Ecuador national football team

Ecuador

Nickname(s)	La Tri (The Tri) La Tricolor (The Tricolours) La Selección (The Selection)
Association	Federación Ecuatoriana de Fútbol (FEF)
Confederation	CONMEBOL (South America)
Head coach	Vacant
Captain	Moisés Caicedo
Most caps	Iván Hurtado (168)
Top scorer	Enner Valencia (49)
Home stadium	Estadio Rodrigo Paz Delgado
FIFA code	ECU
First colours Second colours Third colours
FIFA ranking
Current	23 (11 June 2026)[1]
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	5 (first in 2002)
Best result	Round of 16 (2006)
Copa América
Appearances	30 (first in 1939)
Best result	Fourth place (1959, 1993)
CONCACAF Gold Cup
Appearances	1 (first in 2002)
Best result	Group stage (2002)

The Ecuador national football team (Spanish: Selección de fútbol de Ecuador), nicknamed La Tricolor, represents Ecuador in men's international football and is controlled by the Federación Ecuatoriana de Fútbol (English: Ecuadorian Football Federation). They joined FIFA in 1926 and CONMEBOL a year later.

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.^[2] Having reached the Round of 16 in a memorable 2006 World Cup campaign,^[3] they were expected to deliver at the 2007 Copa América but were eliminated in the group stage.^[4] 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.

Historically, Ecuador has been seen as a struggling footballing nation in South America. Despite their past failures, however, Ecuador has risen to be a serious South American competitor in recent years.

Football was introduced to Ecuador by Juan Alfredo Wright, who had recently returned from university in England. On 23 April 1899, he and his brother Roberto founded the first Ecuadorian football team, Guayaquil Sport Club.^[5][6] As the popularity of the sport grew in the country, more teams were established. On 30 May 1925, the Federación Deportiva Nacional del Ecuador was founded.^[6] In 1930, FIFA sent an invitation encouraging for a men's national team to participate at the maiden World Cup. However, the then-Minister of Social Security and Sports declined the offer as they did not approve of the financial allocation.^[7]

In 1938, the I Bolivarian Games were organized, with Ecuador set to take part in the football tournament. On 8 August 1938, they played their first-ever match; a 1–1 draw with Bolivia. Their following game saw the national team earn a 2–1 win against Colombia. Following a 9–1 crushing by Peru and a 5–2 victory over Venezuela, Ecuador was tied for the silver medal with Bolivia. A playoff saw the Bolivians emerge triumphantly and the Ecuadorians finished the competition with the bronze medal.^[8]

After finishing fourth at the 1959 South American Championship, the team entered the World Cup qualifiers for the first time. They failed to qualify for 1962 after inflicted defeats by Argentina.

The 1998 World Cup qualifiers saw the format for qualifying in CONMEBOL changed to a league home-and-away system. This difference made a huge impact on Ecuador's performance as they clinched several important home wins during the campaign. In the end, they achieved a 6th-place finish, just under Peru and Chile.

Following the appointment of Hernán Darío Gómez for their 2002 World Cup qualifying campaign, Ecuador recorded a historic 1–0 win against Brazil.^[9] A 5–1 win over Bolivia saw la Tricolor only needing a point to qualify for the World Cup. They faced Uruguay, and, after managing to cling onto a 1–1 draw, obtained their spot in the World Cup in East Asia.^[2]

Ecuador started the 2002 World Cup with a 2–0 loss to Italy. Agustín Delgado scored his country's first World Cup goal; he opened the scoring in a 2–1 loss to Mexico.^[10] Despite defeating Croatia, who had achieved third place in the previous tournament, and eliminating the Croats in process, Ecuador placed fourth in Group G and 24th overall.

A disappointing showing at the 2004 Copa América led to the resignation of Gómez, who was replaced by Luis Fernando Suárez. He led them successfully through the latter stages of the qualification process for the 2006 FIFA World Cup, finishing third to make the finals. In Germany, they were drawn into Group A with the hosts, Poland, and Costa Rica. Wins over Poland and Costa Rica earned Ecuador qualification to the knockout stages for the first time.

