Ecuador and Brazil will cross paths for the 37th time when they meet in Guayaquil for a World Cup qualifier on Thursday night.
Both nations are set to qualify for next summer's finals, with Ecuador on course to go back-to-back, while Brazil will maintain their phenomenal record at playing at every World Cup ever held.
Brazil's dominance in the game is reflected in this fixture too, where the Selecao have suffered very little hardship over the years, but that could be fading, as Ecuador grow as a footballing nation.
Here, Sports Mole takes an in-depth look at the head-to-head record and previous meetings between the two nations.
© Imago
Head-to-head record
Previous meetings: 36
Ecuador wins: 2
Draws: 6
Brazil wins: 28
During the 20th century, it was very rarely a contest when Brazil faced Ecuador, as the Selecao did not lose any of the first 20 meetings between the nations, winning 18.
In just the first five meetings alone, all of which came in the Copa America, Brazil scored a whopping 32 goals, unsurprisingly winning all five, while one of the two draws in the opening 20 encounters came during Ecuador's home tournament at the 1993 Copa.
The gulf between the two has narrowed significantly since, but Ecuador have still struggled to come out on top, never winning on Brazilian soil in their history.
La Tricolor's only two wins in this fixture came at home in back-to-back World Cup qualifying campaigns in 2001 and 2004, both of which ended in 1-0 against world-class XI's.
In 2001, Ecuador got the better of a Brazil team that included Romario, Rivaldo and Ronaldinho in their front three, and in 2004, adding Kaka, Ronaldo, Roberto Carlos and Cafu was not enough to turn the tide either, as the two both qualified for those respective World Cups.
In the 21st century, Brazil have not enjoyed quite the same level of dominance, but they are still 13 games unbeaten against Ecuador - winning nine, including the most recent in September 2024, when Rodrygo scored the only goal in a narrow victory in Curitiba.
Last 10 meetings
Sep 07, 2024: Brazil 1-0 Ecuador (World Cup Qualifying)
Jan 27, 2022: Ecuador 1-1 Brazil (World Cup Qualifying)
Jun 27, 2021: Brazil 1-1 Ecuador (Copa America Group Stage)
Jun 05, 2021: Brazil 2-0 Ecuador (World Cup Qualifying)
Aug 31, 2017: Brazil 2-0 Ecuador (World Cup Qualifying)
Sep 01, 2016: Ecuador 0-3 Brazil (World Cup Qualifying)
Sep 10, 2014: Brazil 1-0 Ecuador (Friendly)
Jul 13, 2011: Brazil 4-2 Ecuador (Copa America Group Stage)
Mar 29, 2009: Ecuador 1-1 Brazil (World Cup Qualifying)
Oct 17, 2007: Brazil 5-0 Ecuador (World Cup Qualifying)
Andrew Delaney
