Ecuador beat Germany 2-1 and secured a spot in the World Cup 2026 knockouts. Gonzalo Plata scored the winning goal in the 77th minute.

What happened?

The victory leaves Ecuador in third place in Group E, but guarantees their advancement to the round of 32.

Why is it important for Ecuador?

This win is only the second time Ecuador has won a World Cup game after trailing, following their 2-1 win over Honduras in 2014.

What comes next?

Ecuador joined fellow South American teams Brazil, Argentina, and Colombia in advancing to the round of 32. | Team | Points | Goals | | --- | --- | --- | | Germany | 6 | 5-4 | | Ecuador | 6 | 4-3 | | Ivory Coast | 6 | 4-2 | Ecuador now has a streak of 22 games with only one loss in all competitions (9 wins and 12 draws).

Match statistics

Germany dominated some aspects of the game, but Ecuador created the better chances and made the most of what they had to seal their place in the knockouts. Germany's coach, Julian Nagelsmann, will have to address this challenge in an interesting way. Germany's loss is only the second time the team has lost a World Cup game after opening the scoring, following their 1-2 loss to Japan in 2022.