After a dull 2014 FIFA World Cup, and an unpleasant streak of failing to advance past the group stages of the Copa América, Gustavo Quinteros was hired to help rebuild the national team. Quinteros helped Ecuador reach the quarter-finals of the Copa América Centenario^[11] and started the 2018 World Cup qualifiers strong. They were setback after a loss to Uruguay and finished eighth in the standings.

Gómez was reinstalled to lead Ecuador at the 2019 Copa América. His second stint was short, as he was soon fired after a disastrous tournament, having only earned a point.^[12]

For the qualifying for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, as punishment for fielding the player Byron Castillo who had a passport with falsified information in the previous World Cup qualification cycle, Ecuador was deducted three points and fined CHF 100,000.^[13]

The Ecuador national team plays their home games at the Estadio Olímpico Atahualpa in Quito. Having opened in 1951, it initially had a capacity of 45,000, but was later reduced to 35,724.

The stadium has a running track, which has gone to be one of the most important in South America for events organized by the former International Association of Athletics Federations.^[14]

15 gates surround the stadium, allowing for an evacuation to be completed in about 10 minutes. The venue also features an electronic scoreboard located in the northern sector. The screen, manufactured by Hungarian-based company Elektroimpex in 1985, measures 10 meters tall and 30 meters wide.^[15]

In this stadium, Ecuador defeated Uruguay at the 1993 Copa América and Brazil at the 2002 World Cup qualifiers.^[9] After tying with the former on 7 November 2001, Ecuador qualified for their first World Cup. Since then, Ecuador has qualified three times.

The stadium is set to be demolished in late-2020 for a newer stadium, which in first instance was for preparation for the 2024 Copa América.^[16][17] However, Ecuador declined to host Copa America in 2022.^[18]

For the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, Ecuador played at the Casa Blanca.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Ecuador national football team kits.

The standard Ecuador uniform maintains the colours of the national flag, typically a yellow top, blue shorts, and red socks.^[19] The alternate colours of the uniform are white and blue, this being based on the flag of the Guayas Province. From 1965 to 2020, the crest featured the Andean condor, Ecuador's national bird, above a shield with the country's colors. In January 2020, the Ecuadorian Football Federation announced a rebrand of the logo; a navy blue shield with an "FEF" monogram attempting to "abstractly build a condor".^[20][21]

Kit sponsorship

Kit supplier	Period
Adidas	1985
Credeport	1986–1990
Puma	1991–1992
Reebok	1993–1994
Marathon	1994–present

The following is a list of match results in the last 12 months, as well as any future matches that have been scheduled.

  Win   Draw   Loss   Fixture

2025

Paraguay  v  Ecuador

4 September 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification	Paraguay	0–0	Ecuador	Asunción, Paraguay
20:30 UTC−3		Report		Stadium: Estadio Defensores del Chaco Referee: Raphael Claus (Brazil)

Ecuador  v  Argentina

9 September 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification	Ecuador	1–0	Argentina	Guayaquil, Ecuador
18:00 UTC−5	E. Valencia 45+13' (pen.)	Report		Stadium: Estadio Monumental Isidro Romero Carbo Referee: Wilmar Roldán (Colombia)

United States  v  Ecuador

10 October Friendly	United States	1–1	Ecuador	Austin, United States
19:30 UTC−5	Balogun 71'	Report	E. Valencia 24'	Stadium: Q2 Stadium Attendance: 20,738 Referee: Filip Dujic (Canada)

Mexico  v  Ecuador

14 October Friendly	Mexico	1–1	Ecuador	Zapopan, Mexico
20:30 UTC−6	Berterame 3'	Report	Alcívar 20' (pen.)	Stadium: Estadio Akron Attendance: 49,850 Referee: Victor Rivas (United States)

Canada  v  Ecuador

13 November Friendly	Canada	0–0	Ecuador	Toronto, Canada
19:30 UTC−5		Report		Stadium: BMO Field Attendance: 28,740 Referee: Fernando Hernández (Mexico)

Ecuador  v  New Zealand

18 November Friendly	Ecuador	2–0	New Zealand	Harrison, United States
20:30 UTC−5	Angulo 50' Campana 83'	Report		Stadium: Sports Illustrated Stadium

2026

Morocco  v  Ecuador

27 March Friendly	Morocco	1–1	Ecuador	Madrid, Spain
20:15 UTC+1	El Aynaoui 88'	Report	Yeboah 48'	Stadium: Metropolitano Stadium Attendance: 61,622 Referee: José Luis Munuera Montero (Spain)

