2:30pm NZT on Wednesday 19 November at Sports Illustrated Stadium, Harrison, New Jersey, USA

Watch live and free on FIFA+ and TVNZ

The All Whites were minutes away from a landmark result on Sunday before Colombia scored a late winner, but there were still plenty of positives to take from the narrow 2-1 loss to the world number 13.

The team won’t feel that way, though, and will be keen to prove they can get results against high ranked sides, as they did in June when they defeated African champions Côte d'Ivoire.

Ecuador are another top side, but they present a different challenge to Colombia. They have been in outstanding form and are unbeaten over the past year.

While Sunday’s opponents were all about the attack, Ecuador are built on a rock solid defence that saw them finish second in CONMEBOL qualifying behind Argentina and ahead of Colombia, Uruguay and Brazil, conceding just five goals in 18 games.


Who is in contention to play?

Head coach Darren Bazeley confirmed that all of his squad are fit and ready to play, but suggested there will likely be some changes with the games coming in quick succession.

After impressing off the bench, Ben Old and Jesse Randall will be pushing to start and show they can mix it with a strong potential World Cup opponent.

After being selected for the last two tours, George Stanger will be keen to get on the pitch to make his All Whites debut.


What head coach Darren Bazeley has said:

"Ecuador are a very good team. They're also highly ranked and had a great FIFA World Cup qualifying tournament in a very difficult environment with the teams they have to play, so they're on a really good unbeaten run.

"They don't concede lots of goals. They're a tough team with some really top world-class players again.

"Another tough challenge, but again, it's exciting. These are the type of games that, when we qualified for the FIFA World Cup, we talked about for the rest of the year. We want to be playing against top 50 ranked teams and gradually building on those performances and confidence to get to the World Cup and know that we can perform."


Player to watch: Moisés Caicedo

Undoubtedly the biggest name in the Ecuador squad and arguably the best defensive midfielder in the world, Moisés Caicedo is the key player for his country.

He is one of the Premier League’s standout performers for Chelsea, who paid Brighton $230 million NZD for his services in 2023.


Where to watch

The match kicks off at 2:30pm NZT on Wednesday, live and free on FIFA+ and TVNZ.

Article added: Tuesday 18 November 2025