Ecuador open World Cup against Ivory Coast riding record unbeaten streak

World Cup opener: Ecuador v Ivory Coast

Your World Cup campaign starts against Ivory Coast in Group E. The full group also includes Germany and Curaçao (3). Ecuador enters the tournament on a national record 19-match unbeaten run, with two recent friendly wins behind them (1).

Sebastián Beccacece's side comes into this opener with real momentum. The final pre-tournament friendly against Guatemala saw heavy rotation, with minutes given to squad players unlikely to feature in the starting eleven. That suggests Beccacece kept his tactical cards close to his chest ahead of this one. Stuttgart midfielder Arevalo caught the eye when he rattled the woodwork (1).

The match is being billed as a clash between two dark-horse contenders for the knockout stages (2). Beccacece is expected to settle on his strongest eleven for this crucial first fixture.

The group picture

Alongside Ivory Coast, Ecuador shares Group E with Germany and Curaçao. Germany are the clear favorites on paper, which makes this opener against Ivory Coast enormous. A result here puts you in a strong position before facing the group's biggest name (3).

Fan reactions

The Reddit crowd is in a nostalgic mood ahead of the tournament. One post points out that Ecuador were the team who ended Qatar's unbeaten host-nation streak back in 2022, with Qatar remaining the only host in World Cup history to lose their opening match. Mexico, Canada, and the USA all avoided defeat in their first games this year. See the thread