Netherlands  v  Ecuador

31 March Friendly	Netherlands	1–1	Ecuador	Eindhoven, Netherlands
20:45 UTC+2	Pacho 3' (o.g.)	Report	E. Valencia 24' (pen.)	Stadium: Philips Stadion Attendance: 29,344 Referee: Sascha Stegemann (Germany)

Ecuador  v  Saudi Arabia

30 May Friendly	Ecuador	2–1	Saudi Arabia	Harrison, United States
19:30 UTC−4	Porozo 35' A. Valencia 51'	Report	Mandash 87'	Stadium: Sports Illustrated Stadium Referee: Pierre-Luc Lauziere (Canada)

Ecuador  v  Guatemala

7 June Friendly	Ecuador	3–0	Guatemala	Columbus, United States
16:00 UTC−4	J. Caicedo 19' (pen.) Angulo 73' Estupiñán 78'	Report		Stadium: ScottsMiracle-Gro Field Referee: Marco Ortíz (Mexico)

Ivory Coast  v  Ecuador

14 June 2026 FIFA World Cup GS	Ivory Coast	1–0	Ecuador	Philadelphia, United States
19:00 UTC−4	Amad 90'	Report		Stadium: Lincoln Financial Field Attendance: 68,274 Referee: François Letexier (France)

Ecuador  v  Curaçao

20 June 2026 FIFA World Cup GS	Ecuador	0–0	Curaçao	Kansas City, United States
19:00 UTC−5		Report		Stadium: Arrowhead Stadium Attendance: 68,598 Referee: Ma Ning (China)

Ecuador  v  Germany

25 June 2026 FIFA World Cup GS	Ecuador	2–1	Germany	East Rutherford, United States
16:00 UTC−4	Angulo 9' Plata 77'	Report	Sane 2'	Stadium: MetLife Stadium Attendance: 80,663 Referee: Tori Penso (United States)

Mexico  v  Ecuador

30 June 2026 FIFA World Cup R32	Mexico	2–0	Ecuador	Mexico City, Mexico
20:00 UTC−6	Quiñones 22' Jiménez 31'	Report		Stadium: Estadio Azteca Attendance: 80,824 Referee: Slavko Vinčić (Slovenia)

As of 30 June 2026.^[25]

Players in bold are still active with Ecuador.

Most appearances

Rank	Player	Caps	Goals	Ecuador career
1	Iván Hurtado	168	4	1992–2014
2	Walter Ayoví	121	8	2001–2017
3	Édison Méndez	111	18	2000–2014
4	Enner Valencia	109	49	2012–2026
	Álex Aguinaga	109	23	1987–2004
6	Ulises de la Cruz	101	6	1995–2010
7	Luis Capurro	100	1	1985–2003
8	Antonio Valencia	99	11	2004–2019
9	Giovanny Espinoza	90	3	2000–2009
10	Segundo Castillo	88	9	2003–2016
	José Francisco Cevallos	88	0	1994–2010

Top goalscorers

Rank	Player	Goals	Caps	Ratio	Ecuador career
1	Enner Valencia	49	109	0.45	2012–2026
2	Agustín Delgado	31	72	0.44	1994–2011
3	Eduardo Hurtado	26	74	0.35	1992–2002
4	Christian Benítez	25	61	0.41	2005–2013
5	Álex Aguinaga	23	109	0.21	1987–2004
6	Felipe Caicedo	22	68	0.32	2005–2017
7	Édison Méndez	18	111	0.16	2000–2014
8	Raúl Avilés	16	55	0.29	1987–1993
	Iván Kaviedes	16	57	0.28	1996–2012
10	Ariel Graziani	15	34	0.44	1997–2000

Below is a result summary of all matches Ecuador have played against FIFA recognized teams.^[26]

