The Ecuadorian encebollado eliminated the Cuban ropa vieja in the round of 16 of the World Food Cup organized by the Spanish streamer Ibai Llanos, with a result that highlights more than just a culinary defeat. The digital disadvantage imposed by the Cuban crisis may have been a factor that limited participation from the island.
Ecuador accumulated approximately 1.3 million votes compared to the 629,000 received by Cuba in that matchup, according to the results published by Ibai on Instagram on Monday. The video surpassed 8.5 million views and has garnered over 25,000 comments.
The tournament comes after the "Breakfast World Cup" of 2025. It brought together 16 Latin American countries and Spain in a knockout format with public voting on TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube. The contest received a total of 25 million votes across all platforms during this stage.
The teams that qualified for the quarterfinals
After the round of sixteen, the eight countries that advanced were:
- Venezuela
- Colombia
- Peru
- Guatemala
- Ecuador
- Bolivia
- Uruguay
- Argentina
The most striking fact was featured by Peru, which became the most popular country in the tournament with nearly 3 million votes in its match against Honduras. Guatemala also surprised by eliminating Mexico with 2,101,160 votes against 2,003,340.
Cuban ropa vieja received only 629,000 votes: a success or a defeat?
The Cuban figure generated a reaction that encapsulates the island's paradox. The user @yoandryquintero wrote in the comments of the video: "A country that is shut down and without internet, 629k is an achievement."
The statement is not hyperbole. Cuba faces extended blackouts and very limited internet access, conditions that drastically reduce its citizens' ability to participate in digital voting of this kind.
While countries like Peru or Guatemala mobilize millions of votes with relative ease, Cubans must navigate long power outages and expensive, unreliable connectivity.
However, the irony of participating in the contest goes further. Cuba competed with ropa vieja —a stew of shredded beef with onion, bell pepper, garlic, tomato, and spices— in a culinary tournament, while on the island this dish is now almost a fantasy.
The Cuban population lacks adequate access to basic foods such as milk, bread, oil, and eggs. Furthermore, the sale of beef, a key ingredient in the famous recipe, was prohibited for decades in the country.
Currently, purchasing beef through legal channels in Cuba is only possible if the consumer is willing to pay for the product in dollars; thus, it is inaccessible to millions of families on the island.
The food crisis in Cuba is so severe that the state does not even guarantee the basic basket of goods. The Minister of Food Industry, Alberto López Díaz, admitted in June that it had not been possible to distribute oil, chicken, or yogurt in 2026. Food items are among the most expensive products amid the economic crisis in the country.
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