The Ecuadorian Football Federation announced that it had filed a formal complaint with organizers following the incident in Mexico City.
Published June 30, 2026
Mexican soccer fans tried their best to give Ecuador a sleepless night ahead of the World Cup round of 32 match in Mexico City.
From midnight to early morning, dozens of fans gathered outside the Westin Hotel in Santa Fe, an upscale suburb of Mexico’s capital, and used loudspeakers, horns and motorcycles to disrupt the visiting team’s sleep.
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The Team Hotel Serenade is a deeply rooted and highly polarizing tradition in Latin American football. What began as a passionate way for fans to rally around the home team has increasingly evolved into a psychological weapon that deprives visiting players of a good night’s sleep.
The Ecuadorian Football Federation (FEF) announced on Tuesday that it had filed a formal complaint with organizers following the incident in Mexico City.
“Such actions seriously violate the principles of fair play, equity and solidarity that the World Cup is supposed to embody,” the federation said in a statement.
“The FEF respectfully urges the competent authorities to pay increased attention to these events and take the necessary measures to protect the safety of players, coaching staff and fans.”
The fan ambush, organized on social media, ended a grueling logistical nightmare for the Ecuadorian team, which had deliberately planned a last-minute arrival on Monday night to mitigate the effects of Mexico City’s 2,200-meter (7,300-foot) altitude.
To combat the physiological damage caused by thin air, sports scientists generally recommend two contrasting approaches. One is a long-term acclimatization period of at least two weeks, and the other is a “fly-in, fly-out” approach, arriving as close to kickoff as possible before acute symptoms begin.
The “fly-in, fly-out” format is used when teams from major U.S. sports leagues come to Mexico City to play.
But the Ecuadorian trip from Columbus, Ohio, was plagued by delays from the beginning. Coach Sebastian Beccasese complained that his flight was delayed by more than three hours, but declined to say whether the two-hour time difference between the two cities was taken into account.
“Due to the flight delay and the transfer to the hotel, it ended up being a nine-hour trip, three hours longer than planned,” Beckases said. “But the team is progressing well and we’re excited. Obviously we’ll be playing against an opponent who did well in the group stage.”
Additionally, the team landed at Felipe Angeles International Airport, 65 kilometers (40 miles) from the hotel. The team was forced to travel to Santa Fe through Mexico City’s notorious traffic jams, but heavy rain further paralyzed traffic on Monday.
