Round of 32 · Match 7

MexicovsEcuador

2026-07-01·19:00 local·Estadio Azteca · Mexico CityPredictions finalised

Snapshot · 2026-07-14Model 1.0.0Final prediction · locked 30 Jun, 22:58 UTCMexico·Ecuador·
Full time · forecast gradedMexico 2 0 EcuadorThe locked pre-match forecast has been graded against this result.See the calibration recap →

Match signals

Factors that favour each side, from statistical models to group stage form and match conditions. Longer bars = stronger advantage.

MexicoSignal balanceEcuador
59%41%

The model rates Ecuador slightly higher (38% vs 28%), but the wider signals actually favour Mexico. That tension makes this one of the harder matches to read.

📊What the Models Say

4 Ecuador
41%Elo Rating Model37%
Even

Rates teams by a single strength number updated after every match. Simpler but fast to react. It sees this as very close: Mexico 41%, Ecuador 37%.

28%Dixon-Coles Model36%
SlightSlight

Simulates the goal-scoring process using attack and defence strength. The heaviest-weighted model. It rates Ecuador at 36% to win vs Mexico at 28%.

29%Hierarchical Poisson37%
SlightSlight

Groups teams by confederation to share information. Helps for teams with fewer matches. It rates Ecuador at 37% to win vs Mexico at 29%.

28%Final Ensemble38%
SlightSlight

The published probability after calibration and adjustments. This is what the model says. It rates Ecuador at 38% to win vs Mexico at 28%.

2/3Model Agreement0/3
ModerateModerate

2 of 3 models favour Ecuador. A majority, but not unanimous.

Tournament Form

4 Mexico
12pts (4W 0D 1L)Tournament Record4pts (1W 1D 2L)
StrongStrong

Mexico collected 12 points (4W 0D 1L) vs Ecuador's 4 (1W 1D 2L). A stronger tournament record.

2.0/matchGoals Scored0.5/match
StrongStrong

Mexico averaged 2.0 goals per match vs Ecuador's 0.5. More firepower coming in.

0.6 conceded/matchDefence1.0 conceded/match
SlightSlight

Mexico conceded just 0.6 goals/match vs Ecuador's 1.0. Tighter at the back.

+7Goal Difference-2
StrongStrong

Mexico's goal difference of +7 is better than Ecuador's -2. They outperformed opponents by more.

📈Momentum

1 Mexico1 Ecuador
+39.7Tournament Rating Change-48.7
StrongStrong

Mexico's rating rose +39.7 during the tournament while Ecuador's moved -48.7. The tournament has been kinder to Mexico.

+0.0039Player Form Trend+0.0071
SlightSlight

Ecuador's players improved their form ratings during the tournament (+0.0071) vs Mexico (+0.0039). Players trending upward.

🏆Team Quality

3 Ecuador
1860Overall Strength (Elo)1933
SlightSlight

Ecuador is rated 1933 vs Mexico's 1860 (gap: 73). That's a noticeable gap in historical team strength.

0.68 xGExpected Chance Creation0.81 xG
SlightSlight

The model expects Ecuador to create 0.81 expected goals vs Mexico's 0.68. More and better chances projected.

0.14Star Power0.57
StrongStrong

Ecuador's top 3 starters are harder to replace (avg VORP 0.57) than Mexico's (0.14). More star power in key positions.

0.000Squad Familiarity0.000
Even

Similar levels of squad familiarity from club football.

🌍Match Conditions

2 Mexico
14kmTravel Distance3,281km
ModerateModerate

Mexico traveled 14km vs Ecuador's 3,281km. A shorter journey means less fatigue.

0h shiftTimezone Shift1h shift
SlightSlight

Mexico face a 0h timezone shift vs Ecuador's 1h. Less jet lag disruption.

17 signals across 5 categories. Signal strength reflects how large the gap is between the two teams on each factor. Signals are descriptive, not prescriptive.

La prévision

Match-outcome probability

  • Mexico win
    31.8%
  • Draw
    33.9%
  • Ecuador win
    34.3%

The model projects one of the most closely-contested fixtures of the round — Mexico and Ecuador are separated by fine margins across every outcome.

Likeliest score0–023.2%
First goal0-15'22.0%
Both teams score28.2%
Over 2.5 goals18.9%
Top scorerJiménez8.2%
Expected goals0.7 - 0.8
Loading pitch visualisation...

