In order to be at their best for the competition, the Netherlands and Ecuador must take Tuesday's friendly match at the former's Philips Stadion seriously as they both get ready for the 2026 World Cup.
Tuesday's meeting is currently Ecuador's last before the tournament starts, while the hosts defeated Norway 2-1 on Friday and have just two more games left until the summer.
Preview of the match
Given that he is apparently eager to use set-pieces as a weapon this summer, Netherlands manager Ronald Koeman will be happy that his team scored off a corner against Norway.
His side's recent history at major tournaments has been mixed, as while they reached the semi-finals of Euro 2024, they were eliminated at the quarter-final stage of both the 2022 World Cup and 2024-25 Nations League.
Oranje's form heading into Tuesday's game has been excellent given they are undefeated in their past nine outings, a period in which they triumphed seven times.
The Netherlands scored at least three goals in four of their six most recent fixtures, and they managed to keep three clean sheets in that stretch.
Koeman will also be hoping to extend their unbeaten streak at home to 10 matches, and a win would be their sixth in that time.
AFCON winners Morocco were forced to a 1-1 draw by Ecuador on Friday, their eighth draw in ten games, despite winning their other two meetings.
Given their exceptional defensive quality—the country has only given up three goals in their last ten games—the visitors on Tuesday will undoubtedly be formidable opponents.
Although Ecuador's skill level might be appropriate for knockout football, they were unable to score in half of those games.
The most recent encounter between La Seleccion and the Netherlands was a 1-1 draw in the 2022 World Cup group stage. La Seleccion has only ever met the Netherlands three times in their history, drawing two and losing one match against their hosts.
Sebastian Beccacece's team has frustrated opponents like Canada and the United States of America in his last seven games outside of Ecuador, resulting in seven draws.
Bart Verbruggen, the goalkeeper for Brighton & Hove Albion, is expected to start for the Netherlands once more. Virgil van Dijk and Jan Paul van Hecke, two center backs, will shield the goalie.
Ryan Gravenberch might receive his 26th cap, and Xavi Simons might take Tijjani Reijnders' spot as an advanced player for Manchester City.
Although Donyell Malen started as a number nine versus Norway, Koeman could give Brian Brobbey a start because he was substituted for the former the previous time out.
Number six Moises Caicedo, who will guard a four-man defense that includes Willian Pacho of Paris Saint-Germain, would have made Ecuador's defensive performances impossible, but Piero Hincapie of Arsenal has withdrawn.
Given that winger John Yeboah was substituted out due to injury against Morocco, supporters might see Kendry Paez play on the right flank, while Enner Valencia is probably going to be included as a striker.
Potential starting lineup for the Netherlands:
Verbruggen; Koopmeiners, Simons, Gakpo; Dumfries, Van Hecke, Van Dijk, Van de Ven; Gravenberch, Smit; Brobbey
Potential starting lineup for Ecuador:
Galindez; Caicedo, Vite; Paez, Plata, Minda; Valencia; Franco, Ordonez, Pacho, Estupinan
Ecuador has an outstanding defensive record, but they will face a Netherlands team that is scoring a lot of goals.
Although it is hard to imagine the visitors losing, the home team should have enough to win at Philips Stadion.
The top 10 biggest World Cup shocks of all time, six months out from the 2026 edition
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The beauty of the World Cup is that no result is ever certain; with so many differing footballing cultures from across the globe coming together, nobody can ever quite expect or prepare perfectly for what lies ahead.
Whether it is a big nation underestimating a smaller nation, or a team full of superstars completely imploding on themselves, every finals tournament witnesses results that shock the world - that is what makes the competition so special and so iconic.
Not a single World Cup goes by where a minnow does not come out of the shadows to shock the globe, whether that be by defeating one of the elite footballing nations, or by going deep in the competition against all odds, and it could happen again in 2026.
Saudi Arabia defeated the eventual champions Argentina in the first group stage match, causing the biggest upset of the previous World Cup. They now join a long series of minnows who have upset the apple cart on the largest platform in football.
Many countries that advanced farther than anticipated due to unexpected victories will be included in our top 10 list of the World Cup's most unexpected outcomes, along with those scores that, years or even decades after, still seem unbelievable.
The 2026 World Cup is quickly approaching, and everything is starting to feel very real, especially since the competition draw is already taking place.
The favorites for the trophy are thought to be Spain, England, France, Brazil, and Argentina; Portugal, Germany, and the Netherlands may also pose a threat. The competition for the trophy is expected to be exciting next year.
While Haiti, Jordan, Curacao, Uzbekistan, and Cape Verde will all be in the finals, Suriname may yet make it to the tournament. It will be interesting to see if there are any significant surprises in the competition.
There could be some major surprises at the 2026 tournament, which begins in little over six months. Football has a funny knack of producing the unexpected.
Here, Sports Mole selects the top ten World Cup upsets ever by going back in time.
