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WORLD CUP 2026 · Wednesday, 1 July 2026 at 02:00 BST
Mexico
2 – 0
Ecuador

Match preview

Mexico enter as clear favourites on home soil, with the model giving them a 64% chance of victory.

64%
Mexico
16%
Draw
20%
Ecuador
Model fair odds
Mexico
1.56
Draw
6.25
Ecuador
5.00

Decimal fair odds from the model probabilities before bookmaker margin.

Mexico
64%
Draw
16%
Ecuador
20%
Elo rating: 1930 vs 1793 (+137)
Recent form: WWWWW vs LWDLW
Host advantage: Yes — Mexico at home
Model verdict: 64% / 16% / 20%
Most likely scores
Mexico 1–0 (15%)
Mexico 2–0 (15%)
Mexico 3–0 (10%)
Draw 1–1 (9%)
Why Mexico are favourites (64%)
  • Mexico carry the higher Elo rating (+137 points)
  • Host-nation advantage — Mexico playing at home
  • Mexico unbeaten and winning in their last five (5W)
  • Ecuador mixed recent form (2W 1D 2L)
  • Head-to-head treated as neutral — too few recent meetings to weigh (10% of the blend)

These factors combine to produce the 64% / 16% / 20% verdict above.

Expected match pattern

Mexico are expected to control possession and territory, while Ecuador will likely rely on defensive organisation and counter-attacks. An early Mexico goal would force Ecuador to open up, raising the chance of a multi-goal result; the longer it stays level, the more pressure shifts onto the favourites.

Expected goals: Mexico 2 · Ecuador 0.6

Quick stats

MetricMexicoEcuador
Elo rating19301793
Last 5 record5W2W 1D 2L
Goals last 5135
Goals conceded last 514
Clean sheets last 542

Mexico — last 5

  • Wv Ecuador20
  • W@ Czechia30
  • Wv South Korea10
  • Wv South Africa20
  • Wv Serbia51

Ecuador — last 5

  • L@ Mexico02
  • Wv Germany21
  • Dv Curaçao00
  • L@ Ivory Coast01
  • Wv Guatemala30

Head to head

01 Jul 2026
Mexico
20
Ecuador
15 Oct 2025
Mexico
11
Ecuador
01 Jul 2024
Mexico
00
Ecuador
05 Jun 2022
Mexico
00
Ecuador
28 Oct 2021
Mexico
23
Ecuador
09 Jun 2019
Mexico
32
Ecuador

Confirmed lineups

Mexico · 4-3-3
  1. 1Raúl Rangel G
  2. 2Jorge Sánchez D
  3. 3César Montes D
  4. 5Johan Vásquez D
  5. 23Jesús Gallardo D
  6. 19Gilberto Mora M
  7. 6Erik Lira M
  8. 7Luis Romo M
  9. 25Roberto Alvarado F
  10. 9Raúl Jiménez F
  11. 16Julián Quiñones F
Ecuador · 4-4-2
  1. 1Hernán Galíndez G
  2. 21Alan Franco D
  3. 4Joel Ordóñez D
  4. 6Willian Pacho D
  5. 3Piero Hincapié D
  6. 9John Yeboah M
  7. 23Moisés Caicedo M
  8. 15Pedro Vite M
  9. 20Nilson Angulo M
  10. 19Gonzalo Plata F
  11. 13Enner Valencia F

Key matchups

Roberto Alvarado vs Joel Ordóñez

Mexico's focal point in attack against the heart of Ecuador's defence.

Erik Lira vs Moisés Caicedo

The central-midfield battle most likely to decide who controls possession and territory.

Gonzalo Plata vs César Montes

Ecuador's main outlet — how Mexico's central defence handles him shapes the counter-attack threat.

Predictions are model output, not betting advice. The model blends an Elo rating, last-5 form and host advantage; ratings update after every tournament result, and fair odds and likely scorelines are derived from the same blend. Bet responsibly — 18+. See PuntHub for verified tipster services.