After spending the past two weeks training for the FIFA World Cup in Columbus, Ecuador’s national team will play its final game before the tournament against Guatemala at ScottsMiracle-Gro Field on June 7.
Ecuador is entering the tournament as the 24th-ranked team, according to USA Today’s World Cup rankings. Led by Chelsea midfielder Moises Caicedo, Ecuador will attempt to improve its best World Cup performance from 2006, when it reached the round of 16.
Here are five players to watch when Ecuador competes in Columbus.
Moises Caicedo
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.
This marks Caicedo’s second World Cup, as he made Ecuador’s 2022 World Cup squad, though the 24-year-old had played for the national team since 2020.
Pervis Estupinan
When Pervis Estupinan took the field with Caicedo during the 2022 World Cup, he was also the midfielder’s teammate for Brighton in the Premier League.
Typically slotting in on the backline, Estupinan made the move from the Premier League to Italy’s Serie A, now playing for AC Milan.
Willian Pacho
24-year-old Willian Pacho closed out his 2025-26 season starting for Paris Saint-Germain in its 4-3 penalty-kick victory over Arsenal FC in the Champions League finals.
Though Pacho was on Ecuador’s 2022 World Cup team, the defender saw no playing time.
Piero Hincapie
After starting against Pacho in the Champions Cup final, defender Piero Hincapie will be alongside Pacho during the World Cup. Hincapie joined Arsenal in 2025 via a loan from Germany’s Bayer Leverkusen.
Enner Valencia
Forward Enner Valencia is set to enter his third World Cup as Ecuador’s captain, with over 100 caps under his belt.
The matchup against Guatemala will be the first of two games Valencia is expected to play in Columbus this summer, as he is currently with Liga MX’s Pachuca, one of the Crew’s Leagues Cup opponents. Valencia joined Pachuca after its 3-0 victory over the Crew in the 2024 CONCACAF Champions Cup final.
Ecuador kicks off against Guatemala at 4 p.m.
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: 5 players to watch in Columbus from Ecuador’s World Cup team
Reporting by Brianna Mac Kay, Columbus Dispatch / The Columbus Dispatch
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Brianna Mac Kay, Columbus Dispatch | USA TODAY Network
