Ivory Coast vs. Ecuador: How to watch, date, time, live stream and TV channel for 2026 World Cup fixture

Ivory Coast and Ecuador will clash in their opening 2026 World Cup game on Monday, with the two set to face off at Philadelphia Stadium.

The two nations will kick off after Germany and and Curacao meet on Sunday in Group E, meaning a defeat for either could prove to be psychologically damaging.

Here, Sports Mole provides details of how to watch the game.

What time does Ivory Coast vs. Ecuador kick off?

The World Cup match will kick off at 12am on Monday for viewers in the UK.

Where is Ivory Coast vs. Ecuador being played?

Monday's clash will take place in the United States of America, with the two teams set to compete at Philadelphia Stadium - also known as Lincoln Financial Field - in Pennsylvania.

The stadium will have a capacity of 65,827 for the World Cup, which is slightly reduced from the 67,500 capacity that it operates at for NFL games.

How to watch Ivory Coast vs. Ecuador in the UK

TV channels

The World Cup contest will be available on BBC One.

Spectators will be able to watch all of the competition's 104 matches on free-to-air TV for UK viewers, split between ITV and BBC.

Online streaming

UK viewers can stream the game live online via BBC iPlayer, which is available on a number of devices, including desktop, laptops, smartphones and tablets.

Highlights

For those unable to catch the match live, highlights will be available on BBC iPlayer and ITVX, as well as their respective X (Twitter), Facebook and YouTube channels.

For the first time ever, highlights of every game will also be available on TikTok.

What is at stake for Ivory Coast and Ecuador?

A third-placed finish for either team would not necessarily result in elimination from the competition given eight of the 12 teams that finish third will advance into the round of 32.

However, a win would likely put the victor in a strong position to finish at least second ahead of their final two games considering Germany will be expected to comfortably see past Curacao.

Despite boasting attacking talents such as Yan Diomande, Ivory Coast will find it difficult to get the better of Ecuador, who boast one of the world's best defences.

Perhaps Ecuador will prove to be too stubborn for their opponents, though it would not be surprising if the match was decided by a single goal.

> Our full preview of Ivory Coast vs. Ecuador can be found here