Miles de ecuatorianos llenan los Rocky Steps antes del debut mundialista

The Rocky Steps turned tricolor Saturday night as Ecuadorian fans packed the staircase of the Philadelphia Museum of Art for a banderazo that doubled as a public display of national pride. Drums, trumpets and nonstop chanting carried across Center City, giving one of the United States’ most recognizable landmarks a distinctly Ecuadorian pulse.

The scene came just after Ecuador’s squad arrived in Philadelphia from Columbus, Ohio, on Saturday, June 13, 2026, ahead of its first World Cup match in the city. Dozens of supporters greeted the team at its Center City hotel, where Moisés Caicedo and the rest of La Tri were welcomed before fans moved on to the museum steps. Ecuador was set to face Ivory Coast on Sunday, June 14, at 7 p.m. ET at Philadelphia Stadium, the temporary tournament name for Lincoln Financial Field, in the opening round of Group E.

By several accounts, the turnout ranged from hundreds to nearly 10,000 people. Ecuadorians living in Philadelphia, New York and New Jersey joined fans who traveled from Ecuador and other countries across the Americas, filling the steps with flags and a steady wall of noise. Supporters shouted “Sí se puede” and “Vamos ecuatorianos, que esta tarde tenemos que ganar,” while the staircase was washed in yellow, blue and red.

The gathering underscored how Ecuador’s World Cup run has extended far beyond the pitch. This was La Tri’s fifth World Cup appearance and its second straight after Qatar 2022, when the team exited in the group stage. In Philadelphia, the diaspora delivered the kind of home-field atmosphere national teams often seek on foreign soil, transforming an American sports icon into a stage for Ecuadorian identity.

Some fans also observed a familiar superstition, avoiding placing Ecuadorian clothing on the Rocky statue itself. The gesture reflected the mix of reverence and ritual that often follows major tournament moments, and it helped frame a night that was as much about community as competition. For Ecuadorian supporters in the United States, the Rocky Steps became more than a pregame gathering. They became proof that the World Cup’s loudest crowds can be built far from home.