Despite some troubles off the field leading up to the tournament, Ecuador will move on to the 2022 FIFA World Cup in hopes of fighting for a place in the knockout stages.
Ecuador simply didn’t want to get away in CONMEBOL World Cup qualifiers, banging on about their weight and frustrating South American powers Brazil and Argentina as they secured points up and down in the round-robin qualifying schedule.
That earned La Tri a place in a hard-fought Group A alongside hosts Qatar as well as the Netherlands and Senegal.
Despite a dispute with Chile over a potentially ineligible player in World Cup qualifiers, La Tri will indeed play in the World Cup at the expense of their South American rivals.
MORE: Closer look at Ecuador’s group opponents at the FIFA World Cup
Provisional World Cup squad for Ecuador 2022
Managing Director Gustavo Alfaro had until Friday, October 21st to provide FIFA with an official provisional list of 35-55 players from which he will select his final 26-man roster for Qatar by Monday 14 November.
Ecuador haven’t released a preliminary squad to the public, so this is the list of 39 players who are expected to take part in the final selection.
| position | player | association | Age | caps |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| goalkeeper | Alexander Dominguez | LDU Quito (ECU) | 35 | 67 |
| goalkeeper | Herman Galindez | Aucas (ECU) | 35 | 12 |
| goalkeeper | Peter Ortiz | Emelec (ECU) | 32 | 6 |
| goalkeeper | Moises Ramirez | Independent (ECU) | 22 | 2 |
| goalkeeper | Gonzalo Valle | City of Guayaquil (ECU) | 26 | 0 |
| defender | Robert Grove | Sao Paulo (BRA) | 31 | 32 |
| defender | Xavier Arreaga | Seattle Sounders (USA) | 28 | 17 |
| defender | Romario Caicedo | Emelec (ECU) | 32 | 2 |
| defender | Byron Castillo | Club Leon (MEX) | 23 | 12 |
| defender | Pervis Estupinan | Brighton | 24 | 28 |
| defender | Piero Hincapie | Bayer Leverkusen (GER) | 20 | 21 |
| defender | Fernando León | Atlético San Luis (MEX) | 29 | 6 |
| defender | William Pacho | Royal Antwerp (BEL) | 21 | 0 |
| defender | Diego Palacios | LAFC (USA) | 23 | 11 |
| defender | Jackson Porozo | Troyes | 22 | 5 |
| defender | Angelo Preciado | Genk (BEL) | 24 | 25 |
| defender | Felix Torres | Santos Lagoon (MEX) | 25 | 16 |
| midfield player | Alexander Alvarado | LDU Quito (ECU) | 23 | 3 |
| midfield player | Nilson Winkel | Anderlecht (BEL) | 19 | 2 |
| midfield player | Dixon Arroyo | Emelec (ECU) | 30 | 2 |
| midfield player | Danny heads | Independent (ECU) | 29 | 2 |
| midfield player | Moses Caicedo | Brighton | 20 | 25 |
| midfield player | Michael Carlen | Barcelona (ECU) | 25 | 5 |
| midfield player | Jose Cifuentes | LAFC | 23 | 10 |
| midfield player | Patrickson Delgado | Ajax | 19 | 0 |
| midfield player | Alan Frank | Taller (ARG) | 24 | 23 |
| midfield player | Carlo Gruezo | Augsburg (GER) | 27 | 45 |
| midfield player | Jhegson Mendez | LAFC (USA) | 25 | 31 |
| midfield player | Joao Rojas | Monterrey (MEX) | 25 | 8th |
| midfield player | Jeremy Sarmiento | Brighton (GER) | 20 | 9 |
| Forward | Jordy Caicedo | Tiger UNAL (MEX) | 24 | 10 |
| Forward | Leonard Bell | InterMiami (USA) | 22 | 12 |
| Forward | Michael Estrada | Blue Cross (MEX) | 26 | 36 |
| Forward | Romario Ibarra | Pachuca (MEX) | 28 | 24 |
| Forward | Angel Mena | Club Leon (MEX) | 34 | 45 |
| Forward | Gonzalo Silver | Real Valladolid (SPA) | 21 | 29 |
| Forward | Djorkaeff Reasco | Newell’s Old Boys (ARG) | 23 | 3 |
| Forward | Anton Valencia | Royal Antwerp (BEL) | 19 | 0 |
| Forward | End of Valencia | Fenerbahce (TUR) | 32 | 74 |
Final 26-man squad for the World Cup in Ecuador
Cuts are being made across the board as Gustavo Alfaro has a number of young players to fit and not many places for other, more established players to roam.
Below is a predicted final 26-man squad, assuming all of its players are fit and ready to go.