As of 30 June 2026

  Positive Record   Neutral Record   Negative Record

Opponents	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Win %
Argentina	42	6	12	24	37	99	–62	14.29%
Armenia	1	1	0	0	3	0	+3	100%
Australia	3	2	0	1	7	7	0	66.67%
Belarus	1	0	1	0	1	1	0	0%
Bolivia	39	21	12	6	75	39	+36	53.85%
Brazil	37	2	7	28	24	99	–75	5.41%
Bulgaria	2	1	0	1	4	3	+1	50%
Cameroon	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	0%
Canada	5	2	3	0	6	3	+3	40%
Cape Verde	1	1	0	0	1	0	+1	100%
Chile	55	12	14	29	54	99	–45	21.82%
China	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	0%
Colombia	50	14	13	23	45	54	–9	28%
Costa Rica	12	6	5	1	22	10	+12	50%
Croatia	1	1	0	0	1	0	+1	100%
Cuba	4	0	2	2	1	3	–2	0%
Curaçao	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	0%
El Salvador	10	7	2	1	31	8	+23	70%
England	3	0	1	2	2	5	–3	0%
Estonia	2	2	0	0	3	1	+2	100%
Finland	1	1	0	0	3	1	+2	100%
France	2	0	1	1	0	2	–2	0%
FR Yugoslavia	1	1	0	0	1	0	+1	100%
Germany	3	1	0	2	4	8	–4	33.33%
Greece	1	0	1	0	1	1	0	0%
Guatemala	11	6	3	2	14	4	+10	54.55%
Haiti	6	4	0	2	12	6	+6	66.67%
Honduras	19	7	9	3	24	18	+6	36.84%
Hungary	1	1	0	0	1	0	+1	100%
Iran	3	1	2	0	3	2	+1	33.33%
Iraq	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	0%
Italy	3	0	1	2	1	5	–4	0%
Ivory Coast	1	0	0	1	0	1	–1	0%
Jamaica	5	3	2	0	7	2	+5	60%
Japan	4	0	2	2	1	5	–4	0%
Jordan	1	0	0	1	0	3	–3	0%
Kuwait	1	1	0	0	3	0	+3	100%
Lebanon	1	0	0	1	0	1	–1	0%
Libya	1	0	0	1	0	1	–1	0%
Mexico	27	4	8	15	25	43	–18	15.38%
Morocco	1	0	1	0	1	1	0	0%
Netherlands	4	0	3	1	3	4	–1	0%
New Zealand	1	2	0	0	2	0	+2	100%
Nigeria	1	1	0	0	1	0	+1	100%
North Macedonia	1	0	0	1	1	2	–1	0%
Oman	3	1	1	1	2	2	0	33.33%
Panama	9	6	2	1	20	4	+16	66.67%
Paraguay	42	12	8	22	52	72	–20	28.57%
Peru	58	18	18	22	71	84	–13	31.03%
Poland	3	1	1	1	4	5	–1	33.33%
Portugal	2	1	0	1	3	5	–2	50%
Qatar	4	2	1	1	8	6	+2	50%
Republic of Ireland	2	0	1	1	3	4	–1	0%
Romania	2	1	0	1	4	3	+1	50%
Scotland	1	0	0	1	1	2	–1	0%
Senegal	2	0	0	2	1	3	–2	0%
Saudi Arabia	3	1	2	0	2	1	+1	33.33%
South Korea	2	1	0	1	2	3	–1	50%
Spain	2	0	0	2	0	6	–6	0%
Sweden	2	1	1	0	3	2	+1	50%
Switzerland	1	0	0	1	1	2	–1	0%
Trinidad and Tobago	2	2	0	0	6	1	+5	100%
Turkey	1	1	0	0	1	0	+1	100%
Uganda	1	0	0	1	1	2	–1	0%
Uruguay	50	8	11	31	46	115	–69	16%
United States	16	5	6	5	13	12	+1	31.25%
Venezuela	34	16	6	12	59	37	+22	47.06%
Zambia	2	2	0	0	5	1	+4	100%
Total (68)	628	189	168	271	723	916	–193	30%

• Ecuador national under-23 football team
• Ecuador national under-20 football team
• Ecuador national under-17 football team
• Ecuador national futsal team

Ecuador has won the Panamerican Games 2006/2007 Trophy, Ecuador also won the 1999 Canada Cup Trophy, 1995 Korea Cup Trophy and Finally Ecuador achieved 1st place Gold Medal at the 1965 Bolivarian Games.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Ecuador national association football team.

• Official website (in Spanish)
• Ecuador FIFA profile
• Fútbol Ecuador (in Spanish)