Ecuadorian defender Piero Hincapie has become the second player to be given a red card for covering his mouth during a confrontation with an opponent at the 2026 World Cup.
Hincapie covered his mouth in stoppage time during a World Cup round of 32 match against Mexico’s Santiago Jimenez when he was down 2-0.
Jimenez cautioned referee Slavko Vincic, who went to the monitor and, after a brief review, showed him a red card.
Mexico won the match 2-0 and will advance to the round of 16, where they will face either England or the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Why is covering your mouth a red card?
This World Cup marked the first time that a player who covered his mouth during a confrontation was given a red card.
The rule arose after Benfica’s Gianluca Prestiani covered his mouth with his jersey while shouting abuse at Real Madrid star Vinicius Junior during a Champions League match in February, making it impossible for authorities to verify what he was saying.
FIFA responded by giving referees the power to issue red cards to players who cover their mouths during matches.
Paraguay’s Miguel Almiron became the first player to be sent off under the new rules when he was red during his team’s 1-0 win against Turkey in the early group stages of the tournament.
USA TODAY at the 2026 World Cup
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All games will be broadcast on Fox and FS1 in the United States. Matches will be broadcast in Spanish on Telemundo and streamed on Peacock during the World Cup.
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World cup final tournament format
The World Cup becomes a one-shot tournament once the knockout stage begins. The remaining 32 teams will be placed into brackets, and the field will be split in half for each round of the tournament until a winner is determined.
The only exception is that the two semi-final losers will play in the third-place match prior to the World Cup final.
Which teams will advance to the World Cup Round of 16?
The teams through the round of 16 are: More teams will advance as games are played throughout the week.
- Canada
- Brazil
- paraguay
- Morocco
- Norway
- France
- Mexico
Complete World Cup Knockout Stage Bracket, Matchups and Schedule
round of 32 bracket
- June 28: Canada vs. South Africa – SoFi Stadium, Inglewood
- June 29: Paraguay vs. Germany – Gillette Stadium in Foxboro
- June 29: Morocco vs. Netherlands – Estadio Monterrey, Monterrey, Mexico
- June 29: Brazil vs. Japan – NRG Stadium, Houston
- June 30: Norway vs. Ivory Coast – AT&T Stadium, Arlington
- June 30: France vs. Sweden – MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford
- June 30: Mexico vs. Ecuador – Azteca Stadium, Mexico City
- July 1: USA vs. Bosnia and Herzegovina – Levi’s Stadium, Santa Clara
- July 1: Belgium vs. Senegal – Lumen Field, Seattle
- July 1: England vs. Democratic Republic of the Congo – Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta
- July 2: Portugal vs. Croatia – BMO Field, Toronto, Canada
- July 2: Spain vs. Austria – SoFi Stadium, Inglewood
- July 2: Switzerland vs. Algeria – Vancouver Stadium, Vancouver, Canada
- July 3: Argentina vs. Cape Verde – Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens
- July 3: Australia vs. Egypt – AT&T Stadium, Arlington
- July 3: Columbia vs. Ghana – Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City
round 16
- July 4th: Paraguay vs. France – Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia – Buy Tickets
- July 4th: Canada vs Morocco – Houston – Buy Tickets
- July 5: Brazil vs. Norway – East Rutherford – Buy Tickets
- July 5: Mexico vs. England/Democratic Republic of the Congo – Mexico City – Buy Tickets
- July 6: Portugal/Croatia vs. Spain/Austria – Arlington – Buy Tickets
- July 6: USA/Bosnia vs. Belgium/Senegal – Seattle – Buy Tickets
- July 7: Argentina/Cape Verde vs. Australia/Egypt – Atlanta – Buy Tickets
- July 7: Switzerland/Algeria vs. Colombia/Ghana. – Vancouver – Shop Tickets
quarterfinals
- July 9: PAR/FRA vs. CAN/MRC – Foxboro
- July 10: POR/CRO/ESP/AUT vs. USA/BOS/BEL/SEN – Inglewood
- July 11: BRA/NOR vs. MEX/ENG/DRC – Miami
- July 11: ARG/CV/AUS/EGY vs. ARG/CV/AUS/EGY SWI/ALG/COL/GHA – Kansas City
Semi-final
- July 14: Foxboro/Inglewood Winner – Arlington
- July 15: Winner of Miami/Kansas City – Atlanta
final
- July 19th at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey
