Ecuador national football team explained

Ecuador
Nickname: (The Tri)
(The Tricolors)
Badge:Ecuador national football team.png
Badge Size:155px
Association:Ecuadorian Football Federation (FEF)
Confederation:CONMEBOL (South America)
Coach:Sebastián Beccacece
Captain:Enner Valencia
Most Caps:Iván Hurtado (168)
Top Scorer:Enner Valencia (41)
Home Stadium:Estadio Rodrigo Paz Delgado
Fifa Trigramme:ECU
Fifa Max:10
Fifa Max Date:June 2013
Fifa Min:71
Fifa Min Date:November 2017
Elo Max:11
Elo Max Date:27 March 2013
Elo Min:120
Elo Min Date:December 1959
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Body1:FFFC00
Rightarm1:FFFC00
Shorts1:253167
Socks1:253167
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First Game: 1–1
(Bogotá, Colombia; 8 August 1938)
Largest Win: 6–0
(Quito, Ecuador; 22 June 1975)
Largest Loss: 12–0
(Montevideo, Uruguay; 22 January 1942)
World Cup Apps:4
World Cup First:2002
World Cup Best:Round of 16 (2006)
Regional Name:Copa América
Regional Cup Apps:30
Regional Cup First:1939
Regional Cup Best:Fourth place (1959, 1993)
2Ndregional Name:CONCACAF Gold Cup
2Ndregional Cup Apps:1
2Ndregional Cup First:2002
2Ndregional Cup Best:Group stage (2002)

The Ecuador national football team (Spanish; Castilian: Selección de fútbol de Ecuador), nicknamed La Tricolor, represents Ecuador in men's international football and is controlled by the Ecuadorian Football Federation (FEF). They joined FIFA in 1926 and CONMEBOL a year later.

Discarding an invitation to participate in the inaugural FIFA World Cup held in Uruguay, Ecuador did not make their tournament debut until 2002. After finishing above Brazil and Uruguay in the standings, the qualifying campaign marked the emergence of several players, such as Agustín Delgado, Álex Aguinaga, Iván Hurtado, Ulises de la Cruz and Iván Kaviedes, who would set the stage for Ecuador's achievements in the next decade.[1] Having reached the Round of 16 in a memorable 2006 World Cup campaign,[2] they were expected to deliver at the 2007 Copa América but were eliminated in the group stage.[3] Along with Venezuela, they have not won the continental tournament. La Tris best performance was fourth in 1959 and 1993, both times on home soil.

Ecuador plays the majority of their home matches at the Estadio Olímpico Atahualpa in Quito.

History

Historically, Ecuador has been seen as a struggling footballing nation in South America. Despite their past failures, however, Ecuador has risen to be a serious South American competitor in recent years.

Football was introduced to Ecuador by Juan Alfredo Wright, who had recently returned from university in England. On 23 April 1899, he and his brother Roberto founded the first Ecuadorian football team, Guayaquil Sport Club.[4] [5] As the popularity of the sport grew in the country, more teams were established. On 30 May 1925, the Federación Deportiva Nacional del Ecuador was founded.[5] In 1930, FIFA sent an invitation encouraging for a men's national team to participate at the maiden World Cup. However, the then-Minister of Social Security and Sports declined the offer as they did not approve of the financial allocation.[6]

In 1938, the I Bolivarian Games were organized, with Ecuador set to take part in the football tournament. On 8 August 1938, they played their first-ever match; a 1–1 draw with Bolivia. Their following game saw the national team earn a 2–1 win against Colombia. Following a 9–1 crushing by Peru and a 5–2 victory over Venezuela, Ecuador was tied for the silver medal with Bolivia. A playoff saw the Bolivians emerge triumphantly and the Ecuadorians finished the competition with the bronze medal.[7]

After finishing fourth at the 1959 South American Championship, the team entered the World Cup qualifiers for the first time. They failed to qualify for 1962 after inflicted defeats by Argentina.

The 1998 World Cup qualifiers saw the format for qualifying in CONMEBOL changed to a league home-and-away system. This difference made a huge impact on Ecuador's performance as they clinched several important home wins during the campaign. In the end, they achieved a 6th-place finish, just under Peru and Chile.