Buts et scores

Likeliest score 0–0 (23.2%) · xG 0.7 - 0.8

Expected goals

Mexico
0.68
Ecuador
0.81

Mean of the Dixon-Coles joint goal distribution. Same fit that produces the most-likely-scoreline list below.

Most likely scorelines

  • 0–0
    23.2%
  • 0–1
    17.5%
  • 1–0
    14.5%
  • 1–1
    13.2%
  • 0–2
    7.4%

From the Dixon-Coles joint Poisson with the low-score correction. Scorelines are listed in probability order; this is a description of the model's distribution, not a recommendation.

Most likely half-time scorelines

  • 0–0
    47.8%
  • 0–1
    18.9%
  • 1–0
    15.7%
  • 1–1
    7.0%
  • 0–2
    3.9%

Same Dixon-Coles fit as the full-time list above, with rates halved to a 45-minute window and the low-score correction applied to that 1st-half block. The 0-0 row sits higher here than at full-time because fewer minutes have elapsed.

Goal totals

  • More than 0.5 goals
    76.8%
  • More than 1.5 goals
    44.7%
  • More than 2.5 goals
    18.9%
  • More than 3.5 goals
    6.5%
  • More than 4.5 goals
    1.8%
  • More than 5.5 goals
    0.4%
  • Both teams score
    28.2%

Each row is the probability the match finishes with more than the listed number of goals. Both-teams-to-score is the probability each side scores at least once. All values are marginals of the Dixon-Coles joint goal grid that produces the scoreline list above — not market lines or any other operator construct.

Event-typed probabilities

  • Mexico clean sheetOpposing team scores zero44.4%
  • Ecuador clean sheetOpposing team scores zero50.6%

Derived from the same Dixon-Coles joint distribution as the scoreline list. These are descriptive event probabilities — see CLAUDE.md §3/§4 (formerly COMPLIANCE.md §4.2.7) for the framing the project uses.

Win-margin probability

  • Mexico by 4+
    0.3%
  • Mexico by 3+
    1.6%
  • Mexico by 2+
    7.8%
  • Mexico by 1+
    27.0%
  • Draw
    38.3%
  • Ecuador by 1+
    34.8%
  • Ecuador by 2+
    11.7%
  • Ecuador by 3+
    2.8%
  • Ecuador by 4+
    0.5%

Each row is the probability the match ends with the listed margin or larger in that direction. Marginal of the Dixon-Coles joint goal grid; the “by 1+” rows plus the draw row sum to 1.

Comment le match se déroule

Over 2.5 goals 18.9% · BTTS 28.2%

Game state through the match

0%25%50%75%100%0'15'30'45'60'75'90'
  • Mexico ahead27.8%
  • Level36.7%
  • Ecuador ahead35.5%

Probability of each game state at minutes 0, 15, 30, 45, 60, 75, 90 — derived from two independent thinned-Poisson processes with the Dixon-Coles per-team rates. The three lines always sum to 1 at each minute. The right column shows the state at the match's closing minute.

When the first goal arrives

  • 0–15
    22.0%
  • 15–30
    17.2%
  • 30–45
    13.4%
  • 45–60
    10.4%
  • 60–75
    8.1%
  • 75–90
    6.3%
  • No goal
    22.5%

Probability the match's first goal arrives in each 15-minute window. Homogeneous Poisson with combined rate λ = λh + λa from the Dixon-Coles fit; the seven rows (six windows + no-goal tail) sum to 1.

Half-time / full-time grid

Joint probability of half-time and full-time results
HT ↓ / FT →HMexico winDDrawAEcuador win
HMexico ahead15.7%3.6%0.8%
DLevel11.3%29.8%13.9%
AEcuador ahead0.7%3.6%20.6%

Each cell is P(half-time result, full-time result). All nine cells sum to 1. Derived from a halved-λ Dixon-Coles fit for the first half plus an independent-Poisson second-half convolution.

Comeback probability

  • Mexico trail at HT, avoid defeat at FT
    4.3%
  • Ecuador trail at HT, avoid defeat at FT
    4.4%

Joint probability — P(side trailing at half-time AND avoiding defeat at full-time). NOT conditional on trailing at HT. Derived from the same half-time / full-time decomposition that produces the HT/FT grid above; a tied first half is neither a home nor an away comeback opportunity.

PK shootout simulator

If the match ends level after extra time, the model estimates the shootout outcome from each team's Bayesian-smoothed conversion / save rate (Model #15). The bracket simulator uses the symmetric (averaged) ordering; the two what-if scenarios below show how the win probabilities shift when conditioning on which team kicks first.

