Chile take on the visitors Ecuador in a World Cup 2026 qualification match. The match will be played on Wednesday, March 26th at Estadio Nacional Julio Martínez Prádanos (Santiago de Chile).
Chile were regular participants in World Cups and even won back-to-back Copa América titles in the mid-2010s. However, Alexis Sánchez and his generation have passed their peak, and no equally talented stars have emerged to replace them. As a result, Chile has suffered through several disappointing cycles. In 2024, they failed to score a single goal at Copa América, managing only goalless draws against Peru and Canada while losing 0-1 to Argentina. Their World Cup qualifying campaign soon fell apart, with four consecutive defeats effectively ending their hopes. However, in November, Ricardo Gareca's squad managed to steady the ship with a 0-0 draw in Peru and a 4-2 home victory over Venezuela. In February, they crushed Panama 6-1, though that was just a friendly. Their struggles resumed last week, as they suffered a narrow 0-1 loss away to Paraguay, once again failing to threaten offensively. If they don’t find solutions in attack, this match could be another frustrating outing.
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Ecuador overcomes early sanctions and stays on course. La Tri were allowed to participate in the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, but they began this qualifying cycle with a three-point deduction due to a player using falsified documents in the previous campaign. Despite the setback, they recovered well with a strong start to the 2023 qualifiers. At Copa América, Félix Sánchez Bas’s men were unfortunate—after a win over Jamaica and a goalless draw with Mexico (which eliminated one of the tournament hosts), they held Argentina to a draw before losing on penalties, undone by another clutch save from Emiliano Martínez. Nevertheless, Ecuador maintained their focus and performed as expected in the fall, starting with a loss to Brazil but then defeating Peru, Bolivia, and even Colombia, while earning draws against Uruguay and Paraguay—all without conceding a single goal. They carried that form into 2025, securing a 2-1 home win over Venezuela, with Enner Valencia scoring twice despite missing a penalty. If their defense remains this solid, they will be tough to break down in Santiago.
Ecuador has won both of the last two meetings between these teams. The teams are fairly even in quality, but Ecuador holds the edge in form and structure. Betting on Ecuador to win with a "draw no bet" option looks like the safest approach.
Prediction for the match: Ecuador to win with 0.0 handicap.
