By Ghazali Ibrahim
Ecuador’s President, Daniel Noboa, has declared a nationwide public holiday after the country’s national football team pulled off one of the biggest upsets of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, defeating four-time champions Germany 2-1 to reach the knockout stage.
Noboa announced that Friday would be a non-working day for both the public and private sectors, praising the players and coaching staff for overcoming criticism to deliver a historic victory for the South American nation.
The decision was later formalised through an executive decree, making the holiday non-recoverable.
“Thanks to the players and the coach who, despite the criticism, the insults and the difficult moments they went through, managed to bounce back and give this immense joy to the entire country. Tomorrow is a holiday!” the president wrote on social media.
Ecuador entered their final Group E match under immense pressure after opening their campaign with a 1-0 defeat to Ivory Coast before being held to a goalless draw by Curaçao.
Victory over an already-qualified Germany was their only realistic path to the knockout rounds.
Despite conceding an early goal to Germany, Ecuador mounted a spirited comeback. Nilson Angulo levelled the score in the ninth minute before Gonzalo Plata netted the winner in the 77th minute, sparking wild celebrations among thousands of Ecuadorian fans inside the New York/New Jersey Stadium.
The victory saw Ecuador qualify as one of the tournament’s eight best third-placed teams, marking only the second time in the country’s history that it has progressed beyond the World Cup group stage.
Their previous appearance in the knockout rounds came at the 2006 World Cup in Germany.
Head coach Sebastián Beccacece described the triumph as the greatest World Cup victory in Ecuador’s history, praising his players for their resilience after a difficult start to the tournament.
The declaration of a national holiday triggered celebrations across Ecuador, with fans taking to the streets waving flags, singing and celebrating one of the nation’s most memorable football achievements.
