Ecuador’s Football History :
The Ecuadorian national football team nicknamed La Tri represents the country in all major international tournaments and is governed by the Ecuadorian Football Federation (Federacion Ecuatoriana de Futbol). Its World Soccer Cup participation began lately in the year 2002 and since then it has qualified for three tournaments so far.
In the Copa America tournament, it started playing in 1939 and has appeared in 24 tournaments up until now. In the Pan American Games, the team has contested twice in the year 1995 and 2007. They emerged as champions in 2007. In the CONCACAF Gold Cup, the team has only appeared once in 2002. If we analyze from a historical point of view, the team has been one of the most struggling sides in the South American continent. In spite of their irregularities in the past, the team has never compromised in playing quality football. Currently the team is placed at the 22nd position in the World Soccer Rankings.
The national football team of Ecuador has also played in other Minor tournaments such as the Korean Cup & Canada Cup and emerged as winners in 1995 and 1999 respectively. They have been quite successful in the Bolivarian Games as well as gold medals twice in 1965 and 1985, a silver medal in 2009 and bronze medals in 1938 and 2005.
Ecuador’s Success Story :
As the team hasn’t participated much in the World Football Cups the results are not inspiring. The only notable achievement in the World Football Cup was in 2006 where it was able to enter the round of 16. In the Copa America tournament, the team entered the quarter-finals once in 1997, were positioned at fourth place twice in 1959 and 1993 and stood fifth twice, in 1939 and 1941. The Ecuadorian national football team has qualified for the upcoming World Football Cup. The team was able to secure the spot by achieving the fourth position with 25 points on a better goal difference against Uruguay.
Ecuador squad |
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| Goalkeepers: | Maximo Banguera (Barcelona, Ecuador) Adrian Bone (El Nacional) Alexander Dominguez (Liga de Quito) |
Defenders: | Gabriel Achilier (Emelec) Walter Ayovi (Pachuca) Oscar Bagui (Emelec) Frickson Erazo (Flamengo) Jorge Guagua (Emelec) John Narvaez (Emelec) Juan Carlos Paredes (Barcelona, Ecuador) Cristian Ramirez (Fortuna Duesseldorf) |
| Midfielders: | Michael Arroyo (Atlante) Segundo Castillo (Al Hilal) Carlos Gruezo (Stuttgart) Renato Ibarra (Vitesse Arnhem) Fidel Martinez (Tijuana) Edison Mendez (Santa Fe) Oswaldo Minda (Chivas USA) Christian Noboa (Dynamo Moscow) Pedro Quinonez (Emelec) Luis Saritama (Barcelona, Ecuador) Antonio Valencia (Manchester United) |
Forwards: | Jaime Ayovi (Tijuana) Felipe Caicedo (Al-Jazira) Angel Mena (Emelec) Jefferson Montero (Morelia) Cristian Penilla (Barcelona, Ecuador) Joao Rojas (Cruz Azul) Enner Valencia (Pachuca) Armando Wila (Universidad Catolica) |
Ecuador’s performance in all World Football Cups :
| World Football Cup Year | World Football Cup Hosting Nation | World Football Cup Qualification | Quarter Final Birth | Semi Final Birth | Third Place Secured | Reached Final | Title Won |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | South Africa | No | – | – | – | – | – |
| 2006 | Germany | Yes | No | – | – | – | – |
| 2002 | South Korea | Yes | No | – | – | – | – |
| 1998 | France | No | – | – | – | – | – |
| 1994 | United States | No | – | – | – | – | – |
| 1990 | Italy | No | – | – | – | – | – |
| 1986 | Mexico | No | – | – | – | – | – |
| 1982 | Spain | No | – | – | – | – | – |
| 1978 | Argentina | No | – | – | – | – | – |
| 1974 | West Germany | No | – | – | – | – | – |
| 1970 | Mexico | No | – | – | – | – | – |
| 1966 | England | No | – | – | – | – | – |
| 1962 | Chile | No | – | – | – | – | – |
| 1958 | Sweden | Did Not Enter | – | – | – | – | – |
| 1954 | Switzerland | Did Not Enter | – | – | – | – | – |
| 1950 | Brazil | Withdrew | – | – | – | – | – |
| 1938 | France | Did Not Enter | – | – | – | – | – |
| 1934 | Italy | Did Not Enter | – | – | – | – | – |
| 1930 | Uruguay | Did Not Enter | – | – | – | – | – |
| Total | 19 World Football Cups | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
