Despite some off-field issues in the run-up to the tournament, Ecuador will proceed to the 2022 FIFA World Cup with the hopes of challenging for a knockout stage spot.
Ecuador just would not go away in CONMEBOL World Cup qualification, punching above their weight and frustrating South American powers Brazil and Argentina as they secured points up and down the round-robin qualifying schedule.
That earned La Tri a spot in a competitive Group A alongside hosts Qatar plus the Netherlands and Senegal.
Despite a dispute with Chile around a potentially ineligible player in World Cup qualifying, La Tri will indeed compete in the World Cup finals at the expense of their South American rivals.
MORE: Closer look at Ecuador’s group opponents at the FIFA World Cup
Provisional Ecuador World Cup squad 2022
Manager Gustavo Alfaro had until Friday, October 21 to submit an official preliminary list of 35-55 players to FIFA, from which he will select his final 26-man roster for Qatar by Monday, November 14.
Ecuador did not make a preliminary roster available to the public, so this is the list of 39 players projected to be involved for final selection.
| Position | Player | Club | Age | Caps |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Goalkeeper | Alexander Dominguez | LDU Quito (ECU) | 35 | 67 |
| Goalkeeper | Hernan Galindez | Aucas (ECU) | 35 | 12 |
| Goalkeeper | Pedro Ortiz | Emelec (ECU) | 32 | 6 |
| Goalkeeper | Moises Ramirez | Independiente (ECU) | 22 | 2 |
| Goalkeeper | Gonzalo Valle | Guayaquil City (ECU) | 26 | 0 |
| Defender | Robert Arboleda | 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 (ENG) | 24 | 28 |
| Defender | Piero Hincapie | Bayer Leverkusen (GER) | 20 | 21 |
| Defender | Fernando Leon | Atletico San Luis (MEX) | 29 | 6 |
| Defender | William Pacho | Royal Antwerp (BEL) | 21 | 0 |
| Defender | Diego Palacios | LAFC (USA) | 23 | 11 |
| Defender | Jackson Porozo | Troyes (FRA) | 22 | 5 |
| 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 | Danny Cabezas | Independiente (ECU) | 29 | 2 |
| Midfielder | Moises Caicedo | Brighton (ENG) | 20 | 25 |
| Midfielder | Michael Carcelen | Barcelona (ECU) | 25 | 5 |
| Midfielder | Jose Cifuentes | LAFC | 23 | 10 |
| Midfielder | Patrickson Delgado | Ajax (NED) | 19 | 0 |
| Midfielder | Alan Franco | Talleres (ARG) | 24 | 23 |
| Midfielder | Carlos Gruezo | Augsburg (GER) | 27 | 45 |
| Midfielder | Jhegson Mendez | LAFC (USA) | 25 | 31 |
| Midfielder | Joao Rojas | Monterrey (MEX) | 25 | 8 |
| Midfielder | Jeremy Sarmiento | Brighton (ENG) | 20 | 9 |
| Forward | Jordy Caicedo | Tigres UNAL (MEX) | 24 | 10 |
| 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 | Djorkaeff Reasco | Newell’s Old Boys (ARG) | 23 | 3 |
| Forward | Anthony Valencia | Royal Antwerp (BEL) | 19 | 0 |
| Forward | Enner Valencia | Fenerbahce (TUR) | 32 | 74 |
Final 26-man Ecuador World Cup roster
Cuts will be made across the board, as Gustavo Alfaro has a number of young players to fit in, and not many places to go around for other, more established players.
Below is a projected final 26-man squad, assuming all his players are fit and ready to go.
This will be updated as soon as the final roster is confirmed.
| 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 | 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 | Joao Rojas | Monterrey (MEX) | 25 | 8 |
| 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) | 32 | 74 |
Ecuador national team stars, strengths & weaknesses
Ecuador boss Gustavo Alfaro has a host of young talent to build with as Ecuador begins play at the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
Alfaro, an Argentine, took over the Ecuador squad in 2020. He has formerly managed Boca Juniors, Al-Ahli, and Rosario Central amongst many other sides throughout his 30-year managerial career.
