| Club | MP | W | D | L | GD | Pts | GF | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Ecuador |
2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 1 |
 Netherlands |
2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 1 |
 Senegal |
2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
 Qatar |
2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | -4 | 0 | 1 | 5 |
Group A
29/11/2022
Stadium
STARTS AT
16:00 GMT+0100Khalifa International Stadium
Ecuador will head to only their fourth World Cup after an impressive qualification campaign in the notoriously tough South American group. Their initial form meant they could remain winless in their last four matches and still qualify for the Finals, although this run did include impressive draws against Brazil and Argentina.
Many of the 2022 Ecuador squad will be unknown to European football fans with most playing in South America or MLS. However, some recognisable faces come in the form of Moisés Caicedo (Brighton), Enner Valencia (Fenerbahçe), Carlos Gruezo (Augsburg) and young starlet Gonzalo Plata (Sporting Lisbon) who has already amassed nearly 30 caps.
Ecuador has the challenge of facing hosts Qatar in front of a partisan crowd on the opening day of the FIFA 2022 World Cup. The game is set to be a competitive affair between two sides who’ll both believe a win is necessary in order to progress from the group.
Leading Ecuador to the World Cup is Gustavo Alfaro, a former player from Argentina who has an extensive managerial pedigree across South America. He first started coaching all the way back in 1992 at his hometown club Atlético de Rafaela after retiring from the playing squad.
A whole host of managerial stints ensued across the continent, usually for no more than 1 or 2 seasons, before Alfaro moved on. His most successful time came at Arsenal de Sarandí, winning the 2007 Copa Sudamericana in his first spell and 2012 Argentine Primera División in his second.
More respectable results with Tigre, Gimnasia LP and Huracán saw Alfaro become appointed manager of Boca Juniors before this vast wealth of experience landed him his first national job with Ecuador in 2020.
Experienced striker Enner Valencia is the captain of the 2022 Ecuador national team, as well as being the country’s all time-leading goalscorer and most capped current player. He impressed after an early transfer to Mexican side Pachuca that West Ham United signed him for £12 million in 2014.
However, goals were hard to come by during his time in the Premier League, which also included a loan spell at Everton. Valencia was shipped off back to Mexico before finding his way back to European football with Fenerbahçe. His place in the national side is not in doubt however, and he’ll be looking to lead his side out of the group stages in Qatar.
Typically, the hosts of the tournament play in the very first game of the FIFA World Cup. This time around however, the first game will be Senegal against the Netherlands as the morning fixture on 21st November. Ecuador play hosts Qatar later that day after England have faced Iran.
Historically, Ecuador’s qualification record for major tournaments isn’t great – they only qualified for their first ever World Cup in 2002. This is in no small part due to the very difficult South American qualification group they must navigate through. The Qatar tournament will be their fourth World Cup Finals.
Former Manchester United player Antonio Valencia has now retired from football altogether after last playing for Querétaro in Mexico. His last game for Ecuador came all the way back in 2019.
