Mexico broke a 40-year curse — and the whole country celebrated in the streets
Four decades. Four World Cups without advancing past the knockout round. Four generations of fans who learned to love their national team and make peace with the "fifth match" as its historical ceiling.
The 2026 World Cup changed all of that.
With three group-stage wins, finishing top of their group unbeaten, and a historic victory over Ecuador in the round of 32, the Mexican national team did what seemed impossible: win a knockout match at a World Cup for the first time since Mexico 86.
And the country responded the only way Mexico knows how — in the streets, shouting, with flags, fireworks, and millions of people turning roundabouts, avenues and monuments into the world's biggest stadium.
These are the stories of celebrations no one will forget.
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Win 1: Mexico 1-0 South Korea — La Minerva wakes up (June 18)
The match
At Estadio Akron in Guadalajara, in front of 45,522 fans who had painted Zapopan green since the morning, Mexico opened its World Cup account with a goal from Luis Romo in the 50th minute. A mistake by South Korean goalkeeper Kim Seung-gyu set off chaos in front of the net, Romo was there to tap it in, and Mexico's first goal in a home World Cup in decades broke the stadium wide open in two seconds.
Goalkeeper Raúl Rangel sealed the result with a heroic double save in the 87th minute. Final score: Mexico 1-0 South Korea. The first team to qualify for the round of 32 under the new World Cup format.
La Minerva lights up
Before the referee even blew the final whistle, the Glorieta Minerva was already packed.
That's the magic of Guadalajara's most deeply rooted tradition: no one needs to organize it, no one needs to call people together. When Mexico wins, Tapatíos know exactly where to go. La Minerva — the roundabout at the intersection of Vallarta and López Mateos that, since the days of Chivas' "Campeonísimo" era in the 1950s and 60s, has been the meeting point for every big celebration — filled up within minutes.
Horns blaring at full volume, cars honking to the rhythm of "México, México," entire families in green jerseys, young people climbing onto the Greek goddess's pedestal. Reports spoke of tens of thousands of people spilling out of the roundabout onto Avenida Vallarta. Guadalajara's first World Cup party had begun.
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Win 2: Mexico 3-0 Czechia — the night Mexico made history (June 24)
The match nobody expected
The final matchday of Group A arrived with Mexico already qualified, but Javier Aguirre's team went for the rout. And got it.
Mateo Chávez opened the scoring. Julián Quiñones pounced on the rebound to make it 2-0. Fidalgo, assisted by Piojo Alvarado, closed it out at 3-0. Mexico finished the group with 9 points out of a possible 9 — something El Tri had never before achieved at a World Cup.
The most emotional moment came in the 78th minute: Guillermo Ochoa took the field for his sixth consecutive World Cup, greeted with an ovation that shook the stadium and summed up exactly what this tournament means to Mexico.
La Minerva: 27,000 Tapatíos in the roundabout
In Guadalajara, La Minerva once again became the heart of the party. More than 27,000 people gathered at the roundabout and its surrounding streets to celebrate the rout. Flags, fireworks, chants that could be heard for kilometers.
The tradition of celebrating at La Minerva isn't a coincidence. It was born with Chivas' "Campeonísimo" era in the 1950s, when the red-and-white fanbase started spontaneously gathering there to celebrate the team's titles. Since then, Guadalajara has learned that this roundabout isn't just a traffic circle — it's where the city processes its biggest emotions.
The Ángel de la Independencia: 800,000 on Reforma
In Mexico City, Paseo de la Reforma became the epicenter of the national celebration. More than 800,000 people filled the area around the Ángel de la Independencia, 5 kilometers of avenue packed with green, fireworks lighting up the monument, and chants heard as far as Polanco and Condesa.
The Ángel, a symbol of Mexican independence, once again became a symbol of a different kind of victory. People showed up with raincoats and umbrellas — it was raining in the capital — but nobody left. The rain didn't put out the fireworks or the shouting.
The city woke up to tons of trash around the monument, street closures, and groups still celebrating at dawn. The price of the biggest party Mexico had seen in decades.
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Win 3: Mexico 2-0 Ecuador — the feat that took 40 years (June 30)
The historic match
On June 30, 2026, at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City, the Mexican national team wrote the most important page in its recent World Cup history.