Stars
The most well-known player on the Ecuador squad is Enner Valencia, currently of Turkish side Fenerbahce. Valencia enjoyed a long career in the Premier League with West Ham and Everton before spending three seasons in Liga MX with Tigres. He moved back to Europe to join Fenerbahce, and has been in stellar form this season, scoring 10 goals and assisting three others in nine Turkish Premier League matches.
There are very few other true stars on this Ecuador side, made mostly of young up-and-coming players and other role players. Goalkeeper Alexander Dominguez is another experienced player with over 60 international caps, but he has bounced from club to club since leaving LDU Quito in 2016, ending a 10-year spell. That has seen him lose his starting spot at the international level as well, supplanted by Hernan Galindez of late.
Strengths
The Ecuador side has an incredibly deep midfield unit, with lots of young talent coming through. 23-year-old Jose Cifuentes has grown into a steady midfield presence, while 20-year-old Brighton teammates Moises Caicedo and Jeremy Sarmiento are earning playing time at both club and country.
Alongside those young guns is veteran Carlos Gruezo who is a key fixture at Augsburg in Germany, plus Alfredo Franco who is becoming a reliable piece at 24 years old.
Weaknesses
Ecuador’s attack is led by star Enner Valencia, but as he ages, there are very few young players set to come and take over up front. Cruz Azul’s Michael Estrada has seen time at striker, but he has just one goal in his last 13 international appearances. Playmaker Joao Rojas has a torn ACL, thinning the attacking ranks further.
Ecuador World Cup group
La Tri will begin World Cup action in Group A alongside hosts Qatar, plus European side Netherlands and African stalworts Senegal.
Ecuador will play in the tournament-opening fixture against Qatar on November 20 – the only game on that day.
While there is no true dominant side (Netherlands were a Pot 2 selection, with hosts Qatar serving as the Pot 1 side), there are also no games where three points can be easily predicted. The hosts are likely the weakest possible opponent, but the host bump is a real, proven danger. The Netherlands and Senegal will both have their sights set on a knockout stage spot, leaving Ecuador to play spoiler if they are to reach the coveted round of 16.
World Cup Group A fixtures and match schedule
| Date | Match | Time (ET) | Stadium |
| Sun, Nov. 20 | Qatar vs. Ecuador | 11 a.m. | Al Bayt Stadium |
| Mon, Nov. 21 | Senegal vs. Netherlands | 11 a.m. | Al Thumama Stadium |
| Fri, Nov. 25 | Qatar vs. Senegal | 8 a.m. | Al Thumama Stadium |
| Fri, Nov. 25 | Netherlands vs. Ecuador | 11 a.m. | Khalifa Int’l Stadium |
| Tues, Nov. 29 | Netherlands vs. Qatar | 10 a.m. | Al Bayt Stadium |
| Tues, Nov. 29 | Ecuador vs. Senegal | 10 a.m. | Khalifa Int’l Stadium |
Ecuador World Cup squad, lineup
There are a few decisions for Gustavo Alfaro to make as he selects his starting lineup.
In goal, he can go with experienced veteran Alexander Dominguez or recent starter Hernan Galindez, who started the final four World Cup qualifiers as well as the most recent friendly against Japan.
Young Piero Hincapie is a lock to start at center-back, but his partner is in question. Veteran Roberto Arboleda is an option, as is MLS-based Xavier Arreaga.
Up front, the ever-present Enner Valencia should start, with Angel Mena in support. Romario Ibarra and young Gonzalo Plata should also see significant playing time.
Ecuador projected starting XI vs Qatar
Ecuador projected starting lineup (4-3-3): Galindez (GK) — Estupinan, Hincapie, Arboleda, B. Castillo — M. Caciedo, Gruezo, Franco — Ibarra, Valencia, Plata.
Can Ecuador replace players on World Cup roster?
Once the final 26-man roster is official, participating teams at the World Cup can only make changes before the first game of the tournament, and only in the case of extraordinary circumstances.
According to the official tournament rules (page 32), “a player listed on the final list may only be replaced in the event of serious injury or illness up until 24 hours before the start of his team’s first match.”
The team in question would need to submit a medical report to FIFA and if the world governing body determines “the injury or illness is sufficiently serious to prevent the player from taking part in the FIFA World Cup” then the replacement will be allowed.
The replacement player must come from the preliminary list of players submitted to FIFA in October.
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