10. Argentina 2-3 Romania (1994, United States, Last 16)
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At a World Cup which provided a seemingly endless list of shock outcomes, eliminations and scorelines, this ranks high amongst them all, as it kickstarted a tragically-poor World Cup for previous winners Spain.
This was arguably the most eye-catching fixture of the group stage, pitting two European heavyweights together, but the gulf in class on the night was a shock to the whole world, and sparked the downfall of the Spanish side which dominated international football for the previous
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After Robin van Persie's famous 'Flying Dutchman' header pulled the Oranje level before half time, Louis van Gaal's side ran riot, and in particular Arjen Robben, who put on one of the best individual performances by any player at the tournament. His blistering pace for the fifth and final goal, and composure to put almost every Spanish player on their backside, was a piece of artistry from the then-Bayern Munich winger.
However, despite destroying La Roja, and cruising through the group before finishing third in Brazil, it would be seven years before Holland played at another major finals, which again highlights the beauty of international football that nothing is ever guaranteed.
Germany's west 3-2 Hungary (1954 Final, Switzerland)
The 'Wunder von Bern' (Miracle of Bern) may not seem like a hugely surprising scoreline, but considering the backdrop to which this World Cup final was played back in 1954 means it is well worthy of a spot as one of the most surprising results in the history of the competition. Just nine years after the end of the Second World War, and with their country split in two, both halves of Germany were still rebuilding from the catastrophic damages and loss of life from the conflict.
Hungary meanwhile, were unquestionably the best side in the world during the 1950s, as the Mighty Magyars revolutionised football as we know it, with Ferenc Puskas, Sandor Kocsis and Nandor Hidegkuti among their leading lights. Their early brand of 'Total Football' saw them beat the West Germans 8-3 earlier on in the tournament, before seeing off Brazil and Uruguay on route to the final, scoring 25 goals in just four games at the finals.
After going 2-0 up inside eight minutes of the final, Hungary's name was virtually already on the trophy, but to the shock of millions tuning in, West Germany were level at 2-2 just 10 minutes later, and an 84th-minute winner Helmut Rahn sealed the win for the underdogs, as they claimed a first-ever World Cup crown The reaction in Hungary saw demonstrations against the communist government ruling the nation, an event which is believed to have laid the seeds behind the 1956 uprising, which in footballing terms all but finished off the Mighty Magyars as a unit, with many players and coaches emigrating, and Hungary have sadly never reached those heights since.
The 1966 World Cup is widely remembered on British shores for being the only time England have won a major tournament, however, for Italy and North Korea, this tournament represents something very different.
The Asian confederation was seen as so weak in 1966 that North Korea would have needed to play one of three sides from Africa after winning their own continental section just to qualify for the finals. Withdrawals in Asia and Africa cleared the path for North Korea to be the only non-European or Americas nation at the finals, but with political difficulties surrounding the recognition of their country following the Korean War, the UK only allowed them to enter the country following pressure from FIFA. Italy were not in a great place either, as the 1949 Superga air disaster, which killed much of their team, weighed heavily on the nation, and the football team, as they failed to progress past the groups in any of their appearances after winning the trophy in 1938.
Even still, North Korea were decades behind the Italians in terms of football stature and quality, but at Ayresome Park in Middlesbrough, Pak Doo-Ik's solitary goal saw the Asian outfit win 1-0, and progress to the knockouts at Italy's expense. Italy were European champions two years later and World Cup finalists at the following tournament, while despite going 3-0 up against Portugal in the quarter-final in 1966, North Korea lost 5-3 and did not feature at the finals again until 2010.
Italy 3-2 Slovakia (Group stage, South Africa 2010)
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The 1966 World Cup was not the only time that Italy have made a shock exit in the group stage - they repeated that unwanted feat in South Africa 12 years ago. The curse of the holders which has become so apparent in recent iterations of the tournament struck the Azzurri too; after they became world champions in 2006, they would then finish bottom of a group containing Paraguay, New Zealand and Slovakia. In a group littered with draws, all four sides could still qualify going into the final matches, and with Paraguay and New Zealand drawing 0-0, Italy only needed a draw to
However, they struggled all the way through the match, and found themselves 2-0 down with a quarter of an hour remaining thanks to a Robert Vittek brace. Antonio Di Natale gave Marcello Lippi's side a lifeline, before the little-known Kamil Kopunek came on to help Slovakia defend their lead, but instead the defender raced through on goal to score with his first touch, notching his only ever competitive goal for the national team. A late Fabio Quagliarella wonder goal was not enough, as Italy made one of the most humiliating group-stage exits of any elite nation in World Cup history.
Argentina 1-2 Saudi Arabia (Group stage, Qatar 2022)
In the first World Cup hosted by an Arab country, it was fitting that one of the most notable results in the entire tournament went in the favour of a country from the region. Nobody gave Saudi Arabia a chance heading into their group opener, as opponents Argentina were in the midst of 36-game unbeaten run, and even at half time there only appeared to be one winner, as Lionel Messi's penalty had the favourites ahead, while Lautaro Martinez had also had two goals disallowed.