Symmetric (averaged over both orderings — used by the bracket simulator)
  • Mexico
    50.8%
  • Ecuador
    49.2%
If Mexico kicks first
  • Mexico
    64.1%
  • Ecuador
    35.9%
If Ecuador kicks first
  • Mexico
    37.4%
  • Ecuador
    62.6%
Expected paired rounds
4.8
Decided in regulation 5 kicks
72.1%

First-kicker advantage

The first kicker's per-kick conversion rate is scaled by ×1.050 (about +5.0%), stacked on the Markov chain's structural asymmetry. Real World Cup shootouts use a coin toss for kicker order, so on average the order is 50/50 — the symmetric path above is the relevant number for a single fixture. The ordering-conditioned probabilities are a descriptive what-if scenario.

Literature: first kickers win ≈ 60% historically (Apesteguia & Palacios-Huerta, American Economic Review 2010; Vandebroek et al. 2016).

Per-team posteriors: Mexico conv 72.5%, save 20.0%Ecuador conv 72.0%, save 20.0%. Smoothed against the global prior with prior strength 20 — see /docs/methodology/.

Équipes et joueurs

Top scorer: Jiménez (8.2%)

Match detail

Mexico

Model-rated key players: Raúl Jiménez (FW) — P(scores) 8.2%; Santiago Giménez (FW) — P(scores) 2.9%; Hirving Lozano (FW) — P(scores) 2.5%.

How they play

Mexico under Javier Aguirre play a high press game, holding 55% of the ball — among the highest in the tournament field. Their likely shape is a 3-5-2, though they have also used 4-2-3-1 and 4-3-3. They press intensely (PPDA 16.1, top quartile (5th of 40)). They generate a high volume of shots (15.0 per 90).

What they must execute

Mexico need their high press to force turnovers in dangerous areas — if opponents can play through the press, the space left behind is vulnerable. Physical conditioning and squad rotation will be critical to sustain pressing intensity across a long tournament.

Storylines
Veteran #1: Guillermo Ochoa40 at kickoff with 151 caps — last World Cup for the #1.
Altitude schedule: 3 group-stage matches at altitude — Mexico City (2240m), Guadalajara (1565m), Mexico City (2240m). Thinner air shifts ball flight and recovery.
Club core: 4 of 26 predicted-squad players play their club football for Guadalajara — a single-club spine on the international side.

Ecuador

Model-rated key players: Kevin Rodríguez (FW) — P(scores) 3.0%; Enner Valencia (FW) — P(scores) 2.5%; Nilson Angulo (FW) — P(scores) 1.5%.

How they play

Ecuador under Sebastián Beccacece play a transition heavy game with 47% possession. Their likely shape is a 4-3-3, though they have also used 4-4-2 and other. They press intensely (PPDA 16.5, top quartile (6th of 40)) and move the ball forward quickly at 5.2 passes per attack. They favour high-quality chances (xG/shot 0.140, among the best in the field).

What they must execute

Ecuador rely on defensive discipline and quick transitions — absorbing pressure and converting turnovers into attacking chances. Concentration and defensive organisation for full 90-minute stretches will determine whether the approach holds against top opposition. Managing minutes for Enner Valencia across what could be seven matches will test the coaching staff's rotation planning.

Storylines
Teen starter: wp-deinner-ordonez-2009-10-2916 at kickoff — 0 caps — projected on the bench, the squad's youngest pick.
Last dance: Enner Valencia36 at kickoff with 105 caps — probably his final World Cup.
Thin at GK: Top pool goalkeeper Hernán Galíndez rates only 0.44 on club save metrics (the field's top sides sit at 0.85+) — a thin position group going into the tournament.
Set-piece outlook

Mexico historically converts 9.5% of xG from set-pieces, contributing 0.07 expected set-piece goals in this fixture. Ecuador converts 10.3% from set-pieces (0.08 expected). Combined, the model expects 0.15 set-piece goals across the 90 minutes.

  • P(Mexico scores set-piece goal) 6.3%
  • P(Ecuador scores set-piece goal) 8.0%
  • P(set-piece goal in match) 13.8%
Penalty outlook

If a penalty is awarded to Mexico, the model gives 72.5% conversion, 72.0% for Ecuador. If this match goes to a shootout, the symmetric (coin-toss averaged) win probability is 50.8% Mexico / 49.2% Ecuador.

