Bolivia vs Ecuador

CONMEBOL underachievers Bolivia welcome resurgent Ecuador to the Estadio Hernando Siles, seeking their first points in the 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign.

Bolivia’s pursuit of their first World Cup appearance since 1994 has been off to a disappointing start. Following a 5-1 thumping at the hands of record-time world champions Brazil on the opening matchday, ‘La Verde’ slumped to a 3-0 home defeat to reigning title holders Argentina last time out. Those losses, albeit expected, form part of Bolivia’s underwhelming five-match winless streak (D1, L4), with Gustavo Costas’ side conceding multiple goals in the last three on the trot. Ecuador’s upcoming visit to La Paz offers little respite, considering the Bolivians have only emerged victorious twice across their previous 16 World Cup qualifying H2Hs (D3, L11). Moreover, the hosts have lost their last six competitive outings stretching back to November 2021, netting just four goals while conceding 22 in return.

In the meantime, Ecuador’s resilient performance against Argentina on day one was in vain as they eventually succumbed to a 1-0 defeat, courtesy of Lionel Messi’s late free-kick. However, they bounced back instantaneously with a come-from-behind 2-1 home win over Uruguay last time out, bolstering their hopes of securing back-to-back World Cup appearances for only the second time in the nation’s history. Since exiting the Qatar World Cup in the group stages last winter, the Ecuadorians have racked up four victories in six internationals (L2), scoring 2+ goals in three of those wins. However, manager Félix Sánchez Bas must address Ecuador’s travel sickness that has seen them win just two of their last 17 World Cup qualifying matches on the road (D3, L12).