Ecuador at the FIFA World Cup 2026

History

Ecuador have appeared at four previous FIFA World Cups: Korea/Japan 2002 (debut), Germany 2006, Brazil 2014, and Qatar 2022. Their best performance came at Germany 2006, when they topped their group with wins over Poland and Costa Rica before falling 1-0 to England in the round of 16. At their debut in 2002 and at 2014 and 2022 they were eliminated in the group stage. At Qatar 2022 they made headlines by beating host Qatar 2-0 in the tournament opener, but failed to advance. Ecuador have never won the World Cup.

Qualification

Ecuador finished second in the CONMEBOL qualifying table with 29 points from 18 matches (eight wins, eight draws, two losses), their best qualifying finish since the 2002 cycle. Under Sebastián Beccacece, who took charge in August 2024, La Tri lost only two matches across the entire campaign. Standout results included wins away in Colombia and at home against Argentina, as well as a home draw against Brazil. Their qualification is all the more notable given that Ecuador had faced a three-point penalty at the start of the cycle as a consequence of the Byron Castillo eligibility controversy from the previous qualifying campaign.

Preparation

Ecuador opened their pre-tournament warm-up programme with a 2-1 win over Saudi Arabia on 30 May 2026 at Sports Illustrated Stadium (Red Bull Arena) in Harrison, New Jersey, with goals from Jackson Porozo (35') and Anthony Valencia (51'). The following night, 31 May, Beccacece announced his final 26-man World Cup squad. A second warm-up friendly against Guatemala follows on 7 June 2026 in Columbus, Ohio. Earlier in 2026 Ecuador drew 1-1 against both Morocco and the Netherlands in European friendlies, extending a long undefeated run under Beccacece. The Argentine coach, with previous experience at Defensa y Justicia and Elche and World Cup experience as an assistant to Jorge Sampaoli at Chile 2014 and Argentina 2018, has brought a high-press, attacking identity to the team.

Latest news

Beccacece names final 26-man Ecuador squad for the World Cup

· squad

Ecuador confirmed their final 26-player World Cup roster on the night of 31 May 2026. Thirteen players have prior World Cup experience and thirteen will debut. Newcomers versus the provisional file include Jordy Alcívar, John Yeboah, Alan Minda, Jordy Caicedo and Jeremy Arévalo; Anthony Valencia made the cut after his Saudi Arabia performance.

Mercado and Campana among omissions from Ecuador's final squad

· squad

Several players missed Ecuador's final 26. Patrik Mercado was ruled out by an ACL rupture and Leonardo Campana by injury, while Keny Arroyo (Cruzeiro) was left out despite good club form. Jhegson Méndez and John Mercado, who featured in earlier squads, were also not selected.

Ecuador beat Saudi Arabia 2-1 in pre-World Cup friendly

· matches

Ecuador won their first pre-tournament warm-up 2-1 against Saudi Arabia on 30 May 2026 at Sports Illustrated Stadium (Red Bull Arena) in Harrison, New Jersey. Jackson Porozo opened the scoring in the 35th minute and Anthony Valencia added a second in the 51st; Sultan Mandash pulled one back for Saudi Arabia late on.

Squad

PlayerPositionClub
Hernán GalíndezGKHuracán
Gonzalo ValleGKL.D.U. Quito
Moisés RamírezGKAE Kifisias
Pervis EstupiñánDFAC Milan
Joel OrdóñezDFClub Brugge
Ángelo PreciadoDFAtlético Mineiro
Willian PachoDFParis Saint-Germain
Piero HincapiéDFArsenal
Kevin RodríguezFWUnion Saint-Gilloise
Félix TorresDFInternacional
Jackson PorozoDFClub Tijuana
Jordy AlcívarMFIndependiente del Valle
John YeboahMFVenezia
Moisés CaicedoMFChelsea
Kendry PáezMFRiver Plate
Alan FrancoMFAtlético Mineiro
Pedro ViteMFVancouver Whitecaps
Denil CastilloMFFC Midtjylland
Yaimar MedinaMFKRC Genk
Alan MindaFWAtlético Mineiro
Enner ValenciaFWPachuca
Gonzalo PlataFWFlamengo
Jordy CaicedoFWHuracán
Jeremy ArévaloFWVfB Stuttgart
Nilson AnguloFWRSCA Futures
Anthony ValenciaFWRoyal Antwerp

Recent results

  • 2023-09-07 — ARG 1-0 ECU (qualification)
  • 2023-09-12 — ECU 2-1 URU (qualification)
  • 2023-10-12 — BOL 1-2 ECU (qualification)
  • 2023-10-17 — ECU 0-0 COL (qualification)
  • 2023-11-16 — VEN 0-0 ECU (qualification)
  • 2023-11-21 — ECU 1-0 CHI (qualification)
  • 2024-03-21 — ECU 2-0 GUA (friendly)
  • 2024-03-24 — ECU 0-2 ITA (friendly)
  • 2024-06-09 — ARG 1-0 ECU (friendly)
  • 2024-06-12 — ECU 3-1 BOL (friendly)
  • 2024-06-16 — ECU 2-1 HON (friendly)
  • 2024-09-06 — BRA 1-0 ECU (qualification)
  • 2024-09-10 — ECU 1-0 PER (qualification)
  • 2024-10-10 — ECU 0-0 PAR (qualification)
  • 2024-10-15 — URU 0-0 ECU (qualification)
  • 2024-11-14 — ECU 4-0 BOL (qualification)
  • 2024-11-19 — COL 0-1 ECU (qualification)
  • 2025-03-21 — ECU 2-1 VEN (qualification)
  • 2025-03-25 — CHI 0-0 ECU (qualification)
  • 2025-06-05 — ECU 0-0 BRA (qualification)
  • 2025-06-10 — PER 0-0 ECU (qualification)
  • 2025-09-04 — PAR 0-0 ECU (qualification)
  • 2025-09-09 — ECU 1-0 ARG (qualification)
  • 2025-10-10 — USA 1-1 ECU (friendly)
  • 2025-10-14 — MEX 1-1 ECU (friendly)
  • 2025-11-13 — CAN 0-0 ECU (friendly)
  • 2025-11-18 — ECU 2-0 NZL (friendly)
  • 2026-03-27 — MAR 1-1 ECU (friendly)
  • 2026-03-31 — NED 1-1 ECU (friendly)

Predict Group E →