Javier Aguirre, Mexico’s head coach, said Monday that Ecuador, Mexico’s opponent in the Round of 16 of the 2026 World Cup, has shown that it is on par with Colombia, Brazil, and Argentina.
“Ecuador has improved tremendously. It used to trail the usual contenders—Uruguay, Argentina, and Brazil—but now Ecuador, along with Colombia, has reached that level. It has many players playing abroad; it’s a highly respected opponent, and it has grown both domestically and on the world stage thanks to the export of its players,” said the coach.
Aguirre anticipates a grueling match
The Mexican national team will face Ecuador this Tuesday in a World Cup Round of 32 match at the Mexico City Stadium.
Best known as Azteca Stadium, it is hosting its third World Cup tournament.
Javier Aguirre praised the Ecuadorians’ performance in the CONMEBOL qualifiers, in which they finished in second place.
And in the group stage of this World Cup, where they beat Germany on the final matchday, which shows just how difficult it will be to defeat them.
“I expect Ecuador to play very aggressively, with a lot of pressure. They’ll be tough in one-on-one situations.”
“I expect a very close game with a lot of one-on-one matchups. They beat Germany, and that says it all.”
“So we’re going to have to be very alert to impose our style and come away with the win,” he explained.
“El Vasco” took the opportunity to acknowledge the abilities of Argentine Sebastián Beccacece, the coach of his opponent, whom he has faced on other occasions.
“Ecuador has a team that doesn’t let you play much in their half; it’s one of the best among the 48 teams in this World Cup.”
“They’re an intense and courageous team, just like their coach.”
“I know Beccacece from Spain; he plans his games very well—it’s going to be a really exciting challenge,” he noted (Filed under: Javier Aguirre praises Ecuador).
Ecuador has grown a lot
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Trust in the maturity of El Tri
The coach emphasized that in order to qualify for the next round, his team will have to impose its style of play.
“We have everything except anxiety or nervousness—quite the opposite.”
“We have to play a nearly perfect game to stay in the World Cup. I hope we play well in the middle and back lines and are aggressive enough to perform well,” he said.
Javier Aguirre acknowledged that his confidence heading into this match stems from how mature he sees his group of players, despite their youth.
“It’s amazing how mature these kids have been; their maturity is contagious.”
“I’m 67 years old, and I’d say I could be the grandfather of many of them.”
“They’re kids who aren’t afraid of anything—not success, nor what they can achieve—and that’s contagious. I let them dream and give it their all,” he concluded (Filed under: Javier Aguirre praises Ecuador).
With information from EFE
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