Ecuador could tie their best ever performance in this competition if they beat Mexico. Ecuador have never won the World Cup, but they have become one of South America’s regular participants in recent decades. The 2026 tournament marks their fifth World Cup appearance after previously qualifying in 2002, 2006, 2014 and 2022.
The country’s best World Cup performance came in 2006, when Ecuador reached the Round of 16 for the first time. They advanced from the group stage after victories over Poland and Costa Rica before finishing second behind host nation Germany following a defeat in the final group match.
Their memorable run ended against England in the Round of 16. Ecuador produced a disciplined performance but were eliminated 1-0 after David Beckham scored the winning goal from a free kick in the 60th minute.
Their other participations
In their other appearances before 2026, Ecuador were unable to reach the knockout stage. On their World Cup debut in 2002, they finished fourth in a group with Italy, Mexico and Croatia, although they closed the tournament with a memorable victory over Croatia.
Ecuador narrowly lost to England in Germany (Clive Mason/Getty Images)
In 2014, Ecuador again fell short after finishing third behind France and Switzerland with four points. Their only victory came against Honduras, with Enner Valencia playing a starring role.
In 2022 they narrowly missed out in a disappointing way after beating Qatar and drawing with the Netherlands before a decisive 2-1 defeat to Senegal in their final group match.
The 2026 campaign
This campaign has already brought Ecuador close to matching their best World Cup run. The expanded tournament format allowed the best third-placed teams to advance, and Ecuador took advantage after recovering from a loss to Ivory Coast and a draw with Curaçao by defeating Germany to finish third and reach the Round of 32.