Competing in the finals of the World Cup for just the fourth time in their history, Ecuador will be bidding to reach the knockout round of the competition for the second time.
There had been some doubt over Ecuador's spot in the upcoming tournament, with Chile and Peru lodging appeals due to the involvement of Byron Castillo in the qualification campaign.
Chile and Peru claimed that Castillo was Colombian and had falsified his age, but the Court of Arbitration for Sport agreed with FIFA, who said back in June that the 23-year-old was able to play for Ecuador.
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La Tricolor will therefore definitely compete in Qatar, and they are in what looks to be an open Group A alongside Qatar, Senegal and the Netherlands.
Here, Sports Mole previews Ecuador's chances of success at the 2022 World Cup.
GROUP
Ecuador will kick off the competition against the hosts Qatar on November 20, and it will be fascinating to see what happens in the opening match of the tournament.
Gustavo Alfaro's side will be bidding to secure a positive result against Qatar, with arguably their toughest match in the section coming next against the Netherlands on November 25.
Ecuador will then round off their group stage against Senegal on November 29, which could prove to be a key match in terms of qualifying for the knockout round of the competition.
FIXTURES
November 20: Qatar vs. Ecuador (4pm, Al Bayt Stadium, Al Khor)
November 25: Netherlands vs. Ecuador (4pm, Khalifa International Stadium, Al Rayyan)
November 29: Ecuador vs. Senegal (3pm, Khalifa International Stadium, Al Rayyan)
HOW THEY QUALIFIED
Ecuador qualified for the finals of the World Cup courtesy of finishing fourth in their South American qualification section.
Brazil took first position with 45 points, while Argentina were second on 39 points, and Uruguay just ahead of Ecuador on 28 points, with all four sides automatically booking their spot at the tournament in Qatar.
La Tri won seven, drew five and lost six of their 18 matches in the group stage to collect 26 points, while they scored 27 goals and conceded 19 in the process, ending with a goal difference of plus eight.
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Ecuador only actually lost one of their last seven matches in the qualification phase, with the run including 1-1 draws with Brazil and Argentina earlier this year, which would have undoubtedly boosted their confidence.
The Tricolors were not present at the 2018 edition of the tournament, but they have recent experience when it comes to World Cups - bring present in 2006 and 2014 - while the national side demonstrated during qualification that there is plenty of quality within their group.
RECENT FORM
Ecuador will not play again until their opener against Qatar on November 20, with their last match seeing them play out a goalless draw with Iraq on Saturday.
The national side have now drawn each of their last three matches 0-0, also playing out stalemates with Saudi Arabia and Japan in the latter stages of September.
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Ecuador's last win was a 1-0 victory over Cape Verde in a friendly in the middle of June, while they have not lost a single match since Paraguay beat them 3-1 back in March.
The team's last competitive match was a 1-1 draw against Argentina in March, with each of their last six matches being friendlies, including a 1-0 victory over Nigeria.
The fact that they have only scored once in their last five matches is slightly concerning, but Alfaro's side have not conceded a single goal since the 1-1 draw with Argentina.
SQUAD
🔥 Aquí están los 26 jugadores elegidos por el DT #GustavoAlfaro para jugar la @fifaworldcup_es, estamos listos para hacer historia @PilsenerEcuador
— La Tri 🇪🇨 (@LaTri) November 14, 2022
❤️ ¡Un solo latido que representa a 18 millones de ecuatorianos! #HaremosHistoria pic.twitter.com/xy1grHHBAc
Goalkeepers: Alexander Dominguez (Deportes Tolima), Hernan Galindez (Aucas), Moises Ramirez (Independiente)
Defenders: Robert Arboleda (Sao Paulo), Xavier Arreaga (Seattle Sounders), Pervis Estupinan (Brighton), Piero Hincapie (Bayer Leverkusen), William Pacho (Royal Antwerp), Diego Palacios (LAFC), Jackson Porozo (Troyes), Angelo Preciado (Genk), Felix Torres (Santos Laguna)
Midfielders: Moises Caicedo (Brighton), Jose Cifuentes (LAFC), Alan Franco (Talleres), Carlos Grueso (Augsburg), Jhegson Mendez (LAFC), Ayrton Preciado (Santos Laguna), Jeremy Sarmiento (Brighton)
Forwards: Michael Estrada (Cruz Azul), Romario Ibarra (Pachuca), Angel Mena (Club Leon), Gonzalo Plata (Real Valladolid), Djorkaeff Reasco (Newell's Old Boys), Kevin Rodriguez (Imbabura SC), Enner Valencia (Fenerbahce)
STAR PLAYER - ENNER VALENCIA
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Brighton & Hove Albion's Moises Caicedo is making a name for himself in the Premier League, with the 21-year-old believed to be on the radar of some of the biggest clubs in world football.
However, it is very difficult to look past Enner Valencia when it comes to picking a star player for Ecuador considering what he has given to the national side over the years.
The 33-year-old, who now plays his club football for Fenerbahce, has scored 35 goals in 74 appearances for his country, making him their leading goalscorer ahead of Agustin Delgado.
Valencia previously played in the Premier League for West Ham United and Everton, but he has been with Turkish giants Fenerbahce since 2020.
Ecuador's chances of success at the 2022 competition could depend on Valencia finishing off their chances, with the striker looking to add to the three goals that he netted at the 2014 World Cup.
MANAGER - GUSTAVO ALFARO
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Alfaro has been in charge of Ecuador since 2020, and he will be managing at his first World Cup in Qatar.
The 60-year-old, who played as a midfielder for Atletico de Rafaela between 1988 and 1992, has been in football management since 1992, and it would be fair to say that he is well travelled.
Indeed, Alfaro has had 17 managerial positions during his post-playing career, and he was in charge of Boca Juniors before agreeing to take control of Ecuador in August 2020.
The position was his first in international football, but he has enjoyed success during his management career, namely winning the Supercopa Argentina and Superliga Argentina with Boca Juniors.
WORLD CUP RECORD
Best finish: Round of 16 (2006)
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As mentioned, this will be just Ecuador's third participation in the finals of a World Cup, and two of those tournaments ended in the group stage (2002 and 2014).
The national side did manage to progress to the round of 16 in 2006, though, finishing second behind Germany in Group A, with Poland and Costa Rica third and fourth respectively.
Ecuador picked up two wins and a defeat from their three matches, overcoming Poland and Costa Rica, scoring five times in the process and conceding zero, before losing 3-0 to Germany.
La Tricolor were drawn against England in the first knockout round, suffering a 1-0 defeat to the Three Lions, with David Beckham scoring the winner in the 60th minute of the contest.
PREDICTION
Ecuador are likely to be battling Senegal for second spot in Group A, and they will have to be at their best in order to progress to the knockout round of the competition.
There is plenty of quality in the Ecuador squad, as demonstrated during their qualification campaign, but we are expecting Senegal to join the Netherlands in the knockout round of the competition, leaving Ecuador third in the section ahead of the hosts Qatar.
VERDICT: Third in Group A
Matt Law