Julián Quiñones broke the deadlock in the 22nd minute with a strike that blew the roof off the Azteca. Nine minutes later, in one of the most celebrated plays of the tournament, the same Quiñones set up Raúl Jiménez, who finished for the 2-0 in the 31st minute. Quiñones was named player of the match.
Mexico won 2-0. Mexico eliminated Ecuador. Mexico advanced to the round of 16 at a World Cup for the first time since 1986.
Forty years. An entire generation. The "fifth match" stopped being the ceiling and became the floor.
La Minerva: 45,000 people celebrate until dawn
In Guadalajara, the number topped anything seen in the tournament. More than 45,000 fans gathered at the Glorieta Minerva and its surroundings. Reports from El Informador described a city that "didn't sleep" — celebrations ran until dawn, with Avenida Vallarta turning into a de facto pedestrian street.
Kids asleep on their parents' shoulders who didn't want to leave, young people with the flag painted on their faces, older adults who had spent decades waiting for exactly that moment. La Minerva once again served as Guadalajara's emotional heart.
The Ángel: a million people on Reforma
In Mexico City, the number was even more staggering. More than a million residents took to the streets to celebrate at the Ángel de la Independencia and Paseo de la Reforma. Aerial footage showed a green tide stretching kilometers in every direction from the monument.
Fireworks, rain, flags, music. An image that spread across social media and news outlets worldwide as a display of what soccer can do for a country.
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The other side of mass celebrations: what nobody plans for
The images from La Minerva and the Ángel are beautiful. But behind each of those celebrations lies a logistical reality that city organizers have to solve within hours, sometimes minutes: where does a million people go to the bathroom?
It's not a minor detail. During the celebrations at the Ángel after the win over Ecuador, insufficient restroom infrastructure created real problems — endless lines, overwhelmed spaces, conditions that didn't match the scale of the event.
The same thing happens at any planned mass event: concerts, viewing parties, brand activations, World Cup hospitality zones. When numbers climb from 5,000 to 50,000 people, restroom infrastructure stops being a detail and becomes one of the most critical factors in the operation.
What a mass event needs, by size
| Attendance | Minimum units | Luvory recommendation |
|---|---|---|
| 1,000–5,000 people | 20–80 units | Trailers + basic units distributed by zone |
| 5,000–20,000 people | 80–300 units | Mixed configuration with continuous maintenance |
| 20,000–50,000 people | 300–700 units | Full plan: basic, VIP, trailers and service staff |
| 50,000+ people | 700+ units | Custom coordination with the organizer |
Distribution matters as much as quantity. A common mistake is clustering units in one spot — at mass events, the right approach is to distribute them every 150-200 meters across the traffic zone, with visible signage and staff to direct people.
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Organizing an event around the World Cup? Luvory handles the most important part
Mexico's wins triggered a chain reaction of events: viewing parties, brand activations, VIP zones for sponsors, corporate afterparties, celebrations in private venues. All of those events need restroom infrastructure that measures up.
At Luvory Luxury Toilets we've spent years equipping Jalisco and Mexico's biggest events. We know what happens when the restrooms fail — and we know how to prevent it.
Our solutions for mass events
High-capacity basic toilets
The most efficient solution for high-traffic zones. Durable, functional, designed to handle the pace of thousands of users with minimal maintenance.
VIP and presidential toilets
For hospitality zones, sponsor areas, and premium spaces where user experience matters just as much as anywhere else at the event.
Multi-unit sanitary trailers
The smartest solution for long-duration events: multiple units in one piece of equipment, easy to place strategically, with efficient maintenance capacity.
Continuous on-site maintenance service
Our team stays throughout the event. Every unit is checked, cleaned and restocked constantly. No endless lines, no bad smells, no surprises.
Everything included: transport, installation, operation and pickup. You focus on the event — we handle what nobody can afford to have fail.
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Mexico is living its best moment in soccer in 40 years. The celebrations at La Minerva and the Ángel confirmed it: this country knows how to celebrate big. Make sure your event measures up.
Get a quote now on WhatsApp: +52 33 3324 4946 — we reply within minutes.
You can also write to us at a.martinez@luvory.com.mx for a personalized quote based on your event's size and type.
Luvory Luxury Toilets — luxury toilets for Mexico's biggest events.