This will be updated once the final lineup is confirmed.
| position | player | association | Age | caps |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| goalkeeper | Alexander Dominguez | Sport Tolima (ECU) | 35 | 67 |
| goalkeeper | Herman Galindez | Aucas (ECU) | 35 | 12 |
| goalkeeper | Moises Ramirez | Independent (ECU) | 22 | 2 |
| defender | Robert Grove | 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 (GER) | 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 Lagoon (MEX) | 25 | 16 |
| midfield player | Alexander Alvarado | LDU Quito (ECU) | 23 | 3 |
| midfield player | Dixon Arroyo | Emelec (ECU) | 30 | 2 |
| midfield player | Moses Caicedo | Brighton (GER) | 20 | 25 |
| midfield player | Jose Cifuentes | LAFC (USA) | 23 | 10 |
| midfield player | Alan Frank | Taller (ARG) | 24 | 23 |
| midfield player | Carlo Gruezo | Augsburg (GER) | 27 | 45 |
| midfield player | Jhegson Mendez | LAFC (USA) | 25 | 31 |
| midfield player | Joao Rojas | Monterrey (MEX) | 25 | 8th |
| midfield player | Jeremy Sarmiento | Brighton | 20 | 9 |
| Forward | Leonard Bell | InterMiami (USA) | 22 | 12 |
| Forward | Michael Estrada | Blue Cross (MEX) | 26 | 36 |
| Forward | Romario Ibarra | Pachuca (MEX) | 28 | 24 |
| Forward | Angel Mena | Club Leon (MEX) | 34 | 45 |
| Forward | Gonzalo Silver | Real Valladolid (SPA) | 21 | 29 |
| Forward | End of Valencia | Fenerbahce (TUR) | 32 | 74 |
The stars, strengths and weaknesses of the Ecuador national team
Ecuador coach Gustavo Alfaro has a wealth of young talent to build on when Ecuador face off at the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
Alfaro, an Argentine, took charge of the Ecuador squad in 2020. During his 30-year managerial career, he has managed Boca Juniors, Al-Ahli and Rosario Central, among others.
Stars
The most famous player in the Ecuador squad is End of Valencia, currently with Turkish club Fenerbahce. Valencia enjoyed a lengthy Premier League career with West Ham and Everton before spending three seasons in Liga MX at Tigres. He returned to Europe to join Fenerbahce and has been in outstanding form this season, scoring 10 goals in nine Turkish Premier League games and assisting three others.
There are very few other real stars on this Ecuadorian team, which consists mainly of young up-and-coming players and other role-players. goalkeeper Alexander Dominguez is another veteran player with over 60 caps, but he has bounced from club to club since leaving LDU Quito in 2016, ending a 10-year tenure. As a result, he also lost his starting place at international level, pushed out by Herman Galindez from late.
Strengthen
The Ecuadorian team has an incredibly deep midfield with lots of young talent. 23 years old Jose Cifuentes has developed into a solid midfield presence while the 20-year-old Brighton team-mate Moses Caicedo and Jeremy Sarmiento earn playing time both at club and country.
Next to these young guns is veteran Carlo Gruezo who is a fixture near Augsburg in Germany, plus Alfred Frank which becomes a reliable piece at the age of 24.
weaknesses
Star leads Ecuador’s attack End of Valencia, but as they get older, very few young players will come up and take over at the front. Cruz Azuls Michael Estrada has seen time as a striker but has only scored one goal in his last 13 caps. playmaker Joao Rojas has a cruciate ligament tear, which further thins out the attack lines.
Ecuador World Cup group
La Tri will compete in Group A at the World Cup alongside hosts Qatar, European team Netherlands and African essentials Senegal.
Ecuador play Qatar in the tournament’s opening game on November 20 – their only game of the day.
While there is no truly dominant side (the Netherlands were a Pot 2 selection, hosts Qatar were the Pot 1 team), there are also no games where three points can be easily predicted. The hosts are probably the weakest opponent, but the host bump is a real, proven threat. The Netherlands and Senegal both have their sights set on a place in the knockout rounds, leaving Ecuador with the spoiler to play if they want to reach the coveted round of 16.
World Cup Group A fixtures and schedule
| date | Fit | time (ET) | Stadion |
| Sun, Nov 20 | Qatar vs. Ecuador | 11 clock | Al Bayt Stadium |
| Monday 11. 21 | Senegal vs Netherlands | 11 clock | Al Thumama Stadium |
| Friday Nov 25 | Qatar vs Senegal | 8 o’clock | Al Thumama Stadium |
| Friday Nov 25 | Netherlands vs. Ecuador | 11 clock | Khalifa International Stadium |
| Tuesday Nov 29 | Netherlands vs Qatar | 10 am | Al Bayt Stadium |
| Tuesday Nov 29 | Ecuador against Senegal | 10 am | Khalifa International Stadium |
Ecuador World Cup squad, line-up
Gustavo Alfaro has a few decisions to make when picking his starting line-up.
In goal he can go with experienced veteran Alexander Dominguez or youngest starter Hernan Galindez, who started in the last four World Cup qualifiers and the last friendly against Japan.
Young Piero Hincapie is a suspension to start at center back but his partner is in question. veteran Robert Grove is an option, as is MLS-based Xavier Arreaga.
In front the ubiquitous End of Valencia should start, with Angel Mena as support. Romario Ibarra and young Gonzalo Silver should also see significant playing time.
Ecuador predicted starting XI against Qatar
Ecuador predicted starting line-up (4-3-3): Galindez (TG) – Estupinan, Hincapie, Arboleda, B. Castillo – M. Caciedo, Gruezo, Franco – Ibarra, Valencia, Plata.
Can Ecuador replace players in World Cup squad?
Once the final 26-man squad is official, teams participating in the World Cup can only make changes prior to the first game of the tournament, and only in exceptional circumstances.
According to the Official Tournament Rules (page 32), “A player named on the final list may only be substituted in the event of a serious injury or illness up to 24 hours before the start of his team’s first game.”
The team in question would have to submit a medical report to FIFA and if the world governing body determines that “the injury or illness is so serious that the player is unable to play at the FIFA World Cup”, the replacement will be allowed.
The substitute player must be from the provisional list of players submitted to FIFA in October.