Côte d’Ivoire v Ecuador: World Cup 2026 – live | World Cup 2026

Was it really more than 10 years ago that we last saw Didier Drogba, Kolo Touré and Yaya Touré roaming the field for everyone’s favorite surprise pick, Côte d’Ivoire?

And was it really more than some undetermined number of years since a player you’ve certainly heard of was playing for Ecuador?

Côte d’Ivoire won their third African Cup of Nations just three years ago, while Ecuador is typically overshadowed by Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay and maybe whoever else in South America has a good team at the time. But Ecuador’s team this year may be among the best the country has ever fielded, which is not the case for Côte d’Ivoire.

In the game that has just finished, Japan twice fought back a one-goal deficit to get a 2-2 draw against the Netherlands. Surprise of the tournament so far?

In today’s other Group E match, World Cup debutants Curaçao reveled in the joy of their first goal, an equaliser by Livano Comenencia in the 21st minute after Felix Nmecha put Germany up in the sixth. But Kai Havertz and the ruthless Germans showed no mercy for the remainder of the match at Houston Stadium.

Beau will be here shortly. In the meantime, catch up on what to know about Côte d’Ivoire and Ecuador with our team guides.

Côte d’Ivoire return to the world stage for the first time since the golden years of the early 2010s. They do not quite have the star power of old, but their squad is packed with recognisable faces to fans in Europe’s top leagues.

The 2023 Africa Cup of Nations winners, on home soil, usually play 4-3-3 although there are questions over who will play in arguably the most important position: holding midfield.

Ecuador arrive as one of the most solid and respected teams in Conmebol. They finished second in the qualifiers behind Argentina despite the points deduction from the 2022 Byron Castillo case, standing out for having one of the continent’s best defences and a long unbeaten streak.

La Tri secured World Cup qualification with victories that showed collective maturity. This is not a team dependent on one superstar; it is young and balanced. However, goals remains a problem; they scored 14, conceding five, in 18 games in the qualifiers.