Brazil vs Ecuador

Estádio Couto Pereira sets the stage for a high-stakes 2026 World Cup qualifying match between Brazil and Ecuador.

Brazil’s endeavor to redeem themselves to their fans following a disastrous quarter-final exit at the 2024 Copa America begins in Curitiba as they look to halt a humiliating three-game losing streak in World Cup qualifying. Dorival Juniors’ men have only won two of their six qualifiers thus far (W2, D1, L3) and, as a result, enter this round only two points clear of eighth-placed Paraguay. Therefore, this contest has all the makings of a must-win clash for the Selecao, with the five-time world champions turning to their 12-game unbeaten H2H run for inspiration (W8, D4). Their defensive leaks could throw a spanner in the works, with Brazil staring down the barrel of a four-game run without a clean sheet on home soil for the first time since the 2014 World Cup.

In the meantime, Ecuador endured the same fate as Brazil at the summer’s Copa America, crashing out of the quarter-finals at the hands of back-to-back champions Argentina. However, La Tri can be proud of their performance in that tie as they took it to penalties, reaffirming their continental credentials. Incidentally, Argentina remain the only team to beat Ecuador in the current World Cup qualifying cycle. Since that frustrating 1-0 loss on matchday one, Sebastian Beccacece’s men have racked up a five-match unbeaten streak (W3, D2) to leapfrog Brazil in the standings. One of Beccacece’s priorities on his touchline debut is to rekindle Ecuador’s underperforming frontline, which amassed just five goals in the opening six World Cup qualifiers.