Coast.
All three of Mexico’s group stage victories came at over 5,000 feet (1,524 m) above sea level. El Tri often capitalized late, scoring five of six goals after halftime, perhaps starting to show fatigue.
However, as with Ecuador, Mexico is likely to find a nation that gets the job done, despite its roughly 7,300-foot (2,200 m) elevation in Azteca, Mexico City.
Ecuador usually plays home matches in Quito at an altitude of more than 9,000 feet (2,743 m) and, like Mexico, has used the geography to its advantage. Ecuador’s players remained unbeaten at home during the qualifiers, winning against Uruguay, Chile, Peru and Venezuela in Quito.
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Mexican fans booed the Ecuadorian team
According to another report in the Associated Press, Mexican football fans did their best to harass the Ecuadorian players before the Round of 32 match. Ecuador’s confederation has lodged a formal complaint with World Cup organizers over tactics used by Mexican football fans to provoke their players.
Fans gathered outside the Westin Hotel in Santa Fe, where Ecuador lives, and used loudspeakers, horns and motorcycles to disturb the rest of the visiting team.