Ecuador National Team World Cup Betting
Although Ecuador couldn’t manage to win any of its last four games in World Cup qualifying, draws against Brazil, Peru, and Argentina were enough for La Tri to earn the last automatic bid to the World Cup out of South America. This will be Ecuador’s fourth appearance at the World Cup, and the country is hoping for its best showing yet in a manageable group. Ecuador has only made it out of the Group Stage one time and has yet to advance further than the Round of 16, and they will be leaning heavily on veteran Enner Valencia.
Manager: Gustavo Alfaro
Nicknames: La Tri, La Tricolor
Confederation: CONMEBOL (South America)
FIFA Ranking: 46 (March 2022)
Ecuador World Cup Betting Odds
To Win Group A: +600
To Win 2022 World Cup: +20000
*Odds as of May 4, 2022
Ecuador Group Stage Schedule
Qatar vs. Ecuador, Monday, November 21, 2022, 11 a.m. ET, at Al Bayt Stadium in Al Khor (FOX)
Netherlands vs. Ecuador, Friday, November 25, 2022, 11 a.m. ET, at Khalifa International Stadium in Al Rayyan (FOX)
Ecuador vs. Senegal, Tuesday, November 29, 2022, 10 a.m. ET, at Khalifa International Stadium in Al Rayyan (FS1)
History at the World Cup
Appearances: 4 (first in 2002)
Best Result: Round of 16 (2006)
Ecuador does not have the same football pedigree as many of its colleagues in South America. While countries like Brazil, Argentina, and Uruguay are all soccer-mad nations that have several World Cup appearances and won multiple World Cup titles in the 20th Century, Ecuador didn’t qualify for the World Cup for the first time until 2002. They have consistently struggled at the Copa America too with just two fourth-place finishes to their name, and those both came in years that Ecuador hosted the tournament.
At the 2002 World Cup, Ecuador was eliminated from the competition after losing its first two matches to Italy and Mexico. However, they managed to secure their first victory in their final match with a 1-0 win over Croatia.
The country took a big step forward at the 2006 World Cup. Ecuador was not supposed to get out of a group with hosts Germany, Poland, and Costa Rica. However, La Tri upset Poland 2-0 in its first match and hammered Costa Rica 3-0 in the second match to assure itself of a place in the knockout rounds for the first time. Ecuador faced England in the Round of 16 and lost 1-0.
We have seen Ecuador miss two of the last three World Cups, but they were the best team not to make the knockout rounds of the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. They managed to beat Honduras and held France to a draw, but an extra time goal from Haris Seferovic resulted in a heartbreaking loss to Switzerland.
What to Watch
It all starts up front with Enner Valencia. He is the leading goal scorer in national history with 35 tallies in 70 matches. Valencia has played in Mexico, England, and Turkey, and he has been a quality goal scorer for Fenerbahce over the last two seasons. He didn’t make too much of an impact in the Premier League with West Ham and Everton, but he is a quality forward that can be dangerous on set pieces.
There isn’t another player on the roster that has more than eight goals as of late April 2022. Michael Estrada and Fidel Martinez both have scored eight times for Ecuador, but neither player is likely to make much noise in Qatar. However, young midfielders Gonzalo Plata and Moises Caicedo could turn some heads as they are both very young and playing in top leagues.
The big question will be the inexperience in the back line. Only one player has more than 30 caps (Robert Arboleda with 31), and this will be the first major tournament for players like Piero Hincapie, Angelo Preciado, and Pervis Estupinan. That could be a problem as the Netherlands and Senegal both have an elite forward, and Qatar has a great striker to in Almoez Ali.
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