Ecuador
Their best squad ever, gutted by a late loss
Arguably their best team ever — and they lost in the 90th minute to a goal they barely deserved.
Watchability4/5
Drama5/5
Star power4/5
Title shot2/5
Team rating
79TEAM
- Attack76
- Midfield79
- Defense81
Next matches
- Next upvs CuraçaoArrowhead Stadium, Kansas CityJun 20
- vs GermanyMetLife Stadium, East RutherfordJun 25
The read
Ecuador have never reached a World Cup quarterfinal, and many call this their best squad ever — a £100M midfielder in Moisés Caicedo, a 19-year-old phenom in Kendry Páez, an elite , and a 36-year-old legend (Enner Valencia) on his farewell tour. They walked into the tournament on a 19-game unbeaten run, then lost 1-0 to Ivory Coast in the 90th minute despite hitting the woodwork twice.
The fan’s readArguably their best team ever — a £100M midfielder, a 19-year-old phenom, an elite — walking in on a 19-game unbeaten run. A heartbroken favorite is a dangerous, gripping watch.
The cast
- Sebastián BeccaceceArgentine coach who guided Ecuador to a 2nd-place finish in South American qualifying, behind only Argentina.manager
- Moisés Caicedo ★The most expensive British-record signing as a defensive midfielder — the unglamorous engine who decides whether Ecuador's run lives or dies.ClubChelsea
- Kendry PáezA 19-year-old phenom Chelsea already bought and loaned back out.ClubRiver Plate (on loan from Chelsea)
- Enner ValenciaEcuador's all-time top scorer, 36, on his farewell tour.ClubPachuca
- Piero HincapiéA defender so calm he makes elite strikers look ordinary.ClubBayer Leverkusen
Key moments
- 20062006 — best-ever runEcuador's best World Cup was 2006, when they reached the Round of 16 (the last 16 teams) before losing 1-0 to England — they have never gone further.
- —Never a quarterfinalAcross all their World Cups, Ecuador has never reached a quarterfinal — the glass ceiling this "best-ever" team is trying to break.
- 202619 games unbeatenEcuador walked into the 2026 World Cup on a 19-game unbeaten streak, having finished second in South American qualifying behind only Argentina.