Ecuador President Daniel Noboa has declared a national holiday following the country’s stunning 2-1 victory over Germany, a result that secured Ecuador’s place in the knockout stage of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Noboa announced the decision in a post on X on Friday, commending the players and coaching staff for rising above criticism to deliver a memorable achievement.
“Thanks to the players and the coach who, despite the criticism, the insults and the difficult moments they went through, managed to recover and give this immense joy to the entire country. Tomorrow, a holiday!” he wrote.
Ecuador entered Thursday’s final Group E fixture needing a win after drawing with Curaçao and losing to Ivory Coast in their previous matches.
The South American side went behind early against Germany but staged an impressive comeback to claim a 2-1 victory, triggering wild celebrations among thousands of supporters at the sold-out New York/New Jersey stadium.
Despite the loss, Germany had already qualified as Group E winners, while Ivory Coast sealed second place after defeating Curaçao 2-0.
Ecuador advanced to the knockout round as one of the tournament’s eight best third-placed teams, marking only the second time in the nation’s history that they have reached the World Cup knockout stages, following their Round of 16 appearance at the 2006 tournament in Germany.