Ivory Coast vs. Ecuador Prediction, Picks, Lineups for World Cup 2026

Group E is one of the most difficult groups at World Cup 2026, with Germany and Curacao also participating, and Sunday will see the Ivory Coast and Ecuador square off in an important group fixture when they meet tonight at Philadelphia Stadium, with kickoff live at 7:00 p.m. ET on FS1. 

Both teams feature lockdown defensive units, with The Elephants not allowing a goal in 10 World Cup qualification matches while La Tricolor conceded just 5 goals in 18 qualifiers. Their matchup tonight could be one that comes down to an individual moment of brilliance at either end of the pitch.

Ecuador are slightly favored via PrizePicks Team Picks with a 2.38x payout to win, as the two nations are just 10 spots apart in the FIFA rankings. Our PrizePicks Power Rankings have Ecuador ranked 12th with the Ivory Coast just seven spots behind at 19th.

Below, we’ll break down our Ivory Coast vs. Ecuador prediction and picks for Sunday night’s World Cup 2026 match, including the spread, total goals, and key player picks for PrizePicks.

Make you Ivory Coast vs. Ecuador prediction and World Cup picks on PrizePicks now!

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Ivory Coast vs. Ecuador Prediction, Spread, Over/Under – Sunday, June 14

How to watch Ivory Coast vs. Ecuador: FS1 / Telemundo/Peacock

Kickoff Time: 7:00 p.m. ET

Venue: Philadelphia Stadium, Philadelphia, PA

Group: Group E

Ivory Coast vs. Ecuador could be one of the best tactical matchups of Matchday 1 and will play a huge role in how Group E plays out. Both teams pride themselves on defending their goal and have talented players contributing to that effort.

Willian Pacho and Piero Hincapié were rivals in the Champions League final last month as PSG defeated Arsenal, but they’ll form a terrific central partnership at the heart of the Colombian defense. Sitting just in front of them is Chelsea CM Moisés Caicedo, who ranked in the 95th percentile in the Premier League in interceptions per 90 minutes this season.

Côte d'Ivoire didn’t face a powerhouse lineup in their CAF qualification group, but keeping 10 clean sheets in 10 matches is a remarkable achievement nonetheless. They scored 25 goals of their own in the process, winning eight matches. However, they will be without CB Evan Ndicka today, who has been recovering from injury the past month and is the rock of their defense. 

Their midfield engine room is anchored by former AC Milan CM Frank Kessie and Nottingham Forest CM Ibrahim Sangaré. The most dangerous part of their team comes from their attacking pace. 

Yan Diomande plays wide for the German side RB Leipzig and is expected to make a big-money move this summer. He will look to link up with Amad Diallo, who could feature centrally behind the striker in this match or play wide right. RB Guéla Doué, the brother of French star Désiré Doué, also provides attacking thrust as he did with a goal against France last week. 

The difference in this match could come down to the striker position. ST Elye Wahi is not in consistent form for Côte d'Ivoire, nor is Simon Adringa. One of them will have to start, though, or perhaps both, should The Elephants revert to a 4-4-2 as they have in some matches.

Ecuador have a clear advantage in ST Enner Valencia. They scored just 14 goals in qualification, and their captain scored 8 of them and assisted another pair. He’s 1 goal shy of 50 for his international career and could be the difference in this match. 

Ivory Coast vs. Ecuador: Favorite to Win, Spread, Total Goals – Sunday, June 14

Ecuador enters Sunday’s match as favorites, returning a 2.32x payout if they win outright, via PrizePicks Team Picks. Meanwhile, the Ivory Coast will look to utilize their talented wingers to break down the stout Ecuadorian defense.

Here are the full payouts for the Ivory Coast vs. Ecuador match on PrizePicks.

Winner Payout: Ivory Coast – 3.12x | Tie – 2.7x | Ecuador – 2.38x

Spread: Ecuador -1.5 (5.26x Payout) 

Total Goals: 1.5 (Over – 1.58x)

Both Teams to Score: Yes 2.17x | No 1.63x

Payouts show potential returns on correct Team Picks predictions. A 2x payout returns $200 on a $100 entry. Lower multipliers reflect outcomes users are picking as more likely. Payouts are live as of writing and subject to change.

Make your Ivory Coast vs. Ecuador prediction on the spread or goals on PrizePicks Team Picks — available in 35 states!

Ivory Coast vs. Ecuador Prediction on Total Goals for World Cup 2026

Here are the key stats and trends for Ivory Coast vs. Ecuador before making your World Cup 2026 predictions on PrizePicks.

