Ecuador and Germany face off with their sights set on the Round of 32 of the World Cup (11:00 p.m.).

Ecuador desperately needs a win to keep its hopes of advancing alive, while Germany is aiming for a perfect 3-0 record to enter the knockout stage with momentum.

Sebastián Becasse’s team has its back against the wall after disappointing performances in its first two World Cup matches, despite having set its sights quite high. Against Ivory Coast, they lost 1-0 in the closing minutes of the match, while against the weak Curaçao, they were held to a 0-0 draw and now have just one point in Group 5.

Now Ecuador faces an extremely difficult task, as it must find a way to bounce back against the all-powerful German team.

On the other hand, Germany, while not exactly impressing, is getting the job done and showing that it’s determined to pursue its chances of becoming world champions right to the very end.

The emphatic 7-1 victory over Curaçao gave its players a boost; although they struggled, they managed to turn the tideagainst Ivory Coast and, with a 2-1 win, advanced to the next round after just the second matchday. Now they simply want to finish the job in this first phase with a perfect 3-0 record against Ecuador.

Probable Starting Lineups:
Ecuador (S. Bekasse): Galíndez, Franco, Pacho, Incapie, Alchivár, Yeboah, Vite, Caicedo, Estupinan, Plata, Valencia
Germany (G. Nagelsmann): Neuer, Braun, Rüdiger, Tiaho, Kimmich, Stiller, Goretzka, Sané, Amiri, Musiala, Udav

The group schedule and results:

Matchday
1 June 14, 2026
Germany–Curaçao 7–1
June 15, 2026
Ivory Coast–Ecuador 1–0

Matchday
2: June 20, 2026
, Germany vs. Ivory Coast 2-1
; June 21, 2026
, Ecuador vs. Curaçao 0-0

Matchday
3 June 25, 2026
11:00 PM Curaçao vs. Ivory Coast Philadelphia Stadium, Philadelphia
June 25, 2026
11:00 p.m. Ecuador vs. Germany New York/New Jersey Stadium, New York

*photo source: AP