Following the appointment of Hernán Darío Gómez for their 2002 World Cup qualifying campaign, Ecuador recorded a historic 1–0 win against Brazil.[8] A 5–1 win over Bolivia saw la Tricolor only needing a point to qualify for the World Cup. They faced Uruguay, and, after managing to cling onto a 1–1 draw, obtained their spot in the World Cup in East Asia.[1]

Ecuador started the 2002 World Cup with a 2–0 loss to Italy. Agustín Delgado scored his country's first World Cup goal; he opened the scoring in a 2–1 loss to Mexico.[9] Despite defeating Croatia, who had achieved third place in the previous tournament, and eliminated the Croats in process, Ecuador placed fourth in Group G and 24th overall.

A disappointing showing at the 2004 Copa América led to the resignation of Gómez, who was replaced by Luis Fernando Suárez. He led them successfully through the latter stages of the qualification process for the 2006 FIFA World Cup, finishing third to make the finals. In Germany, they were drawn into Group A with the hosts, Poland, and Costa Rica. Wins over Poland and Costa Rica earned Ecuador qualification to the knockout stages for the first time.

After a dull 2014 FIFA World Cup, and an unpleasant streak of failing to advance past the group stages of the Copa América, Gustavo Quinteros was hired to help rebuild the national team. Quinteros helped Ecuador reach the quarter-finals of the Copa América Centenario[10] and started the 2018 World Cup qualifiers strong. They were setback after a loss to Uruguay and finished eighth in the standings.

Gómez was reinstalled to lead Ecuador at the 2019 Copa América. His second stint was short, as he was soon fired after a disastrous tournament, having only earned a point.[11]

For the qualifying for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, as punishment for falsifying birth documents for Byron Castillo in the previous World Cup qualification cycle, Ecuador were deducted three points and fined CHF 100,000.[12]

Home stadium

See main article: Estadio Olímpico Atahualpa.

The Ecuador national team plays their home games at the Estadio Olímpico Atahualpa in Quito. Having opened in 1951, it initially had a capacity of 45,000, but was later reduced to 35,724.

The stadium has a running track, which has gone to be one of the most important in South America for events organized by the former International Association of Athletics Federations.[13]

15 gates surround the stadium, allowing for an evacuation to be completed in about 10 minutes. The venue also features an electronic scoreboard located in the northern sector. The screen, manufactured by Hungarian-based company Elektroimpex in 1985, measures 10 meters tall and 30 meters wide.[14]

In this stadium, Ecuador defeated Uruguay at the 1993 Copa América and Brazil at the 2002 World Cup qualifiers.[8] After tying with the former on 7 November 2001, Ecuador qualified for their first World Cup. Since then, Ecuador has qualified three times.

The stadium is set to be demolished in late-2020 for a newer stadium, which in first instance was for preparation for the 2024 Copa América.[15] [16] However, Ecuador declined to host Copa America in 2022.[17]

For the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, Ecuador played at the Casa Blanca.

Team image

The standard Ecuador uniform maintains the colours of the national flag, typically a yellow top, blue shorts, and red socks.[18] The alternate colours of the uniform are white and blue, this being based on the flag of the Guayas Province. From 1965 to 2020, the crest featured the Andean condor, Ecuador's national bird, above a shield with the country's colors. In January 2020, the Ecuadorian Football Federation announced a rebrand of the logo; a navy blue shield with an "FEF" monogram attempting to "abstractly build a condor".[19] [20]

Kit sponsorship

Kit supplierPeriod
Adidas1985
Credeport1986–1990
Puma1991–1992
Reebok1993–1994
Marathon1994–present

Results and fixtures

See main article: Ecuador national football team results (2020–present). The following is a list of match results in the last 12 months, as well as any future matches that have been scheduled.

2024

Coaching history

Players

Current squad

The following 26 players were called up for the 2024 Copa América.[21]

Caps and goals current as of 4 July 2024, after the match against .

Recent call-ups

The following players have been called up during the last twelve months.INJ Withdrew from the squad due to injury.
PRE Preliminary squad / standby.
RET Retired from the national team.
SUS Withdrew from the squad due to suspension.

Retired numbers

Following the death of Christian Benítez, the Ecuadorian Football Federation retired his jersey number 11 from the national team. According to the Federation's then-president, Luis Chiriboga, to honor Benítez the number would no longer be used by any other team player.[22] However, due to FIFA regulations, the number had to be reinstated for the 2014 World Cup squad.[23]

Player records

[24]

Players in bold are still active with Ecuador.

