Ecuador: The Ultimate 2022 FIFA World Cup Review #10
G'day tribe. Yesterday I started Group A with World Cup hosts Qatar. Let's move on with South American team Ecuador. 32 teams in 32 days! This is the Ultimate FIFA World Cup review guide. Check what we've done so far below.
Group A - Qatar |
Group F - Canada | Croatia | Morocco | Belgium
Group H - Ghana | Portugal | Uruguay | South Korea
Country: Ecuador
Nickname: La Tri
Last World Cup Appearance: 2014 (Group Stage)
Previous World Cup Appearances: 2002, 2006, 2014
World Rank: #46
Star Players: Pervis Estupiñán, Piero Hincapié
Ecuador have retained their place at the World Cup after rivals Chile alleged they fielded a "ghost" player in Byron Castillo, which Chile argue kept them out of the Qatar competition.
One of the less intimidating South American sides, they lost six of 18 of their World Cup qualifiers but still finished above Chile and Colombia.
They missed out on Russia 2018 all together and in Copa America the next year they failed to win a single match. A few months later however, Ecuador’s Under-20 side finished third at the FIFA Under-20 World Cup in 2019.
Ecuador is going through a transition and seems to have a very bright future ahead of themselves.
World Cup Group: Group A - Qatar, Ecuador, Senegal, Netherlands
Prediction: Ecuador opens the World Cup against hosts Qatar. Ecuador is full of youth and had the lowest average player age – 26 years and ten months – of teams in South American qualifying. They had six players under 20
Villareal left-back Pervis Estupiñán and Leverkusen centre-back Piero Hincapié offers European quality for the Ecuadorian backline. Hincapie is a starter at only age 20.
Diego Palacios in the backline and Jose Cifuentes through the middle offer youthful MLS expertise and Moisés Caicedo is a Premier League quality midfielder.
Ecuador are expected to beat Qatar and will then come up against Netherlands and a golden generation Senegal. A draw against either could be enough to sneak out of the group if they beat Qatar convincingly.
The more I look into Ecuador the more excited I get for them for their future. Four years from now at World Cup 2026 I think they'll be a dark horse threat. For Qatar, the youthful inexperience suggests to me they won't make it through to the next stage but I wouldn't totally rule it out or be shocked if they pip Senegal to the post.
Group Stage
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Wolfgang Sport started in 2017 as a way to connect my passion for American and British sports. Today it's evolved into a blockchain sports blog pushing the boundaries into the crypto world and embracing Web3 technologies.
Ecuador is a big team, they are very talented. A big potencial I and to see them.
Hello friend, good analysis, Ecuador has interesting young players, I think they have enough potential to get out of the group stage. Regards.
I think I can agree with the fact that Qatar might not be able to go that far but then, don't you think Ecuador's squad lacks much experienced machineries for the World Cup?
Yep I think they lack some experience especially big game. That's why I reckon they'll set themselves up this World Cup for a good run in 2026
Perhaps they make it through to 2026
I don't know about you, and about the whole view of the Ecuador's case, but it has been probe that Byron Castillos is indeed a colombian national... I mean, an UK paper showed proofs of what I am saying and nothing happened... FIFA, and it is my personal view, doesn't want a distraction 2 month before the World Cup.
I don't think they were ever going to get banned. A bit of a stretch from an eternal enemy the Chileans
It's amazing how the majority of the world loves soccer, and we barely know it exists here in the U.S., but I have new found respect and appreciation for the sport when watching how it is a subject of conversation around the world.
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