Piero Hincapié is one of a large number of Arsenal players who was named in their nation’s World Cup squads for the 2026 tournament in North America. The Ecuadorian defender was born in Esmeraldas, which is something of a football hotbed given it was also where his compatriots Enner Valencia, Pervis Estupinan and Darwin Rivas, to name just three, were also born.
Ecuador were tipped by some as possible dark horses for glory but they never really hit their stride at the World Cup. Even so, they made it out of the group stage and earnt a spot in the last 32, where they faced Mexico at the iconic Estadio Azteca. It is a game that Arsenal’s powerful left-sided defender may well want to forget.
Hincapié Sees Red
The Ecuadorian, who mainly played at left-back for Mikel Arteta’s side but is equally adept as a central defender, is no stranger to being sent off. He managed to avoid seeing red in any of his 41 club appearances in 2025/26 and in fact, only received three yellows.
Indeed, in his club football, largely with Bayer Leverkusen in the Bundesliga, he has collected just one straight red and three reds after receiving a second yellow. He picked up nine yellow cards in the Bundesliga in 2022/23 and eight in 2024/25 but by and large he has managed to stay on the pitch. However, it has been a slightly different picture with his country.
The Arsenal player has now played 56 times for his country, an impressive tally for a player who will not turn 25 until January 2027. He has scored three international goals but those are matched by three red cards.
The third of those came in his most recent appearance for La Tri and saw him make an unwanted piece of history. He was dismissed in the 95th minute of his nation’s 2-0 loss to co-hosts Mexico for the heinous crime of putting his hand in front of his mouth.
Under FIFA’s new directive Hincapié became just the second player ever to receive a straight red card for this offence. Luckily for the Gunner, while trivia fans, pub quizzers and football nerds may remember that Miguel Almiron was the first to be sent off under the new “rule”, few tend to remember the “second” anything. So while Paraguay’s ex-Newcastle player Almiron will forever be the answer to a quiz question, Hincapié might just be allowed to forget all about his red card.
For many players, covering their mouths has become such a habit that stopping doing it has proved a challenge. Clearly for Almion and Hincapié that was a challenge too far! Ecuador were 2-0 down with just minutes of the clash remaining when they were reduced to 10 men. Hincapié can, therefore, take a little more comfort from knowing that his foolishness did not cost his side, beyond the future suspension he will serve.
In a game of few chances Ecuador began to get frustrated late on. In the 93rd minute Kendry Paez picked up a yellow for a foul. Then, two minutes later, Hincapié became involved with Mexico’s Santiago Gimenez. The pair came together, with the Ecuadorian pushing his head towards his opponent and the Mexican responding in a similar fashion. There seemed to be a heated exchange of words and much gesticulating.
Then, as the spat carried on, Hincapié covered his mouth and appeared to say something to Gimenez. The Mexican and his teammates responded quickly, letting the ref know what Hincapié had done. VAR promptly sent the ref to the monitor and it was clear that under the current regulations Hincapié had to go.
Ecuador’s Slightly Disappointing World Cup
All in all it has proved a disappointing World Cup for a team with several top-class players. As well as Hincapié, Ecuador have Moises Caicedo, Sunderland’s Nilson Angulo and PSG centre back Willian Pacho, as well as a number of other very good players. Some felt that they could be dark horses in the Americas but it wasn’t to be.
| Date | Round | Opponent | Results |
|---|---|---|---|
| June 14 | Group Match 1 | Ivory Coast | 1-0 Loss |
| June 20 | Group Match 2 | Curaçao | 0-0 Draw |
| June 25 | Group Match 3 | Germany | 2-1 Win |
| June 30 | Round of 32 | Mexico | 2-0 Loss |
They finished third in their group thanks to a surprise last-match win over Germany. That followed defeats to Ivory Coast and a draw with Curacao and so their loss to Mexico was no huge surprise. The 2-1 victory over Germany gave them hope but that was put into perspective by the fact that Paraguay eliminated the Germans in the last 32.
But Brighter Days Ahead for New Gunner
Hincapié’s World Cup dream is over but he will no doubt be cheering his club colleagues on for the rest of the tournament. The defender moved to the Emirates in September last year on a loan deal. However, that season-long contract included an option to buy and after he impressed Arteta over the course of the campaign, there seemed little doubt the Gunners would seek to trigger their option.
Hincapie’s here to stay 🇪🇨
The club is delighted to announce that Piero has signed a permanent deal at The Arsenal 👊
— Arsenal (@Arsenal) June 25, 2026
During the 2026 World Cup it was revealed that they had indeed done that. That news was released on the 25th of June, Hincapié signing a five-year deal for a fee of almost £35m with various add-ons thought to be included too. The defender won the Premier League title with Arsenal and will be hoping for more of the same in the years ahead.