World Cup Group A Team Guides: Ecuador

Group A of the World Cup is a fascinating quartet in every way. Host Qatar and Ecuador square off Nov. 20 to open the tournament. Senegal, the African champion, has its best team ever, while the Netherlands is looking to make yet another deep run after missing out on 2018.

Here is everything to know about Ecuador:

Coach: Gustavo Alfaro

Highest finish: Round of 16 (2006)

2018 finish: Did not qualify

FOX Bet odds: +20000

Key players: Pervis Estupiñán, Gonzalo Plata, Enner Valencia

What we’re excited to watch: How they perform in the opener against the hosts will tell us plenty about Ecuador’s chances of advancing to the knockout stage.

What success looks like: Surviving group play. 

X-Factor: Valencia is the captain and all-time leading scorer for Ecuador. He’s 33 now but will arrive having scored 12 goals in 12 Turkish league games this season.

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Doug McIntyre is a soccer writer for FOX Sports. Before joining FOX Sports in 2021, he was a staff writer with ESPN and Yahoo Sports and he has covered United States men’s and women’s national teams at multiple FIFA World Cups. Follow him on Twitter @ByDougMcIntyre.