Ranked 51st in the world, many expected Argentina to cruise to a comfortable victory, but a staggering five-minute spell early in the second half shook the world of football. A clever finish from Saleh Al-Shehri, and a spectacular strike from Salem Al Dawsari turned the game on its head, and a stunned Argentina were unable to respond, falling to an opening defeat, and ending their legnthy unbeaten run.
However, the result had little significance on the final standings in Group C, or on the competition as a whole, considering Argentina went on to win the World Cup just over three weeks later, and Saudi Arabia were eliminated after losing their other two games in the section.
England 0-1 USA (Group stage, Brazil 1950)
At England's first-ever World Cup finals appearance, self-belief was not in short supply, as they were the most in-form national side post-World War II. England's sense of assumed superiority was prominent before the war, as they did not enter any of the first three World Cups under the belief that it was not worth their time to join FIFA and play against other 'lesser nations' halfway around the world.
With the likes of Tom Finney and Stan Mortensen in the side, England expected to comfortably dismantle a US side comprised purely of part-time footballers and some players who were not even US citizens, and one of them was Joe Gaetjens, who was Haitian-born, and played for Haiti from 1944, with his only US appearances coming at the 1950 World Cup. Gaetjens would be the man who scored the only goal of the match in what was arguably the biggest World Cup shock ever at that point in history, and England were eliminated.
Unfortunately, given the lack of interest of football in America at this time, and the limited media coverage of sport in the UK, the magnitude of this result was never truly realised until decades later, but by that time, Gaetjens, the sole goalscorer, had been murdered in his native Haiti by government forces.
Bulgaria 2-1 Germany (USA 1994 quarterfinal)
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Before 1994, Germany had reached four of the previous five World Cup finals, winning two, and reached four of the previous six European Championship finals, again, winning two. They were an absolute machine who took some stopping, and travelled to the States in 1994 as holders following their success at Italia '90.
Bulgaria meanwhile, stunned the world just to make the finals, beating France in the last minute of their final qualifier in Paris to leapfrog Les Bleus into the second qualification spot. Germany made light work of their group, while Bulgaria needed a win over Argentina in their final group fixture to ensure progression, and after both sides won in the last 16, Bulgaria were set up for a quarter-final tie with the reigning world champions.
An early second-half penalty from Lothar Matthaus looked to have given Germany all they needed for safe passage to the semi-finals, but a quick-fire double from talisman Hristo Stoichkov and Yordan Letchkov stunned the Germans and sent them home. Bulgaria would fall one hurdle short of the final, losing to Italy in the semi-finals, but Stoichkov went home with the Golden Boot to ensure his status as one of the all-time great Eastern European footballers, thanks in part to his performances in 1994.
Senegal 0-1 France (Group stage, South Korea & Japan 2002)
France laid the foundations of how the rest of their group stage would go in this encounter, as they were woeful and deserved to finish on the losing side, as Papa Bouba Diop's strike on the half-hour mark sent all of Senegal and their respective diaspora across France into delirium. It was the perfect introduction for a World Cup full of shocks, such as France and Argentina going out in the group stage, and Turkey and South Korea reaching the semi-finals.
Brazil 1-7 Germany (Semi-final, Brazil 2014)
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There is no doubting the number one spot in this list, as it could lay claim to being the most shocking result in the history of professional football, given the stage, the location and the stakes. Brazil were increasingly confident of winning a sixth World Cup once they saw off the competition's overachievers Colombia in the quarter-final, while Germany went under the radar, as they usually do, with very narrow, unspectacular wins over Algeria and France in the knockouts.
As everyone knows though, Germany always find a way, but nobody quite expected them to tear Brazil apart on their own turf in quite the manner in which they did. An early Thomas Muller opener silenced the Mineirao in Belo Horizonte, but a crazy five-minute spell midway through the first half will live forever in footballing folklore. Klose 23', Kroos 24', Kroos 26', Khedira 29', 0-5.No matter where the camera panned to, there were Brazilians in flood of tears, seeing their dream of lifting the World Cup on home soil crushed in front of their eyes, and eerie comparisons were made to the 'Maracanazo', when Brazil were beaten in the 1950 World Cup final by underdogs Uruguay, also on home turf.
With Brazil's confidence shot to bits, Andre Schurrle added another two in the second half to make it 7-0, before Oscar netted a consolation to the absolute fury of the German backline. With that, the most famous and most shocking World Cup scoreline ever was written, and it is very unlikely that it will ever be topped.
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Even though Cameroon had already shocked Argentina at the previous World Cup by defeating them in the opening match of Italia '90, Argentina managed to go to the final. Four years later, Romania was enjoying its moment in the sun in the United States, and Argentina would play the Eastern European team in the round of sixteen. Along with other renowned players like Dan Petrescu, Ilie Dumitrescu, Miodrag Belodedici, and Florin Raducioiu, the great Gheorghe Hagi led the Tricolorii to the top of their group, defeating the hosts, USA.
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