FIFA Ranking: 26 (Last Updated 05 Jun 2014)
History: Ecuador have qualified for two World Cups - 2002 and 2006. They failed to get past the group stage in 2002 and lost 1-0 to England in the Round of 16 at the 2006 World Cup in Germany.
Qualifying report: Ecuador had a rather inconsistent qualification process. They won one of their last six matches and finished fourth alongside Uruguay in the South American qualification. Their better goal-difference saw them qualify as the fourth team in the automatic spot for a trip to Brazil. Sadly, for la Tri, their star forward Christian Benitez passed away with a heart attack after helping Ecuador qualify.
Star Players: Antonio Valencia plays for Manchester United (England) at the club level. He is by far the most well known face in the Ecuador team. With blistering pace and dribbling abilities, Valencia can cause trouble to any left-back in the world. He has been the first choice on the right wing for both club and country and can fit in as a right back too.
Edison Mendez is one of the most experienced players in the game. He plays for Santa Fe in Colombia. The versatile winger can play in the center too. He has made over a 100 appearances for Ecuador and rejoined the team in 2008 after an early retirement following differences with coach at that time.
Top Scorer during WC Qualification 2014: Felipe Caicedo (4)
Top scorer at the Cup: Agustin Delgado (3)
Most World Cup caps: Edison Mendez (7)
Team record at the Cup: M: 7, W: 3, D: 0, L: 4
Coach: Reinaldo Rueda has earlier guided Honduras to the 2010 World Cup. He built an excellent reputation with Colombian youth teams and managed their national team. Rueda could see himself getting ousted if Ecuador submit meekly in Brazil.
Squad:
Goalkeepers: Alexander Dominguez (Liga de Quito), Maximo Banguera (Barcelona, Ecuador), Adrian Bone (El Nacional)
Defenders: Gabriel Achilier (Emelec), Walter Ayovi (Pachuca), Oscar Bagui (Emelec), Frickson Erazo (Flamengo), Jorge Guagua (Emelec), Juan Carlos Paredes (Barcelona, Ecuador
Midfielders: Segundo Castillo (Al Hilal), Carlos Gruezo (Stuttgart), Renato Ibarra (Vitesse Arnhem), Fidel Martinez (Tijuana), Edison Mendez (Santa Fe), Christian Noboa (Dinamo Moscow), Luis Saritama (Barcelona, Ecuador), Antonio Valencia (Manchester United)
Forwards: Jaime Ayovi (Tijuana), Felipe Caicedo (Al-Jazira), Jefferson Montero (Morelia), Joao Rojas (Cruz Azul), Enner Valencia (Pachuca), Michael Arroyo (Atlante)
Group listing: Group E, along with France, Honduras and Switzerland.
Fixtures:
June 15: Switzerland v Ecuador, Brasilia
June 20: Honduras v Ecuador, Curitiba
June 25: Ecuador v France, Rio de Janeiro