Argentina vs Ecuador

Argentina’s 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign kicks off at the Estadio Monumental as they encounter Ecuador in a buoyant mood.

It’s been less than a year since Lionel Messi inspired Argentina to their first World Cup trophy since 1986 as ‘La Albiceleste’ get their qualifying campaign for the 2026 edition underway. Lionel Scaloni’s overachievers have shown no signs of complacency since conquering the Qatar showpiece, winning all four post-tournament matches without conceding a goal while netting at least two in return. Argentina’s formidable form in 2023 should’ve laid the foundation for another routine qualifying campaign, with the South American heavyweights reaching the final tournament every time since 1970. It’s worth mentioning they’re unbeaten in their last 21 qualifiers (W12, D9), an astounding run stretching back to May 2017! Virtually impenetrable at the back, Scaloni’s men have registered an eye-catching eight clean sheets across their ten most recent qualifiers (W7, D3).

On the other hand, Ecuador appeared in Qatar last December after missing the 2018 edition in Russia. Yet they couldn’t make it out of the group stages despite beating the home nation in the curtain-raising fixture. Underachieving tactician Gustavo Alfaro left the managerial post shortly after, with Felix Sánchez Bas taking his place, only for ‘La Tri’ to succumb to a dreadful 3-1 friendly loss to Australia on his touchline debut. However, Bas has since inspired a resurgence of Ecuadorian international football, with his side racking up a three-game winning run in the build-up to this contest, including a narrow 1-0 win over fellow continental rivals Bolivia. Worryingly for the Ecuadorians, their travel sickness has seen them manage just two victories across their last 16 World Cup qualifiers away from home (D3, L11).