Mexico primary PK: Raúl Jiménez (1/1 in 2021-22, per fbref 2021 22).

Derived from the model's per-fixture forecast joint and supporting reference data (predicted squads, set-piece xG share, PK posteriors, club minutes). See /docs/methodology/ for the full methodology.

Squad depth

Most irreplaceable starters

Mexico

  1. Johan VásquezCentre-backCover: Jesús Alberto Angulo · 0.690.22gap
  2. Edson ÁlvarezDefensive midfieldCover: Luis Chávez · 0.700.19gap
  3. Orbelín PinedaCentral midfieldCover: Érick Sánchez · 0.670.00gap

Ecuador

  1. Joel OrdóñezCentre-backCover: Jackson Porozo · 0.050.80gap
  2. Félix TorresCentre-backCover: Jackson Porozo · 0.050.57gap
  3. Moisés CaicedoDefensive midfieldNo natural backup0.32gap

Gap = how far a side's rating at the position falls from the starter to his likely in-squad replacement (named under each name). Larger = harder to replace. Descriptive metric, does not feed the published probabilities. Methodology →

Match conditions

High-altitude venue. Mexico City sits at 2,240 m above sea level — thinner air affects stamina and ball flight.

  • AltitudeHigh altitude2,240 m
  • Avg temperatureFive-year mean over the tournament window17.7 °C
  • Avg humidity70%
  • Heat stressShade WBGT ~19.5 °CLow heat stress
  • Pitch surfacenatural grass

Natural-grass football stadium; a new pitch was laid during the stadium's renovation ahead of the tournament.

Heat stress is a shade Wet-Bulb Globe Temperature proxy from the venue's climatology mean temperature and humidity; FIFA mandates cooling breaks at WBGT 32 °C. Evening kickoff (local time). These are long-window averages, not a match-day forecast, and they are not inputs to the forecast.

Top scorers · P(scores in this match)

Mexico

Per-player scoring rate from Model #5 (`p_score_per_match`). Reflects each player's npxG/90, expected minutes, team xG share, and the average opposing-team defence. See /docs/methodology/.

Recent match form

Last match player ratings

Mexico

vs Czech Republic · avg 7.6

9
Julián QuiñonesST
ATK
DEF
PAS
8
Raúl JiménezST
ATK
DEF
PAS
8
Luis ChávezCM
ATK
DEF
PAS
8
Roberto AlvaradoAM
ATK
DEF
PAS
8
Guillermo OchoaGK
ATK
DEF
PAS
7
César MontesCB
ATK
DEF
PAS
7
Edson ÁlvarezDM
ATK
DEF
PAS
6
AnguloAM
ATK
DEF
PAS

Ecuador

vs Germany · avg 7.0

9
AnguloST
ATK
DEF
PAS
8
ViteCM
ATK
DEF
PAS
6
ValenciaST
ATK
DEF
PAS
6
SaneLW
ATK
DEF
PAS
6
GrossCM
ATK
DEF
PAS

Player scores from official highlight analysis of each team's most recent match. Observational, not a model input. Methodology →

Video analysis: player performance

Per-player ratings and event breakdowns from official highlights analysis. Tap a player to see their full match timeline.

Mexico
8
G. Mora1'–1'

Scored the opening goal for Mexico, setting the tone for the match.

1goals

Match timeline

1'Mexico scores! G. Mora (19) finds the net after a sustained period of pressure.
8
Uriel Antuna

Scored a goal and was an active threat in attack, including from set pieces.

1goals1headers

Match timeline

8
Raúl Jiménez38'–38'

Scored a goal with a composed finish, extending Mexico's lead.

1goals

Match timeline

38'Mexico scores, assisted by Quiñones
7
Guillermo Ochoa

Made several crucial saves to maintain Mexico's lead and ensure defensive stability.

2saves

Match timeline

7
Carlos Acevedo

Made crucial saves, including a diving stop from Yeboah Zamora, to maintain Mexico's lead.

1saves

Match timeline

7
Roberto Alvarado

Provided a dangerous corner kick that created a significant goal-scoring opportunity for Mexico.

Match timeline

7
César Montes75'–82'

Produced a powerful header from a corner that forced a spectacular save, showing attacking threat from defense.

2headers

Match timeline

75'Mexico header from a corner saved by the Ecuador goalkeeper
82'Spectacular save by the Ecuador goalkeeper from a Mexico header
Ecuador
8
Hernán Galíndez75'–82'

Made several excellent and spectacular saves, preventing a heavier defeat for Ecuador.

