World Cup qualifying is nearly underway for Argentina as they’ll host Ecuador in CONMEBOL qualifying on Thursday. Coming off of winning the World Cup, expectations are sky-high for Argentina, especially with Lionel Messi in top form for Inter Miami. With his arrival in Major League Soccer, La Albiceleste will also have Thiago Almada and Alan Velasco carrying the MLS flag. Due to the World Cup expansion for 2026, six South American teams will qualify directly for the World Cup allowing Lionel Scaloni more room for rotation and seeing what he has in players who normally wouldn’t get a look in.
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Here’s our storylines, how you can watch the match and more:
How to watch and odds
- Date: Thursday, Sept. 7 | Time: 8 p.m. ET
- Location: Estadio Monumental — Buenos Aires, Argentina
- TV: Telemundo | Live stream: fubo (try for free)
- Odds: Argentina -310; Draw +340; Ecuador +900
Storylines
Argentina: Yet to lose a World Cup qualifying match since taking charge of Argentina, anything but a win would be a disappointment to Scaloni and the fans even with Ecuador’s improved squad. Given the impressive form of Julian Alvarez, Argentia’s attack will be ready. A force on the international stage, this is a match that will be played on Argentina’s terms from start to finish.
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Ecuador: A team that has come a long way over the past few years, Ecuador are moving in the right direction but are still too reliant on Enner Valencia. With two away matches to kick off qualifying, it’s a tough start for La Tri who will also have a three-point deduction in qualifying due to fielding Byron Castillo during the 2022 qualifying cycle. While Ecuador are good enough to qualify, starting off like this while also facing Argentina isn’t what any team needs.
Prediction
With Messi and Alvarez finding the back of the net, Argentia’s defense will again be able to take over the match and firmly control the flow. Pick: Argentina 2, Ecuador 0