Most appearances

width=30Rankwidth=150Playerwidth=50Capswidth=50Goalswidth=100Ecuador career
1Iván Hurtado1684
2Walter Ayoví12282001–2017
3Édison Méndez112182000–2014
4Álex Aguinaga109231987–2004
5Ulises de la Cruz10161995–2010
6Luis Capurro10011985–2003
7Antonio Valencia99112004–2019
8Giovanny Espinoza9032000–2009
9Enner Valencia89412012–present
10Segundo Castillo8892003–2016
José Francisco Cevallos8801994–2010

Most goals

width=30Rankwidth=150Playerwidth=50Goalswidth=50Capswidth=50Ratiowidth=100Ecuador career
1Enner Valencia4189
2Agustín Delgado3171
3Eduardo Hurtado26741992–2002
4Christian Benítez25612005–2013
5Álex Aguinaga231091987–2004
6Felipe Caicedo22682005–2017
7Édison Méndez181122000–2014
8Raúl Avilés16551987–1993
Iván Kaviedes16571996–2012
10Ariel Graziani15341997–2000

Competitive record

FIFA World Cup

See main article: Ecuador at the FIFA World Cup.

FIFA World Cup recordwidth=1% rowspan=28Qualification record
YearRoundPositionSquad
1930Did not enterDeclined invitation
1934Did not enter
1938
1950WithdrewWithdrew
1954Did not enterDid not enter
1958
1962Did not qualify2002311
1966521277
1970401328
1974402238
1978401319
1982411225
1986401328
1990411245
1994813477
1998166372221
2002Group stage24th310224Squad189452320
2006Round of 1612th420254Squad188462319
2010Did not qualify186572226
2014Group stage17th311133Squad167452016
2018Did not qualify1862102629
2022Group stage18th311143Squad187562719
2026Qualification in progress632153
2030To be determinedTo be determined
2034
TotalRound of 16135261414—167574070199221

Copa América

See main article: Ecuador at the Copa América. Champions   Runners-up   Third place   Fourth place  

South American Championship / Copa América record
width=100Yearwidth=95Roundwidth=60Positionwidth=20width=20width=20width=20width=20width=20width=60Squad
1916Not a CONMEBOL member
1917
1919
1920
1921
1922
1923
1924
1925
1926
1927Did not participate
1929
1935
1937
1939Fifth place5th4004418Squad
19415th4004121Squad
1942Seventh place7th6006431Squad
19457th6015927Squad
1946Withdrew
1947Sixth place6th7034317Squad
1949Seventh place7th7106721Squad
19537th6024113Squad
1955Sixth place6th5005422Squad
1956Withdrew
1957Seventh place7th6015723Squad
1959Withdrew
1959Fourth place4th411259Squad
1963Sixth place6th61231418Squad
1967Did not qualify
1975Group stage9th4013410Squad
19799th410347Squad
19839th4022410Squad
19878th201114Squad
19897th412122Squad
19917th411265Squad
1993Fourth place4th6402135Squad
1995Group stage9th310223Squad
1997Quarter-finals5th422052Squad
1999Group stage11th300337Squad
20019th310255Squad
200412th3003310Squad
200711th300336Squad
201110th301225Squad
201510th310246Squad
2016Quarter-finals8th412174Squad
2019Group stage11th301227Squad
2021Quarter-finals8th503259Squad
20248th412154Squad
TotalFourth place30/38130172885139331—

Pan American Games

Pan American Games record
YearRoundPosition
1951Did not participate
1955
1959
1963
1967
1971
1975
1979
1983
1987
1991
1995Group stage9th3102610
Since 1999See Ecuador national under-23 football team
TotalGroup stage1/123102610

Head-to-head record

Below is a result summary of all matches Ecuador have played against FIFA recognized teams.[25]

Honours

Despite never having won a title with their senior team, Ecuador has two relevant achievements with their youth teams.

