Ecuador has announced its full 26-player squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. It’s the fifth time the country has qualified for the FIFA World Cup. The South Americans’ best performance came in 2006. In Germany, they reached the round of 16, suffering a narrow defeat (1-0) against England.
Head coach Sebastián Beccacece announced the full squad today. The captain and absolute leader of the team is veteran Enner Valencia. With 49 goals in 105 matches, he is the country’s all-time goalscorer. Another important key player in the squad is Piero Hincapié. The 24-year-old Arsenal defender is one of the best centre-backs in the world. Other key players in the team are Pervis Estupiñán (AC Milan), Moisés Caicedo (Chelsea), Ángelo Preciado (Atlético Mineiro), and Félix Torres (Internacional). The Ecuadorian squad is known as one of the best defensive teams in the world. They conceded only five goals in eighteen matches during the incredibly tough South American qualifiers.
Porque estos 26 van con la misma hambre de 18 millones de ecuatorianos. Con el mismo sacrificio de los que salieron desde abajo y llegaron lejos.
Esta es nuestra lista, y vamos a demostrar al mundo que esto es Ecuador.
#UnSoloEcuador 🇪🇨Full Squad Ecuador For The 2026 FIFA World Cup
Goalkeepers: Hernán Galindez (Huracán), Moisés Ramírez (Kifisia), Gonzalo Valle (LDU Quito)
Defenders: Angelo Preciado (Atlético Mineiro), Pervis Estupiñán (AC Milan), Piero Hincapié (Arsenal), Félix Torres (Internacional), Willian Pacho (PSG), Joel Ordóñez (Club Brugge), Jackson Porozo (Tijuana)
Midfielders: Moisés Caicedo (Chelsea), Alan Franco (Atlético Mineiro), Gonzalo Plata (Flamengo), Kendry Paez (River Plate), John Yeboah (Venezia), Alan Minda (Atlético Mineiro), Pedro Vite (UNAM), Jordy Alcivar (Independiente del Valle), Denil Castillo (Midtjylland), Yaimar Medina (Genk)
Forwards: Enner Valencia (Pachuca), Kevin Rodríguez (Union Saint-Gilloise), Jordy Caicedo (Huracán), Nilson Angulo (Sunderland), Jeremy Arevalo (VfB Stuttgart), Anthony Valencia (Antwerp)
Qualification For The 2026 FIFA World Cup
Ecuador played one of its best qualifying campaigns in history to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The South American squad leaned on a very strong defense. However, Ecuador endured a difficult start to the campaign, beginning with a three-point deduction after using falsified birth documents for Byron Castillo during the previous World Cup qualifiers. In the first match, they also suffered an immediate loss against world champions Argentina (1-0). After that, the Ecuadorians beat both Uruguay and Bolivia and played two consecutive goalless draws. Following a victory over Chile, they suffered a 1-0 defeat to Brazil in September 2024, which marked the final loss of their qualifying campaign.
Ecuador went on to beat Peru (1-0) and drew against Paraguay. After 50% of the matches played, Ecuador was in fifth place with 12 points. Ecuador struggled to score frequently, but their elite defense ensured they avoided defeat even when they failed to find the back of the net. In Montevideo, they kept Uruguay on a goalless draw. After that match, they secured their biggest win in Guayaquil against Bolivia (4-0). They also beat Colombia on the road by a goal from all-time goalscorer Enner Valencia. The Ecuadorians then went on a run of four consecutive goalless draws, officially qualifying for the 2026 FIFA World Cup during the third match of that streak, a 0-0 tie against Peru in Lima. To put an exclamation point on their qualifying campaign, they beat Argentina 1-0 at home to secure second place in the South American group.
2026 FIFA World Cup
Ecuador landed in Group E. The Ecuadorians open their World Cup on June 14 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where they will take on the Ivory Coast. Six days later, they head to Kansas City, Missouri, to take on debutant Curaao. For their final group stage match, they have to go to East Rutherford, New Jersey, to take on four-time champions Germany on June 25. The two group winners and the eight best third-placed teams from each group will advance to the next stage.
Ecuador Schedule
- June 14 – Ivory Coast (7 pm EST)
- June 20 – Curaçao (8 pm EST)
- June 25 – Germany (4 pm EST)
Ecuador Announces Squad for 2026 FIFA World Cup