Argentina suffered a 1-0 loss to Ecuador with Liverpool midfielder Alexis Mac Allister featuring in the 2026 World Cup qualifier.

Alexis Mac Allister made a return to action as Argentina brought the curtain down on their 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign.

La Albiceleste are the current holders of the trophy heading into next year’s tournament in the USA, Mexico and Canada. And they made it through South American qualifying with ease as they topped the table with 38 points.

They earned their spot with a 3-0 win over Venezuela last week. However, Mac Allister did not feature because he suffered travel complications on the way to his homeland. He instead started the final qualification against Ecuador, with head coach Lionel Scaloni making wholesale changes.

Mac Allister is a regular starter for Argentina, playing a key role when they won the World Cup in Qatar three years ago as well as the Copa America in 2024. But the Liverpool midfielder, like many of his team-mates, had a difficult evening as Ecuador earned a 1-0 win and will join La Albiceleste in the 2026 competition.

Nicolas Otimendi’s 31st-minute red card when the game was goalless gave Argentina an uphill battle. Former West Ham and Everton striker Enner Valencia bagged the only goal of the game from the penalty spot deep into first half stoppage-time.

Scaloni warned that Mac Allister was not 100 per cent fit ahead of the encounter but opted to play him. The former Brighton man missed a large part of pre-season because of an injury and also Liverpool’s 3-2 win at Newcastle United because of a fitness issue.

Argentine media react to Mac Allister performance

And according to the Argentine media, he struggled in the Ecuador loss. Clarin handed Mac Allister just a 4/10 player rating and said: “He was the most advanced of the midfielders Scaloni deployed. For several periods, he even seemed like an additional striker, just a few meters behind Lautaro Martínez. However, he was imprecise and lacked attacking prowess. He barely made any significant interventions for a team that constantly needs him.”

BolaVIP agreed and claimed that the Reds star did not appear to be fully fit. It commented: “He looked physically diminished, as he wasn't at 100% and couldn't make a difference in the midfield. Towards the end of the match, he had a tense exchange with Piero Hincapié.”

La Nacion also handed Mac Allister a score of 4 and reported: “In a system with Lautaro as the sole striker, Alexis started as an enganche (playmaker), a position he's familiar with but doesn't frequently occupy for the national team. He couldn't be a key player in the passing circuit; the ball rarely passed through his feet. He dropped back when Argentina were reduced to 10 men and moved into the No. 5 role after De Paul's departure. Argentina missed his aggressive passing and pace in getting into the box.”

Ole were a tad more generous but only gave Mac Allister a 4.5. It said: “He played after being absent against Venezuela. He started a little further forward, but he wasn't convincing and didn't make an impact on the game.”

But TyC Sports did feel that Mac Allister was decent and awarded a respectable 6/10. It said: “He played as a midfielder until Paredes' departure. He wanted to play as a central midfielder, sometimes in 10-on-10 situations, becoming the focal point of the game.”