Chile and Ecuador will meet in the next round of the South American World Cup qualifiers on Wednesday, 26 March.
Will the hosts get the points to stay in the race for a spot in the playoffs or will the guests put a serious dent in those hopes? Find that out and more from our Chile vs Ecuador prediction and preview.
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Chile vs Ecuador predictions: Not many goals expected
Key Stats
- Chile are last in the WC qualifiers standings, with just nine points from 13 games.
- The last three H2H duels between these teams have gone under 2.5 total goals.
- Ecuador have gone under 2.5 total goals in seven of their last nine matches in all competitions.
Correct score prediction: Chile 0-1 Ecuador
While Chile still have a chance to reach seventh place in the table and earn a spot in the intercontinental playoffs, they are currently last in the standings and have been struggling in these qualifiers.
On the other hand, Ecuador have bene great, they're second in the standings, and on a good run of form, so we can see them beating Chile in this match, with the difference between them being 13 points.
Pre-game odds and win probability: No clear favourites in this game
- HOME: 6/4 (2.50) – 40.00%
- DRAW: 2/1 (3.00) – 33.30%
- AWAY: 21/10 (3.10) – 32.30%
*odds from Ladbrokes, subject to change
Looking at the Chile vs Ecuador odds, it's clear that the bookies don't have a clear favourite.
That being said, the hosts are the expected winners by a small margin, which is a bit surprising just by looking at the standings where Ecuador are second and Chile last.
You can find all our predictions for today's games on our football betting tips page.
Most recent H2Hs: A tied matchup in recent years
In the last five duels between Chile and Ecuador, we saw each team win twice, along with one draw. That being said, Chile have done better if we look at their overall H2H record against Ecuador: 29-13-12.
South America - World Cup Qualifying 21/11/23
Ecuador
Chile
South America - World Cup Qualifying 17/11/21
Chile
Ecuador
South America - World Cup Qualifying 05/09/21
Ecuador
Chile
Copa America 22/06/19
Ecuador
Chile
South America - World Cup Qualifying 06/10/17
Chile
Ecuador
Chile preview: Can they move up from the last place in the table?
After 13 rounds of these WC qualifiers, Chile sit at the bottom of the standings with nine points. That being said, the team in the seventh place, which leads to intercontinental playoffs, is just four points ahead and with five rounds left to be played, Chile fans can still hope that their team can turn things around, especially after they've won four points from their last three games in the group.
Meanwhile, Chile are without a few important players who will miss this match with injuries, such as Fabian Hormazabal, Marcelo Morales, Marcelino Nunez, Erick Pulgar, and Williams Alarcon.
Also, Alexis Sanchez missed Chile's previous match against Paraguay a few days ago, so he remains questionable for this one too.
Predicted lineup: Cortes (GK), Loyola, Maripan, Diaz, Suazo, Vidal, Echeverria, Pizarro, Sanchez, Vargas & Cepeda
South America - World Cup Qualifying 26/03/25
D
Ecuador
0
Chile
0
South America - World Cup Qualifying 20/03/25
L
Paraguay
1
Chile
0
International Match 08/02/25
W
Panama
1
Chile
6
South America - World Cup Qualifying 20/11/24
W
Venezuela
2
Chile
4
South America - World Cup Qualifying 16/11/24
D
Peru
0
Chile
0
Ecuador preview: One foot already at the World Cup
With 22 points from 13 games in these qualifiers, Ecuador have been quite impressive so far. In fact, they collected 25 points, but they were deducted three by the South American football federation. In any case, Ecuador are second in the standings, they're on a three-game winning streak, and they are close to clinching their spot at the 2026 World Cup.
When it comes to team news, Angelo Preciado, Jhoanner Chavez, Leonardo Campana, and Alan Minda are all unavailable with injuries.
Predicted lineup: Galindez (GK), Ordonez, Torres, Pacho, Estupinan, Plata, Vite, Caicedo, Franco, Mercado & Valencia
South America - World Cup Qualifying 26/03/25
D
Chile
0
Ecuador
0
South America - World Cup Qualifying 21/03/25
W
Venezuela
1
Ecuador
2
South America - World Cup Qualifying 19/11/24
W
Colombia
0
Ecuador
1
South America - World Cup Qualifying 15/11/24
W
Bolivia
0
Ecuador
4
South America - World Cup Qualifying 15/10/24
D
Uruguay
0
Ecuador
0
Player to watch: Enner Valencia
The 35-year-old forward is still going strong, at least on international stage, and he's leading Ecuador to another World Cup appearance as the team's captain.
With 46 goals in the Ecuadorian national team, Valencia is the best scorer in history of the country and even since 2024, he has scored six goals in 13 appearances.