About an hour and half drive from where I lived, I visited Philadelphia to attend the watchparty of Ecuador’s first match against Cote d’Ivoire. Ecuador successfully qualified for the 2026 World Cup a few months ago. So our people were thrilled to watch them play. Driving through the streets, people were proudly sporting their blues, yellows and reds. The yellow plastered the streets as people moved into the Philadelphia stadium.
The condor imprints on the flags moved with the wave of the flags. The salsa was blasting through the speakers as I walked through the streets. There were also other South American neighbors supporting la Tri. As more yellow trickled in, a sense of nostalgia and excitement began. Most of the people in attendance were immigrants eager to have a little piece of our country during those ninety minutes.
So far our best players were Pacho and Hicapie for their great defensive skills. Caicedo who is a top midfielder. Galíndez is our goalkeeper, an Argentine who is Ecuadorian at heart.. And of course, the legendary Enner Valencia—one of our most prominent forwards for as long as I can remember
We sat down a few rows back from the large screen. In front of us sat a family from Côte d’Ivoire. They were the only ones sporting orange in our section. Soon, the Ecuadorian national anthem began. I was shocked that I still remembered all the words. t had been a very long time since I last sang my national anthem, but the words flowed effortlessly, like muscle memory
A little bit after that, the match began. This was definitely one of the most exciting parts–when the crowd cheered:
“DALE, DALE”
“SI SE PUEDE”
“ECUADOR! ECUADOR!”
After several near goals, the second half quickly began, and the score was still tied 0–0. It was around that time I heard the drums. Those drums took me back to 2016 and 2012, past memories of the World Cup that I remember so vividly. It’s a rhythm that makes the air buzz with excitement. Every now and then, I glanced around the crowd, amazed by how many of us had gathered. Back to the game—it was going well, or at least well enough.
There was a lot of frustration in the crowd because of all the near goals, but we were still tied. It seemed like neither team was going to win until the dreaded minute of eighty nine struck.Côte d’Ivoire scored. A minute before the official match ended. Despite seven minutes of stoppage time, Ecuador couldn’t find an equalizer, and we officially lost our first match.
The disappointment in the crowd was palpable. In true passionate fashion, some people cried and raged. My family and I were definitely among them. Some of us even cried, though. Ah, the price of loving your country so deeply. Thankfully, social media offered some relief as memes and jokes from the Ecuadorian community quickly began to surface. As always, our sense of humor made the loss a little easier to bear. Still, we knew we’d be watching the upcoming matches against Curaçao and Germany with a little more caution.
It was a largely uneventful Saturday until the clock struck 6 p.m., almost an hour before the match between Curaçao and Ecuador. As we drove to New Jersey’s fanfest, the streets became filled with more and more yellow jerseys. By the time we arrived, the FanFest had reached full capacity, so we hurried to find another place to watch the game..
We shuffled around but we were able to settled outside a bar, grabbed some chairs and started watching. After the previous week’s loss, we were expecting… well something better. So when the game ended at 0-0, we were REALLY worried. Worried because our next opponent was going to be Germany which is a four-time World Cup winner.
Our best chance was to tie but even then, it would be doubtful if we qualified at all for the next phase without any goals. Many Ecuadoreans left, once again disappointed, but we stayed for the after party. So dancing it away for one last time helped us all cope. However, as reality hit on Monday for the next four days, I moped. Germany was an impossible match. Thursday was going to be rough…
So on a sunny Thursday in the city Boston, as I grabbed the train to get to the FanFest near the Boston City Hall. I did not see much yellow and after getting lost in the streets of Boston, I was able to find the place. I was expecting my excitement would wane down without a lot of Ecuadoreans there. I was well.. pleasantly surprised. Initially, we did not start off strong as Germany scored a goal in minute two.
As I was about to enter, I realized I needed to get my phone from a coffee shop. That’s when Germany scored in minute two. I very much strongly considered leaving at that time to save myself the heartbreak of watching my team be massacred by this world cup giant. So, I grabbed my stuff to leave but I decided to check the score match one last time.
A SCORE FROM ECUADOR BY ANGULO
Of course. I changed my mind and went back to the Fanfest. I screamed, jumped and danced. And it didn’t matter even if there were not a lot of us. SI SE PUEDE continued to echo every now and then. If there is anything true about the Ecuadorean hinchada is that we are energetic and passionate. We feel things strongly so even when outnumbered we’re the loudest of the room.
Unfortunately, I had to leave because my shift at my job was about to start. So I kept frantically refreshing the score page of the FIFA page. As I arrived in Cambridge, Ecuador scored another by Plata. I muffled a scream so people wouldn’t think I was crazy. Soon enough, the match was over. I crossed my fingers so Germany would not score another one. 56…57..58..59
It felt unreal. Social media exploded as Ecuador became the first South American country in 24 years to defeat Germany while making the best comeback in the process. For a country whose population has faced significant challenges in the past years both in our homeland and the United States, this victory allowed us all to share la alegria of winning against one of the Goliaths of the World Cup.
As I finish writing this journey, unfortunately, Ecuador did not qualify for the next phase as they were defeated by Mexico in a match of 0 to 2. I like to think that the Boston rain knew so that is why it rained that day. I was disappointed but my faith for them in the future is intact. Despite the hurdles faced, it is always wonderful to wear our beautiful colors and watch our selection play. We stomp, laugh and cry together. That’s what the World Cup is for. We’ll be back in 2030 for more.
Anahi Otavalo | Latin American Correspondent
Hello! My name is Anahi. I am a current student at Harvard College hoping to study the social sciences. Storytelling in Latin America, especially the Andean region, matters deeply to me due to the cultural richness and resilience of local communities. I hope to tell stories of hope and resilience in our communities. Hence, Latina Republic is a significant platform that puts Latin American stories at the forefront.