Mexico is making history at the 2026 World Cup. A commanding 2-0 win over Ecuador at a raucous Estadio Azteca on June 30 sent the co-hosts into the Round of 16, and it carried enormous weight: it was Mexico's first World Cup knockout victory in 40 years, since they last hosted in 1986, ending a drought that had brought heartbreak in seven straight tournaments.
The run has been total domination. El Tri have now won all four of their matches, three in the group stage plus the Ecuador tie, without conceding a single goal. That makes them the first side since hosts Italy in 1990 to open a World Cup with four straight wins to nil, and just the fourth team in the tournament's history to do it, the best start Mexico has ever produced.
Julián Quiñones and Raúl Jiménez struck within nine first-half minutes, while 17-year-old Gilberto Mora earned a start, becoming the second-youngest player to begin a World Cup knockout match, behind only Pelé in 1958. Coach Javier Aguirre, twice denied a spot in the last 16 as a manager before, now leads a side unbeaten in 10 World Cup games at the Azteca. Next up: England or DR Congo, back in Mexico City on Sunday.
Sources: ESPN, Al Jazeera, NPR.
Mexico is making history at the 2026 World Cup. A commanding 2-0 win over Ecuador at a raucous Estadio Azteca on June 30 sent the co-hosts into the Round of 16, and it carried enormous weight: it was Mexico's first World Cup knockout victory in 40 years, since they last hosted in 1986, ending a drought that had brought heartbreak in seven straight tournaments.
The run has been total domination. El Tri have now won all four of their matches, three in the group stage plus the Ecuador tie, without conceding a single goal. That makes them the first side since hosts Italy in 1990 to open a World Cup with four straight wins to nil, and just the fourth team in the tournament's history to do it, the best start Mexico has ever produced.
Julián Quiñones and Raúl Jiménez struck within nine first-half minutes, while 17-year-old Gilberto Mora earned a start, becoming the second-youngest player to begin a World Cup knockout match, behind only Pelé in 1958. Coach Javier Aguirre, twice denied a spot in the last 16 as a manager before, now leads a side unbeaten in 10 World Cup games at the Azteca. Next up: England or DR Congo, back in Mexico City on Sunday.
Sources: ESPN, Al Jazeera, NPR.
