Ecuador

Ecuador's exit arrived without much ceremony — a 0-2 defeat to Mexico in the Round of 32 in which they never truly threatened, conceding twice before half-time through Quiñones and a Jiménez strike deep in first-half stoppage time. The pattern was emphatic: Ecuador chasing the game from the half-hour mark, unable to find a response across 90 minutes. They had navigated the group stage only as one of the better third-placed sides, and against a Mexican outfit with genuine tournament ambition on home soil, that fragile foundation gave way entirely.