Saudi Arabia enters ecuador vs saudi arabia on Sunday at Sports Illustrated Stadium in Harrison, New Jersey with Georgios Donis in charge, two months before the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Ecuador comes in unbeaten in its last six matches and still sorting out its final squad, even with a 34-man group already invited for the friendlies.
Georgios Donis Takes Charge
Donis was appointed after Saudi Arabia parted ways with Herve Renard two months before the World Cup. The change gives Saudi Arabia a new voice before a match that arrives only 10 days before its opening Group H game against Uruguay on June 15.
Saudi Arabia will use the friendly and another against Senegal within 10 days of each other as part of its build-up for a seventh World Cup appearance. The team has been to the tournament since its debut in 1994, missed 2010 and 2014, then returned in 2018 and 2022.
Ecuador’s 34-Man Group
Ecuador has not officially settled its final World Cup squad, but Sebastian Beccacece has called in a 34-man group for the upcoming friendlies. Enner Valencia, Moises Caicedo and Kendry Paez are in that group, giving Ecuador a strong core for one of its last tune-ups before North America 2026.
Piero Hincapie and Willian Pacho will miss the match because of their involvement in the UEFA Champions League final in Budapest. That leaves Beccacece with choices to make around two defenders who are not available for Sunday.
Recent Form, Old Familiarity
The teams have met only once before, in September 2022, when they drew 0-0. Ecuador has been harder to beat since then, losing only two of its 18 qualifiers and conceding just two goals in its final 12 qualifiers after Beccacece replaced Felix Sanchez.
That run carried Ecuador to second place in the CONMEBOL standings and into a second consecutive World Cup. The recent record also includes a November win over New Zealand and draws with the Netherlands, Morocco, Canada, Mexico and the United States across the last six matches.
For Saudi Arabia, the match is part of a tighter preparation window before Group H begins, and for Ecuador it is another step toward finalizing a roster that has not yet been locked in. Sunday’s meeting at Sports Illustrated Stadium is one of the few direct tests both sides have left before the tournament starts.
