June 12, 2026
Ecuador's miserly defence will be put to the test in their World Cup Group E opener against the Ivory Coast on Sunday at the Philadelphia Stadium, where the South Americans will look to stretch their unbeaten run to 20 matches.
Ecuador's last defeat came against Brazil in Curitiba in September 2024 in the early stages of World Cup qualifying, and they have conceded only six goals during that run, five of them in friendlies.
They finished second in South American qualifying to book a World Cup berth for a fifth time, all since their 2002 debut.
The Ivorians were even stingier in defence as they completed their 10 qualifiers without conceding a single goal, but the quality of opposition they faced was weaker than the teams Ecuador had to play against.
