Ecuador national football team
The Ecuador national football team (Spanish: Selección de fútbol de Ecuador) represents Ecuador in men's international football and is controlled by the Ecuadorian Football Federation (FEF). They joined FIFA in 1926 and CONMEBOL a year later.
| Nickname(s) | La Tri (The Tri) La Tricolor (The Tricolors) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Association | Ecuadorian Football Federation (FEF) | |||
| Confederation | CONMEBOL (South America) | |||
| Head coach | Félix Sánchez Bas | |||
| Captain | Enner Valencia | |||
| Most caps | Iván Hurtado (168) | |||
| Top scorer | Enner Valencia (40) | |||
| Home stadium | Estadio Rodrigo Paz Delgado | |||
| FIFA code | ECU | |||
| ||||
| FIFA ranking | ||||
| Current | 31 (4 April 2024) | |||
| Highest | 10 (June 2013) | |||
| Lowest | 71 (November 2017) | |||
| First international | ||||
| Bolivia 1–1 Ecuador (Bogotá, Colombia; 8 August 1938) | ||||
| Biggest win | ||||
| Ecuador 6–0 Peru (Quito, Ecuador; 22 June 1975) | ||||
| Biggest defeat | ||||
| Argentina 12–0 Ecuador (Montevideo, Uruguay; 22 January 1942) | ||||
| World Cup | ||||
| Appearances | 4 (first in 2002) | |||
| Best result | Round of 16 (2006) | |||
| Copa América | ||||
| Appearances | 29 (first in 1939) | |||
| Best result | Fourth place (1959, 1993) | |||
| CONCACAF Gold Cup | ||||
| Appearances | 1 (first in 2002) | |||
| Best result | Group stage (2002) | |||
Discarding an invitation to participate in the inaugural FIFA World Cup held in Uruguay, Ecuador did not make their tournament debut until 2002. After finishing above Brazil and Uruguay in the standings, the qualifying campaign marked the emergence of several players, such as Agustín Delgado, Álex Aguinaga, Iván Hurtado, Ulises de la Cruz and Iván Kaviedes, who would set the stage for Ecuador's achievements in the next decade. Having reached the Round of 16 in a memorable 2006 World Cup campaign, they were expected to deliver at the 2007 Copa América but were eliminated in the group stage. Along with Venezuela, they have not won the continental tournament. La Tri's best performance was fourth in 1959 and 1993, both times on home soil.
Ecuador plays the majority of their home matches at the Estadio Olímpico Atahualpa in Quito.