Ecuador secured a place in the FIFA World Cup 2026™ Round of 32 after coming from behind to beat Germany 2-1 in their final Group E match on Thursday 25 June at New York/New Jersey Stadium.
Already qualified after two wins, Germany still finished top of Group E despite the defeat, while Ecuador’s victory confirmed their progress as one of the best eight third-placed teams. The result mattered even more for Ecuador given they had taken just one point from their first two matches against Côte d’Ivoire and Curaçao and had yet to score at the tournament.
Leroy Sane struck early for Germany, but Ecuador responded through Nilson Angulo before Gonzalo Plata delivered the decisive late goal to complete the turnaround.
How Ecuador turned the game around
Germany took the lead in the second minute through Sane, who scored his first goal at a major tournament for his country. After a lay-off from Florian Wirtz, Sane rolled a low finish past the right hand of the diving Hernan Galindez from inside the box. FIFA noted it was Germany’s earliest World Cup goal since 1934.
Ecuador’s response was swift. After nine minutes they had the goal they had been craving at the FIFA World Cup 2026™, and it arrived seven minutes after falling behind. Pablo Vite picked up a loose ball in Germany’s half and fed Angulo, who found space to shoot just outside the D. Angulo fired through the legs of Aleksandar Pavlovic and beyond the dive of Manuel Neuer to make it 1-1.
The second half opened with a major moment of controversy. Germany were initially awarded a penalty, but referee Tori Penso overturned the decision following a VAR review due to an earlier foul by Sane on Vite.
As the match moved into its final quarter, the decisive spell arrived. Ecuador had a big chance when a mix-up between Neuer and Jonathan Tah led to Plata turning a Moises Caicedo cross over the bar from close range. At the other end, Sane raced through and shot at Galindez, but Ecuador continued to push for the goal that would transform their tournament.
Moments after substitute Kevin Rodriguez saw a shot deflected over, Ecuador made their pressure count from the resulting corner. Rodriguez flicked the delivery on at the near post, and Plata got his foot to the ball ahead of Neuer, steering it into the roof of the net in the 77th minute to put Ecuador 2-1 up.
Nilson Angulo was named the Michelob Ultra Superior Player of the Match.
What they said
“It’s not about what it means to me; this is for the people. The players have given them this qualification. Let them celebrate and enjoy it,” said Ecuador coach Sebastian Beccacece.
Plata added: “We were really looking forward to this before the World Cup began. It feels different today because we struggled so much in the first two matches. It’s better this way; it’s a learning experience for us and now we’ll go into the next round even more hungry for glory. This team believes strongly in itself. We have 26 players who will give their all for Ecuador. We’ve filled stadiums everywhere, our fans have made us feel at home in every stadium. They deserve this more than anyone. They did their part, they helped us a lot and motivated us.”
Germany captain Joshua Kimmich said: “We started well, but then we gave the ball away too cheaply and kept inviting them on. We made it easy for them and let them grow into the game. In the second half, the defeat was deserved.”
Denis Undav added: “Ecuador were more aggressive and sharper than we were. That’s something we need to learn from and draw the right conclusions. We weren’t as direct in our play and we didn’t create as many chances.”
Group E outcome and key stat
The win confirmed Ecuador’s place in the knockouts as one of the best eight third-placed teams. Germany, despite the loss, still topped the section thanks to a superior goal difference over Côte d’Ivoire, who also finished on six points.
A key stat from FIFA underlined the significance of the moment for Ecuador: they have only reached the knockout stage once before, when they made the Round of 16 at Germany 2006.