The 2022 World Cup South America World Preliminary Tournament has been cancelled for 16 rounds, and with 2 rounds left, Ecuador, with 7 wins, 4 draws and 5 losses, has accumulated 25 points and is temporarily ranked third in the standings. In the 17th round, Ecuador will play away to Paraguay, which has lost its hopes of qualifying early, and in the final round, Ecuador will host Argentina, which has already qualified early.
In this World Preliminary Tournament, there are 4.5 qualifying places in the South American region, the top four teams will directly receive the World Cup ticket after the 18 rounds of the World Preliminary Tournament, and the fifth-ranked team in the South American region will compete with the team from the Asian region in the intercontinental play-off to compete for a World Cup ticket.
Previously, Ecuador has participated in three World Cups, in 2002, 2006 and 2014. As things stand, Ecuador is getting closer and closer to competing in the 2022 Qatar World Cup.
In the current Ecuadorian squad, there are many young players and the age structure of the team is more reasonable, two of which are already the main players in the national team, provoking the beams, namely the central defender Inkapier, who is currently playing for Bayer Leverkusen, and the midfielder Moises Kesedo, who plays for Premier League side Brighton.
In the summer of 2021, Inkapier came to Europe to join Bundesliga side Bayer Leverkusen for a transfer fee of 6.35 million euros. Since the start of the 2021-22 season, he has scored 1 goal in 17 Bundesliga appearances, including 14 of them as a starter, and is already the main defender in Bayer Leverkusen.
In the Ecuadorian national team, Incapier also quickly occupied the main position. At last year's Copa America, he was a rookie for the national team at the time, playing all 90 minutes in all five Copa America matches. In this World Preliminary Tournament, Incapier has made nine appearances, all of which have played 90 minutes, including the only goal of the game when facing Venezuela at home. The 20-year-old centre-back has made 14 appearances for the Ecuadorian national team so far, scoring one goal.
Moises Kesedo came to Europe in February 2021 to join Premier League side Brighton for a transfer fee of €5 million. After last summer, the youngster was loaned by Brighton to Beaisha, where he returned to Brighton in January after scoring 12 goals in 12 appearances for Bischa in half a season.
Since joining Brighton for a year, Moises Kecedo has made appearances in the League Cup and FA Cup, but has not yet made his premiere in the Premier League.
In the Ecuadorian national team, Moises Kecedo is already an absolute mainstay in the midfield. At last year's Copa America, he started all four group games and came off the bench in the quarter-finals against Argentina. In this World Preliminary Tournament, Moises Kecedo has made 14 appearances, all of which are starting appearances, scoring 2 goals and breaking the goals of Uruguay and Chile respectively. The 20-year-old midfielder has made 19 appearances for the Ecuadorian national team so far, scoring two goals.
It is worth mentioning that Moises Kesedo's dual teammate In Brighton and Ecuador's national team, Samanto, is even younger, and is currently only 19 years old. In this World Preliminary Tournament, Samanto has made three appearances for the Ecuadorian national team, and after making his debut for the national team in October last year, Samanto made his Premier League debut in November last year, and he has now represented Brighton twice in the Premier League.
Ecuador is just one step away from qualifying for the World Preliminary Round, and Impier, Moises Kesedo and Samanto will all participate in the 2022 Qatar World Cup with the team. They will all be regulars for the Ecuadorian national team for years to come.