Ecuador closes its preparations for the 2026 World Cup qualifiers on Tuesday with a friendly against Costa Rica in Philadelphia, United States. Like La Trio, it is the last warm-up game for the Ticos before the Gold Cup dispute.

The match (19:15) will be the fourth in which the Spaniard Félix Sánchez Bas leads Ecuador, which has two wins and one loss, but has to face sensitive losses in defense such as that of central defender Piero Hincapié, injured in the match against the Bolivians, with 1 -0 with a win on Saturday in New Jersey.

While the journey with the new coach is just beginning for the Ecuadorian team, in Costa Rica they do not agree with the leadership of Colombian Luis Fernando Suarez, a World Cup player with Ecuador in 2006.

The Ticos arrive on the back of a 1-0 loss to Guatemala, which prompted criticism of Suárez, who called for “calmness” in analyzing his management, while striker Joel Campbell justified the loss to Chapines as “part of the process” with the coffee selector.

The main loss for the Central Americans is goalkeeper Keylor Navas, the club world champion and Champions League champion with Real Madrid. (D)