Argentina finished 2026 World Cup qualifying with just 10 men on the field and 1-0 defeat in Ecuador on Tuesday, sans Lionel Messi, with the reigning World Cup champions already guaranteed top spot in CONMEBOL this cycle.
MORE — CONMEBOL standings – Who’s in? Who’s out?
Nicolas Otamendi was sent off in the 31st minute for the denial of an obvious goal-scoring opportunity, though Ecuador went down to 10 themselves in the 51st minute when Moises Caicedo stomped on Nicolas Gonzalez to earn a straight red card after having already been booked earlier in the game.
In between the red cards, Enner Valencia scored from the penalty spot (in the 13th minute of first-half stoppage time) to clinch a 2nd-place finish for Ecuador (9 points behind Argentina).
Final CONMEBOL 2026 World Cup qualification standings
- Argentina – 38 points (+21 GD) — QUALIFIED
- Ecuador – 29 points (+9 GD)* — QUALIFIED
- Colombia – 28 points (+10 GD) — QUALIFIED
- Uruguay – 28 points (+10 GD) — QUALIFIED
- Brazil – 28 points (+7 GD) — QUALIFIED
- Paraguay – 25 points (+4 GD) — QUALIFIED
- Bolivia – 20 points (-18 GD) — PLAYOFFS
- Venezuela – 18 points (-10 GD) — ELIMINATED
- Peru – 12 points (-15 GD) — ELIMINATED
-
Chile – 11 points (-18 GD) — ELIMINATED
*Three points were deducted from Ecuador’s total prior to the start of qualification for using a player whose legal passport contained false information.
Ecuador vs Argentina live updates – by Andy Edwards
Ecuador vs Argentina final score: 1-0
Goalscorers: Enner Valencia (45’+13 – PK)
RED CARD! Moises Caicedo sent off for stomping on Nicolas Gonzalez (50′)
GOAL! Ecuador 1-0 Argentina: Valencia converts after Tagliafico takes out Preciado (45’+13)
RED CARD! Argentina’s Nicolas Otamendi sent off for DOGSO (31′)
Ecuador starting lineup
Galindez – Ordonez, Pacho, Hincapie – Preciado, Franco, Caicedo, Vite, Angulo – Plata, Valencia
Argentina starting lineup
Martinez – Montiel, Balerdi, Otamendi, Tagliafico – Paredes, De Paul, Mac Allister – Simeone, Gonzalez, Martinez
How to watch Ecuador vs Argentina live, stream link and start time
Kick off time: 7pm ET Tuesday (September 9)
Venue: Monumental Stadium — Guayaquil, Ecuador
TV Channel/Streaming: Fanatiz
Argentina have blown away their opponents in South America during the marathon of CONMEBOL qualifying, winning 12 of their 17 qualifiers so far and losing just twice as they’ve wracked up 38 points and are 10 points clear of second-place Brazil. Messi scored twice as they beat Venezuela 3-0 in Buenos Aires on Thursday, as the superstar said an emotional goodbye to fans in Argentina as that is expected to be his final game in his homeland for the national team. Lionel Scaloni has so many great players to choose from and now it’s all about finding the right combinations and fine-tuning things ahead of defending their World Cup trophy next summer.
Ecuador have also qualified for the 2026 World Cup with ease, as La Tricolor have been so good defensively and even navigated a three-point deduction as they would have been sitting in second place in the table. They’ve conceded just five goals across 17 games in qualifying (yeah, five!) but they have only scored 13 goals and have drawn all of their last four qualifiers 0-0. Sebastian Beccacece’s Ecuador have only conceded one goal in their last 10 games, and that was a late consolation for Venezuela in a home win. They have lost just just twice in World Cup qualifying in South America (fewer games than anyone else) and have been so impressive.
Ecuador team news, focus
Chelsea star Moises Caicedo sets the tone in midfield, while veteran striker Enner Valencia leads the line so well and helps Ecuador defend from the front. New Arsenal center back Piero Hincapie, PSG center back Willian Pacho, AC Milan left back Pervis Estupinan and Club Brugge’s Joel Ordonez make up one of the best back fours on the planet, with Caicedo shielding them expertly.
Argentina team news, focus
Lionel Scaloni will give a few fringe players the chance to impress, as Argentina had the likes of Lautaro Martinez, Nico Paz, Alexis Mac Allister and Giovanni Lo Celso on the bench for their win against Venezuela. That quartet should come straight in to start and Nicolas Gonzalez and Exequiel Palacios are also pushing for starts.
Will Lionel Messi play for Argentina at Ecuador?
Lionel Messi has confirmed he will not feature for Argentina against Ecuador as he continues his recovery from a hamstring injury.
Speaking after Argentina’s 3-0 win against Venezuela, as he scored twice, this is what Messi had to say about the game against Ecuador: “I spoke with Scaloni, and he decided that I should rest, not travel to Ecuador because I’m recovering from a injury. We prefer to avoid the trip and prepare for what’s coming up well-rested. We’re preparing to win the MLS, and that’s a goal. We have a friendly in October, and we’ll meet again.”
Ecuador vs Argentina prediction
This feels like it has a drawn written all over it and the only surprise is that their could be goals in a game involving Ecuador, who will keep it tight and frustrate Argentina before launching counters. Ecuador 1-1 Argentina.
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