A Mexican fan reacts ahead of the World Cup round of 32 soccer match between Mexico and Ecuador in Mexico City, Tuesday, June 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko )
Soccer fans gather for a watch party for the World Cup soccer match between Mexico and Ecuador, at the base of the Angel of Independence monument in Mexico City, Tuesday, June 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Marco Ugarte)
Fans wear ponchos as it rains ahead of the World Cup round of 32 soccer match between Mexico and Ecuador in Mexico City, Tuesday, June 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Ricardo Mazalan)
Fans react before the World Cup round of 32 soccer match between Mexico and Ecuador in Mexico City, Tuesday, June 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano)
Mexico fans in Houston find their seats before watching a live broadcast of a World Cup soccer round of 32 match between Mexico and Ecuador, Tuesday, June 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
Mexico fans cheer at Shell Energy Stadium, home of the MLS soccer club Houston Dynamo, as they watch a live broadcast in Houston, of a World Cup soccer round of 32 match between Mexico and Ecuador, Tuesday, June 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
Mexico fan Ray Mysterio poses in Houston before a live broadcast of a World Cup soccer round of 32 match between Mexico and Ecuador, Tuesday, June 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
Mexico fans in Houston watch ballet folkloric dancers before a live broadcast of a World Cup soccer round of 32 match between Mexico and Ecuador, Tuesday, June 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
Artists perform before the start of the World Cup round of 32 soccer match between Mexico and Ecuador in Mexico City, Tuesday, June 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano)
Mexican fans react ahead of the World Cup round of 32 soccer match between Mexico and Ecuador in Mexico City, Tuesday, June 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko )
A fan reacts before the World Cup round of 32 soccer match between Mexico and Ecuador in Mexico City, Tuesday, June 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano)
A fan reacts before the World Cup round of 32 soccer match between Mexico and Ecuador in Mexico City, Tuesday, June 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano)
Fans react before the start of the World Cup round of 32 soccer match between Mexico and Ecuador in Mexico City, Tuesday, June 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano)
Rain falls as fans wait for the start of the World Cup round of 32 soccer match between Mexico and Ecuador in Mexico City, Tuesday, June 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano)
A Mexican fan waits in the rain for the start of the World Cup round of 32 soccer match between Mexico and Ecuador in Mexico City, Tuesday, June 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko )
Players and referees enter the field before the World Cup round of 32 soccer match between Mexico and Ecuador in Mexico City, Tuesday, June 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Silvia Izquierdo)
Ecuador players pose before the World Cup round of 32 soccer match between Mexico and Ecuador in Mexico City, Tuesday, June 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Silvia Izquierdo)
Mexico players pose before the World Cup round of 32 soccer match between Mexico and Ecuador in Mexico City, Tuesday, June 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Silvia Izquierdo)
Ecuador’s Enner Valencia (13) battles for a header with Mexico’s Johan Vasquez (5) during the World Cup round of 32 soccer match between Mexico and Ecuador in Mexico City, Tuesday, June 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano)
Mexico’s Luis Romo, right, kicks the ball past Ecuador’s Moises Caicedo during the World Cup round of 32 soccer match in Mexico City, Tuesday, June 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Ricardo Mazalan)
Mexico’s Raul Jimenez (9) heads the ball during the World Cup round of 32 soccer match between Mexico and Ecuador in Mexico City, Tuesday, June 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Silvia Izquierdo)
Mexico’s Gilberto Mora (19) challenges for the ball with Ecuador’s Anthony Valencia (8) during the World Cup round of 32 soccer match between Mexico and Ecuador in Mexico City, Tuesday, June 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Silvia Izquierdo)
Ecuador’s Nilson Angulo (20) heads the ball over Mexico’s Jorge Sanchez (2) during the World Cup round of 32 soccer match between Mexico and Ecuador in Mexico City, Tuesday, June 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano)
Mexico’s Luis Romo (7), left, fights for the ball with Ecuador’s Gonzalo Plata (19) during the World Cup round of 32 soccer match between Mexico and Ecuador in Mexico City, Tuesday, June 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Eduardo Verdugo)
MEXICO CITY (AP) — The match between Mexico and Ecuador for the round of 32 of the World Cup started one hour after the original scheduled time on Tuesday night due to a thunderstorm over the Mexico City Stadium area.
Read more Mexico fans use a homophobic chant during the World Cup match against Ecuador
It was the second match of the tournament affected by weather. A storm during the France-Iraq match at Philadelphia on June 22 caused a 2-hour, 11-minute suspension at the end of the first half.
Mexico is aiming to qualify to the round of 16 and inch closer to tie their best performances in the World Cup. Mexico reached the quarterfinals, playing at home, in 1970 and 1986.
Mexican fans blast horns outside Ecuador’s hotel, fueling a sleepless night at the World Cup
By CARLOS RODRIGUEZ, AP Sports Writer
MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexican soccer fans did their best to give Ecuador a sleepless night ahead of their World Cup match in the round of 32 later Tuesday.
From midnight until the early hours of the morning, dozens of fans gathered outside the Westin Hotel in Santa Fe, an upscale area on the outskirts of the capital, using loudspeakers, horns and motorcycles to disturb the visiting team’s rest.
Team hotel serenades are a deeply entrenched, highly polarizing tradition in Latin American soccer. While they began as a passionate way for fans to rally behind the home team, they have increasingly evolved into a psychological weapon designed to rob visiting players of a good night’s sleep.
Read more Mexico ends a 40-year knockout drought, beats Ecuador 2-0 to reach the round of 16
After the incidents in Mexico City, the Ecuadorian soccer federation said Tuesday it has filed a formal complaint with organizers.
“Such conduct stands in stark contrast to the principles of fair play, equity, and unity that a World Cup should embody,” the federation, known as FEF, said in a statement. “The FEF respectfully calls upon the competent authorities to pay greater attention to these events and to adopt the necessary measures to safeguard the safety of our players, coaching staff, and fans.”
The fan ambush, organized on social media, added to a chaotic arrival for Ecuador. The disruption capped off a grueling logistical nightmare for the South American team, which had deliberately planned a last-minute Monday night arrival to mitigate the effects of Mexico City’s 2,200-meter (7,300-foot) altitude.
To combat the physiological toll of thin air, sports scientists generally recommend two contrasting approaches: an extended acclimatization period of at least two weeks, or the “fly-in, fly-out” method — arriving as close to kick off as possible before acute symptoms set in. But Ecuador’s journey from Columbus, Ohio, was plagued by delays from the start.
“A flight delay, then the transfer to the hotel — it ended up being a nine-hour journey; we took three hours longer than scheduled,” Beccacece said. “But the team is doing well and is excited — obviously facing an opponent that posted good results in the group stage.”
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