Ecuador tipped as a World Cup dark horse

Ecuador have been named among the dark horses for the 2026 World Cup alongside Japan and Norway, with the Guardian singling out La Tri as a team capable of surprising deeper into the tournament. The recognition follows Ecuador's strong qualifying campaign – finishing second in South America, a feat that has not gone unnoticed in pre-tournament analysis. Sebastián Beccacece's side enter the competition in confident form after a convincing friendly win over Guatemala, and with the Ivory Coast opener looming, the growing external belief mirrors the momentum building inside the camp. The dark-horse label is not just noise – it reflects a squad peaking at the right time and a manager who may still have tactical cards left to play.