Ecuador vs. Argentina: Head-to-head record and past meetings

Head-to-head record

Previous meetings: 42

Ecuador wins: 6

Draws: 11

Unsurprisingly, three-time World Cup winners Argentina dominate this head-to-head, having recorded 25 victories in their previous 42 meetings with Ecuador.

Argentina started their rivalry with a six-game winning run, including a dominant 6-1 victory in their first-ever head-to-head clash at the 1941 South American Championship.

That result paled in comparison to the eye-watering 12-0 win that they pulled off in their second meeting in January 1942, with that impressive victory forming part of a 15-game unbeaten run (W10, D5).

Ecuador ultimately had to wait until May 1994 to record their first-ever win against Argentina, with Byron Tenorio netting the decisive goal in a 1-0 friendly victory.

Their maiden competitive head-to-head win arrived a couple of years later when they celebrated a 2-0 scoreline in a World Cup qualifying clash.

Argentina recently enjoyed an eight-game unbeaten run against El Tri, although that fine spell of form was brought to an end in their most recent encounter in September 2025.

Enner Valencia's penalty proved decisive in a game that saw both sides reduced to ten men, with the result representing Ecuador's first head-to-head victory since October 2015.

Meanwhile, the two nations last faced off at a major tournament in the 2024 Copa America, when La Tri held Lionel Scaloni's side to a 1-1 draw, only to lose the subsequent penalty shootout via a 4-2 scoreline, as Emiliano Martinez made two crucial stops to spare Messi's blushes following his missed spot kick.

Messi may have had a moment to forget in 2024, but he is the joint-highest scorer in this fixture, having netted seven goals in 11 appearances against Ecuador, including a hat-trick in a World Cup qualifying clash in October 2017.

Like Messi, Jose Manuel Moreno also scored seven times against La Tri to play a key role in Argentina reaching 103 head-to-head goals, while Ecuador have only mustered 39 goals against La Albiceleste.