3saves

Match timeline

75'Mexico header from a corner saved by the Ecuador goalkeeper
82'Spectacular save by the Ecuador goalkeeper from a Mexico header
7
Yeboah Zamora

Showed good individual skill, creating shooting opportunities and forcing saves from the Mexico goalkeeper.

6
Jordy Caicedo

Registered a shot on target that was saved by the Mexico goalkeeper, contributing to attacking efforts.

1shots1on target

Match timeline

3
Piero Hincapié108'–108'

Received a red card for involvement in a late-game confrontation, negatively impacting his team.

1 red

Match timeline

108'Red card shown after a confrontation between players

Match observations

  • The match was played in a vibrant atmosphere with a large and engaged crowd.
  • Mexico displayed strong attacking intent, creating numerous chances and converting two to secure a comfortable lead.
  • Ecuador showed flashes of individual brilliance but struggled to consistently break down the Mexican defence.

Sous le capot

Model-by-model comparison

Mexico vs Ecuador

High disagreement (13.6%)
ModelWeightHomeDrawAway
EloRating-based strength estimate32%
41.2%
22.0%
36.8%
Dixon-ColesGoal-process model with low-score correction63%
28.0%
35.6%
36.4%
Hierarchical PoissonBayesian model with confederation pooling6%
28.8%
34.5%
36.8%
Bayesian stackingLearned-weight combination
31.2%
35.1%
33.7%
Ensemble (published)Uniform average + isotonic calibration
27.8%
34.1%
38.1%
Home spread: 13.1%
Draw spread: 13.6%
Away spread: 0.4%
How each model works
Elo
Each team carries a single strength rating updated after every match by a margin-aware K-factor. Match probabilities come from the logistic function of the rating gap. Elo is fast-adapting but coarse — it sees only who won and by how much, not how the goals were scored.
Dixon-Coles
A Poisson regression on team-level attack and defence parameters, fitted via maximum likelihood with an exponential time-decay weighting. The Dixon-Coles correction adjusts the four low-score cells (0-0, 1-0, 0-1, 1-1) where independent Poisson underestimates dependence. Produces full scoreline distributions, not just H/D/A.
Hierarchical Poisson
A Bayesian Poisson model fitted via MCMC (PyMC) with hierarchical priors that pool attack and defence parameters within confederations. Shrinks small-sample teams toward their confederation mean — helpful for nations with few recent competitive fixtures. Slower to fit but better-calibrated on the tails.
Bayesian stacking
Optimises simplex weights (w_elo, w_dc, w_hp) to maximise the leave-one-out log-score across a walk-forward backtest (Yao et al. 2018). The result is a weighted average of the three component models' probabilities, then isotonic-calibrated. Adds no extra features — just learns which component to trust more from historical accuracy.
Ensemble (published)
Equal-weight average of all three component models, followed by per-class isotonic regression calibration fitted on 24 months of walk-forward out-of-fold predictions. This is the probability published on the site. The uniform mean is deliberately simple — it avoids overfitting to the stacking weights' training window.

Three independent component models feed two combination strategies. The uniform ensemble is the published probability; Bayesian stacking uses learned weights. Amber bars flag >5pp divergence from the published number. Full methodology

Latest news & match context

Team news

No recent headlines for Mexico or Ecuador.

Match conditions
Stage:
Round of 32 · Match 7
Date:
1 Jul
Venue:
Estadio Azteca, Mexico City

Altitude (2,240 m) and a 18°C kickoff modestly suppresses expected scoring at this venue.

Beyond the model

Ranked by likely importance. None of these feed the forecast: the probabilities rest on team strength, venue conditions and the style matchup.

  1. 1.Elimination stakes: A one-off elimination tie. Motivation, risk appetite and game management under tournament pressure are not model inputs; the forecast rests on team strength and the style matchup.
  2. 2.Rest differential: Mexico have had 7 days since their previous match versus 6 for Ecuador. Rest and recovery are not model inputs.
Availability

Mexico

Mexico come in at close to full strength.

Ecuador

Ecuador come in at close to full strength.

What it means

Mexico and Ecuador both come in at close to full strength, so the forecast rests on baseline team strength rather than late team-news swings.

Availability from the predicted squads and injury feed; forecast adjustments from the model's own decomposition. See /docs/methodology/.

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