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Kansas City will host the Group E match between Ecuador and Curacao, with kick-off scheduled for 7 pm local time (1 am UK time).

Because the head-to-head record is prioritised over goal difference, Ecuador—who have already lost to the Ivory Coast—would be effectively knocked out of the tournament with a game to spare if they lose this encounter.

Curacao, however, still have a mathematical chance of progressing, but they need to secure at least a point from this match to keep their hopes alive.

Chinese referee Ma Ning has been confirmed as the official for the Ecuador vs Curacao game, marking his first appearance as a referee at a World Cup.

The 47-year-old Ma was one of the AFC referees chosen for the 2022 World Cup, where he served as the fourth official in six matches but did not take charge of any game on the field.

Ma is experienced in handling high-profile matches, having previously officiated at the Club World Cup and the Arab Cup. His most notable assignment so far was the 2023 Asian Cup final, which was played in 2024, often described as the Asian equivalent of the Euros final.

Assisting Ma on the touchlines will be fellow Chinese official Zhou Fei and Qatar’s Saud Al-Maqaleh. The fourth official for the match will be New Zealander Campbell-Kirk Kawana-Waugh, who once famously refereed a cup final on the same day his wife officiated another final.

The Video Assistant Referee (VAR) duties will be led by Fu Ming, also from China, with Italy’s Marco Di Bello and Poland’s Tomasz Kwiatkowski supporting him in the review booth.

Ecuador enter this fixture after a narrow 1-0 defeat to the Ivory Coast in their opening match, while World Cup debutants Curacao will be looking to recover from a heavy 7-1 loss against Germany.