• The Ivory Coast scored 25 goals in 10 CAF qualification matches, which was the second-most of any CAF side. However, 16 of those goals were scored in two matches — both against the Seychelles, who are ranked 204th in the FIFA world rankings.
• Côte d'Ivoire’s other eight qualifiers saw 1 goal or fewer scored on six occasions.
• The Elephants did not concede a single goal during qualification.
• Ecuador allowed just 0.03 goals per shot during World Cup qualification and 0.09 goals per shot on target. Both marks were the lowest of any nation during CONMEBOL qualification.
• The 3.8 goals prevented by Ecuador GK Hernán Galíndez during World Cup qualification was the highest mark of any goalkeeper participating in World Cup 2026.
• At the other end, Ecuador ranked third-worst in CONMEBOL in both goals per SOT (0.17) and goals per shot (0.06). 

Lock in your Ivory Coast vs. Ecuador prediction for the 2026 World Cup now!

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Ivory Coast vs. Ecuador Lineups for World Cup 2026 – Sunday, June 14

Here are the projected Ivory Coast vs. Ecuador lineups for today's World Cup 2026 match. Lineups are not official and are based on historical data.

Ivory Coast Lineup vs. Ecuador Today

Projected Formation: 4-2-3-1

• Goalkeeper: Yahia Fofana
• Defense: Guéla Doué, Odilon Kossounou, Emmanuel Agbadou, Ghislain Konan
• Midfield: Ibrahim Sangaré, Franck Kessie, Amad Diallo
• Forwards: Oumar Diakité, Elye Wahi, Simon Adringa

Ecuador Lineup vs. Ivory Coast Today

Projected Formation: 4-2-3-1

• Goalkeeper: Hernán Galíndez
• Defense: Ángelo Preciado, Willian Pacho, Piero Hincapié, Pervis Estupiñán
• Midfield: Moisés Caicedo, Alan Franco, Kendry Páez
• Forwards: Gonzalo Plata, Enner Valencia, John Yeboah

Ivory Coast vs. Ecuador Picks, Player Stats for World Cup: 6/14/26

Here are the top Ivory Coast vs. Ecuador player picks to target on PrizePicks for Sunday, June 14. Today’s World Cup 2026 picks are headlined by Moisés Caicedo and Franck Kessie.

Ecuador CM Moisés Caicedo Pick vs. Ecuador: 2.5 Tackles 

• Moisés Caicedo finished the Premier League campaign with 87 tackles in 33 matches for Chelsea, averaging 2.79 per 90 minutes.
• His 2.5 tackles per 90 minutes led Ecuador during CONMEBOL World Cup qualification. That number went up to 3.29 tackles per 90 during their final seven qualification matches, where he registered 3+ tackles on four occasions and at least 2 tackles all but once.
• Caicedo has a tendency to get stuck in more against high-quality opponents that attack directly, as the Ivory Coast is likely to do. 
• The Ivory Coast’s primary method of attack tends to be from their wide players, who often like to cut inside on their stronger foot. If that happens, Caicedo may see more opportunities to put in a challenge to help cut off the shooting angle.
• There’s also the possibility that Amad Diallo plays through the middle. He is the top dribbler by volume for the Ivory Coast and could force Caicedo into more 1-on-1 situations requiring a challenge. 

Combine Moisés Caicedo + Ecuador World Cup picks for bigger payouts on PrizePicks

Ivory Coast CM Franck Kessie Pick vs. Ecuador: 39.5 Passes Attempted 

• Franck Kessie is a box-to-box CM for The Elephants who likes to get on the ball. He’s excellent at carrying up the pitch and distributing out wide to his playmakers. 
• Kessie’s pass numbers at AFCON all went below his projected number for this match except once, when he had exactly 40 passes against Gabon. During those matches, Ndicka was the primary deep-sitting ball player along with fellow CB Odilon Kossounou.
• However, in the two recent friendlies vs. France and Scotland where Ndicka missed due to injury, Kessie’s involvement increased. He managed 51 passes in 90 minutes vs. Scotland, and in 68 minutes against France, he attempted 41 passes. 
• Ecuador are likely to cede possession to the Ivory Coast in an attempt to limit the impact of the wide pace The Elephants possess. Doing so with their compact defense means a higher likelihood Côte d'Ivoire works the ball around the back and midfield hunting for opportunities, which would heighten their pass totals. 

Combine Franck Kessie + Ivory Coast World Cup picks for bigger payouts on PrizePicks

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Make Your Ivory Coast vs. Ecuador Prediction on PrizePicks

Two of World Cup 2026’s best defensive units will fight for important points in the loaded Group E, as both hope to keep pressure on Germany. This should be a tactical battle that will thrill those who enjoy the small battles within a match and respect high-level defending. 

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