Here are five players to watch when Ecuador competes in Columbus. Considered one of the top defensive midfielders competing in this World Cup, Caicedo just finished his third season with Chelsea, where he appeared in all but five games.

Ecuador's final step before the 2026 World Cup is a friendly against Guatemala. Live the minute-by-minute happenings here at Bolavip.

As part of a special World Cup series, The Athletic is speaking to fans of all 48 competing nations to capture their unique football culture

What can I expect from Ecuador? It was absolutely no surprise to see two Ecuadorian defenders line up on opposing sides in the biggest game in club football as PSG's Willian Pacho and Arsenal's Piero Hincapie met in May's Champions League final.

An Ecuadoran judge was fatally shot during a state of emergency that had been declared to combat organized crime, Ecuador's judicial oversight body said. It called the killing of Lady Pachar a "serious attack against justice and the rule of law in Ecuador" in a statement released Monday.

The core of the team is a well-known trio: Caicedo of Chelsea, Arsenal’s Hincapie and Paris Saint-Germain centre-back Willian Pacho. All three are aged 24 and graduated from Independiente del Valle’s academy. They personify the blend of technical quality and physicality which runs through the team.

The cause of the fire was not immediately clear, and authorities had not yet released information on possible casualties or the extent of the damage

Eight bodies have been found in plastic bags in a southwestern narco-trafficking hotspot, where eight people went missing on Sunday, Ecuadoran police said Wednesday. "It has been confirmed that there are eight bodies" found on the outskirts of the town of Babahoyo,