Ecuador. The pre-tournament read.

1. Chelsea · Defensive midfield

   Moisés Caicedo

   British-record £115m Chelsea transfer in August 2023. The midfield engine the entire Beccacece project is built around — recoveries, ball-carrying, and one of the most disciplined positional players in the Premier League.

2. Bayer Leverkusen · Centre-back

   Piero Hincapié

   Started every match of Bayer Leverkusen's 2023-24 Bundesliga-winning season. Left-footed, ball-playing, comfortable as the left-side centre-back in a three or the second centre-back in a four — every option Beccacece needs.

3. Chelsea · Attacking midfield

   Kendry Páez

   Nineteen years old, signed by Chelsea from Independiente del Valle in January 2024 with the move delayed until his 18th birthday. The post-Valencia generation's creator and the player Ecuador's attack has begun to look genuinely modern around.

Agent-authored figures · needs verification before match-use.

1. 01 Enner Valencia · Internacional6 g · 16 of 18
2. 02 Kendry Páez · Chelsea4 g · 14 of 18
3. 03 Jhon Yeboah · FC Augsburg3 g · 11 of 18

1. 17 FEB 2023

   Court of Arbitration for Sport rules on the Byron Castillo case

   Ecuador retained their 2022 World Cup qualification but were docked three points from the 2026 qualifying campaign — a sanction enforced before the campaign opened. They qualified anyway.

2. 25 JUN 2024

   Sebastián Beccacece appointed head coach

   Argentine, ex-Universidad Católica + Defensa y Justicia + Racing. Replaced Félix Sánchez after a fifteen-month stint that did not survive the early stages of qualifying.

3. 4 JUL 2024

   Lost 1-1 (2-4 on pens) to Argentina in the Copa America 2024 quarter-final

   Beccacece's first competitive matches with Ecuador. Pushed the eventual champions for ninety minutes plus extra time before going out on penalties. The proof-of-concept the federation hired him to deliver.

4. 15 NOV 2025

   Ecuador qualify with two matches to spare

   Beat Chile 2-0 in Quito. Caicedo orchestrating, Hincapié assist, the version of the team Beccacece had been building since July 2024.

5. 5 DEC 2025

   Drawn into Group E with Germany, Curaçao, Ivory Coast

   Germany under Nagelsmann is the seeded test. Ivory Coast are the reigning African champion. Curaçao are the pot-4 underdog. A genuine three-way fight for second place — the hardest non-pot-1 group in the tournament.

• Ecuador have appeared at four previous World Cups (2002, 2006, 2014, 2022). Their best finish is the round of 16 at Germany 2006, where they lost 1-0 to England — Beckham's free-kick the only goal.
• Moisés Caicedo signed for Chelsea in August 2023 for a fee reported at £115m — at the time the most expensive transfer in British football history. He remains the most expensive Ecuadorian footballer ever sold.
• Sebastián Beccacece is the third consecutive non-Ecuadorian to manage La Tri at senior level — after Gustavo Alfaro (Argentine, 2020-2022) and Félix Sánchez (Spanish, 2023-2024).
• Ecuador were docked three points from their 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign over the Byron Castillo eligibility case — a Court of Arbitration for Sport ruling delivered in February 2023, enforced before the qualifying campaign began. They qualified comfortably regardless.

1. 

   Germany

2. 

   Curaçao

3. 

   Ivory Coast

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