Meanwhile, the Ecuadorian team, directed by Félix Sánchez Bas, has two great references. Enner Valencia is one, who arrives with good performances in the Copa Libertadores 2023 with Inter de Porto Alegre, while moises caicedo is the other, the new reinforcement of Chelsea of the Premier League.
After this match Argentina will face Bolivia for the second date on tuesday september 12while Ecuador will host Uruguay on the same day at the Rodrigo Paz Delgado stadium.
What time is Argentina vs Ecuador for the 2026 South American Qualifiers?
- 18:00 from Mexico
- 19:00 from Colombia, Peru, Ecuador and Panama
- 20:00 ET from USA, Puerto Rico, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Bolivia and Venezuela
- 21:00 from Argentina, Chile, Brazil and Uruguay
- 2:00 in Spain (on Friday, September 8)
Where to watch Argentina vs Ecuador on TV for the 2026 South American Qualifiers?
- Argentina | TyC Sports and Public TV
- Ecuador | The Soccer Channel
- Rest of South America | DSports and DGO via streaming
- Mexico | sky sports
- Spain | Movistar
Probable lineups of Argentina vs. Ecuador for the 2026 South American Qualifiers
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Possible line-up for Argentina: Emiliano Martinez; Nahuel Molina, Cristian Romero, Nicolás Otamendi, Nicolás Tagliafico; Rodrigo De Paul, Enzo Fernandez, Alexis Mac Allister; Ángel Di María, Julián Álvarez and Lionel Messi.
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Possible alignment of Ecuador: Hernan Galindez; Ángelo Preciado, Félix Torres, William Pacho, Pervis Estupiñán; Carlos Gruezo, Moisés Caicedo, Gonzalo Plata, Ángel Mena; Enner Valencia and Kevin Rodriguez.
Why does Argentina have to play the 2026 South American Qualifiers if they were World Cup champions?
Despite having established himself in Qatar and having achieved the third star in history, the selected Albiceleste must qualify in the 2026 Qualifiers to be able to reach the World Cup to be played in the United States, Mexico and Canada.
“Although the automatic presence of the defending champion in the next edition of the World Cup to defend the title was a tradition for decades, the rule changed after the 2002 FIFA World Cup, when the champions Brazil had to play the South American Qualifiers to get their place in the 2006 FIFA World Cup”, explains the official FIFA site.
It should be noted that for the next World Cup there will be 48 nations instead of 32. In this sense, CONMEBOL will have six guaranteed places + 1 for the world playoffs.
