Currently, at 44th in the FIFA rankings, Ecuador finished 4th in the South American qualification table to qualify for Qatar escaping the intercontinental playoff position by two points ahead of Peru. One of the five South American teams will have the Argentinian manager Gustavo Alfaro heading into the middle east tournament.
While Ecuador agreeably lacks high-profile players, on their good day they can be united and promising enough to cause a lot of problems for any of the favorites. After all one ought to take them not lightly in light of the fact that they pushed down traditional heavyweights like Chile and Colombia to get qualified.
So what will be Ecuador Squad Qatar World Cup 2022? What are their choices? Explore the details below.
Who Will Ecuador Face In The Group Stage?
Ecuador is one of the other opponents to start the opening game in the 2022 FIFA World Cup, the other being the host nation, Qatar, of course. Following that, they will compete against Netherlands and Senegal respectively.
Ecuador Fixtures While In Group A
| DATE | MATCH | VENUE |
|---|---|---|
| 21 November | Qatar vs Ecuador | Al Bayt Stadium |
| 25 November | Netherlands vs Ecuador | Khalifa Int’l Stadium |
| 29 November | Ecuador vs Senegal | Khalifa Int’l Stadium |
Ecuador Squad Qatar World Cup 2022 – Who Does Equador Have in Their Best 26
| Position | Player | Club | Age | Caps |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Goalkeeper | Alexander Dominguez | Deportes Tolima (ECU) | 35 | 67 |
| Goalkeeper | Hernan Galindez | Aucas (ECU) | 35 | 12 |
| Goalkeeper | Moises Ramirez | Independiente (ECU) | 22 | 2 |
| Defender | Robert Arboleda | Sao Paulo (BRA) | 31 | 32 |
| Defender | Xavier Arreaga | Seattle Sounders (USA) | 28 | 17 |
| Defender | Byron Castillo | Club Leon (MEX) | 23 | 12 |
| Defender | Pervis Estupinan | Brighton (ENG) | 24 | 28 |
| Defender | Piero Hincapie | Bayer Leverkusen (GER) | 20 | 21 |
| Defender | Diego Palacios | LAFC (USA) | 23 | 11 |
| Defender | Angelo Preciado | Genk (BEL) | 24 | 25 |
| Defender | Felix Torres | Santos Laguna (MEX) | 25 | 16 |
| Midfielder | Alexander Alvarado | LDU Quito (ECU) | 23 | 3 |
| Midfielder | Nilson Angulo | Anderlecht (BEL) | 19 | 2 |
| Midfielder | Dixon Arroyo | Emelec (ECU) | 30 | 2 |
| Midfielder | Moises Caicedo | Brighton (ENG) | 20 | 25 |
| Midfielder | Jose Cifuentes | LAFC (USA) | 23 | 10 |
| Midfielder | Alan Franco | Talleres (ARG) | 24 | 23 |
| Midfielder | Carlos Gruezo | Augsburg (GER) | 27 | 45 |
| Midfielder | Jhegson Mendez | LAFC (USA) | 25 | 31 |
| Midfielder | Jeremy Sarmiento | Brighton (ENG) | 20 | 9 |
| Forward | Leonardo Campana | Inter Miami (USA) | 22 | 12 |
| Forward | Michael Estrada | Cruz Azul (MEX) | 26 | 36 |
| Forward | Romario Ibarra | Pachuca (MEX) | 28 | 24 |
| Forward | Angel Mena | Club Leon (MEX) | 34 | 45 |
| Forward | Gonzalo Plata | Real Valladolid (SPA) | 21 | 29 |
| Forward | Enner Valencia | Fenerbahce (TUR) | 33 | 74 |
A Quick Look Into Ecuador Squad: Who Will Be Their Top Pick?
While Ecuador has their tallest and the player with the most caps, Alexander Dominguez as their shot-stopper, the team mostly picked SD Aucas’ (Ecuador) Hernan Galindez as their starting goalkeepers throughout the 2022 CONMEBOL phase and others as well. The back will very likely see the lineups of Pervis Estupinian, Piero Hincapie, Felix Torres, and Angelo Preciado.
The possible men who will be driving their midfield should be the so-far regulars, Moises Caicedo, Jhegson Mendez, and Carlos Gruezo. Caicedo will definitely be a name to look out for as the Brighton midfielder has been Ecuador’s star man on numerous occasions over the team’s several competitive phases.
Giving problems to the opponent’s defense from Ecuador will be the trident of Michael Estrada, Enner Valencia, and Angel Mena.
Why Ecuador Might Cause Upset Over At Group A?
Ecuador’s journey to this world cup should be enough to answer that. They were arguably the hot water for Colombia and Chile (another two strongly made opponents) in the CONMEBOL qualifying rounds. In addition to South American giants like Argentina, Brazil, and Uruguay, Ecuador too was more than partly responsible for their inability to secure a place in Qatar. Having said that who knows if they could also stop the easy favorites Netherlands or Senegal from making it through the group stages and even cause a major upset on their way to the knockouts.