Senior team

Invitational

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Hace 18 años Ecuador clasificó a su primer mundial de fútbol. 7 November 2019. es. El Universo. 27 April 2020.
  2. News: Ecuador Breathes the Thick Air of Victory. The New York Times . 15 June 2006. 27 April 2020.
  3. Web site: Falta de puntería silencia a seleccionados ecuatorianos. 6 July 2007. Raúl Chávez. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20071227184300/http://www.hoy.com.ec/NoticiaNue.asp?row_id=271481. 27 December 2007. 27 April 2020.
  4. Web site: ¿Cómo llegó el fútbol a Ecuador. 26 April 2013. 27 April 2020. es. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20190627023359/http://studiofutbol.com.ec/2013/04/26/como-llego-el-futbol-a-ecuador/. 27 June 2019.
  5. Web site: Historia de La Federación Ecuatoriana de Fútbol. ecuafutbol.org. 27 April 2020. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20180822213834/http://www.ecuafutbol.org/web/historia.php. 22 August 2018.
  6. Web site: Ecuador en la Copa Mundo. 27 April 2020. 18 June 2008. https://web.archive.org/web/20080618104203/http://www.ecuador-embassy.or.jp/wc2002/s/history.html. dead.
  7. Web site: José Luis Pierrend. Alfonzo Cornejo. Bolivarian Games: Soccer Tournaments. RSSSF. 27 April 2020.
  8. Web site: Otra primera vez, Ecuador venció a Brasil. 15 May 2002. es. El Universo. 28 April 2020. 6 February 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170206180338/http://www.eluniverso.com/2002/05/15/0001/664/F8AF5E2DDEDA44EAAD4F4D95A8F8ED7D.html. dead.
  9. Web site: Tin Delgado, un goleador mundial.... 9 June 2002. es. El Universo. 27 April 2020.
  10. Web site: Ecuador cayó 2-1 ante Estados Unidos y se despidió de la Copa América 2016. El Universo. 16 June 2016. es. 27 April 2020.
  11. Web site: A menos de un año de su presentación, Hernán Darío Gómez dejó de ser el técnico de Ecuador. infobae.com. 31 July 2019. es.
  12. Web site: The CAS confirms the eligibility of the player Byron Castillo (Ecuador) but imposes sanctions against the Ecuadorian Football Federation for a violation of the FIFA regulations . Court of Arbitration for Sport . 8 November 2022.
  13. Web site: Conocé el Estadio Olímpico Atahualpa. AFA. 30 January 2017. 5 May 2020.
  14. Web site: El marcador del Atahualpa también celebra las victorias de Ecuador. El Telégrafo. 8 October 2016. 5 May 2020. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20181019121935/https://www.eltelegrafo.com.ec/noticias/eliminatorias/24/el-marcador-del-atahualpa-tambien-celebra-las-victorias-de-ecuador. 19 October 2018.
  15. Web site: Ecuador comenzó estudios para modernizar los estadios para 2023. El Universo. 14 June 2012. 5 May 2020.
  16. Web site: 13 January 2020 . El estadio Olímpico Atahualpa será demolido a finales del 2020 y se levantará otro estadio con mayor capacidad . 27 April 2020 . es.
  17. Web site: November 9, 2022 . Ya es oficial: Ecuador no será sede de la Copa América 2024 . November 10, 2022 . El Universo . es.
  18. Web site: Federación Ecuatoriana de Fútbol, el portal de fútbol ecuatoriano . 12 November 2013 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20131101015232/http://www.ecuafutbol.org/selecciones/camisetas_40.aspx . 1 November 2013 .
  19. Web site: SportsLogos.Net - CONMEBOL Logos - CONMEBOL Logos - the News and History of Sports Logos and Uniforms.
  20. Web site: Flight of the Condor. underconsideration.com. 31 January 2020. 27 April 2020.
  21. latriecu . C7k3SLbIQl8 . Junto a @pilsenerec queremos presentar a los jugadores que representarán a todo un país en la CONMEBOL @copaamerica . 29 May 2024 . 30 May 2024 . es.
  22. Web site: Número 11 de Ecuador Siempre Será de Chucho. ecuafutbol.org. Federación Ecuatoriana de Fútbol. 1 August 2013. es. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20130819062130/http://www.ecuafutbol.org/ui/detalle.aspx?seccion=1&categserie=7&nivel=0&subnivel=0&id=3041&tabla=N. 19 August 2013.
  23. Web site: Soccer-Ecuador to reinstate Benitez's number 11 for World Cup. 6 March 2014. reuters.com.
  24. Web site: Ecuador - International Appearances by Player. RSSSF.
  25. Web site: World Football Elo Ratings: Ecuador.

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