Road to Qatar: how Ecuador qualified for World Cup 2022 - in pictures

We take a look at how the South American side sealed their place at the finals

HOW ECUADOR QUALIFIED FOR WORLD CUP 2022: October 8, 2020. Argentina 1 (Messi pen 13') Ecuador 0. Getty

October 13, 2020. Ecuador 4 (M. Caicedo 14', Estrada 45+3', 52', Plata 75') Uruguay 2 (Suarez pen 83', pen 90+5'). Getty

November 12, 2020. Bolivia 2 (Arce 37', Moreno 60') Ecuador 3 (B. Caicedo 46', Mena 55' Gruezo pen 88'). Getty

November 17, 2020. Ecuador 6 (Arboleda 7' Mena 9', Estrada 32', Arreaga 39', Plata 78', Estupinan 90+1') Colombia 1 (Rodriguez pen 45+1'). Getty

June 4, 2021. Brazil 2 (Richarlison 65' Neymar pen 90+4') Ecuador 0. AFP

June 8, 2021. Ecuador 1 (Plata 90+3') Peru 2 (Cueva 63', Advincula 89'). EPA

September 2, 2021. Ecuador 2 (Torres 88', Estrada 90+5') Paraguay 0. Getty

September 5, 2021. Ecuador 0 Chile 0. Getty

September 9, 2021. Uruguay 1 (Pereiro 90+2') Ecuador 0. EPA

October 7, 2021. Ecuador 3 (Estrada 13', Valencia 16', 18') Bolivia 0. AFP

October 10, 2021. Venezuela 2 (Machis 45+1', Bello 64') Ecuador 1 (Valencia pen 37'). AP

October 14, 2021. Colombia 0 Ecuador 0. EPA

November 11, 2021. Ecuador 1 (Hincapie 41') Venezuela 0. AFP

16 November 2021. Chile 0 Ecuador 2 (Estupinan 9', M. Caicedo 90+3'). EPA

January 27, 2022. Ecuador 1 (Torres 75') Brazil 1 (Casemiro 6'). EPA

February 1, 2022. Peru 1 (Flores 69') Ecuador 1 (Estrada 2'). Getty

March 24, 2022. Paraguay 3 (Morales 10', Hincapie og 45+6', Almiron 54' Ecuador 1 (Caicedo pen 85'). AP

March 29, 2022. Ecuador 1 (Valencia 90+3') Argentina 1 (Alvarez 24'). AFP

Just nine weeks before Ecuador were due to face Qatar in the opening game of the World Cup finals, the South Americans finally received the news they had been waiting for.

Ecuador had finished fourth in the Conmebol qualification group to qualify for the finals behind table-topping Brazil, second-placed Argentina and Uruguay in third.

But a shadow had been hanging over their success after Ecuador were accused of fielding an ineligible player during the qualifiers.

Chile and Peru, the top candidates to replace Ecuador in the tournament, had claimed that defender Byron Castillo was born in Colombia, not Ecuador, and therefore should not have been allowed to play. The right-back had appeared in eight of their 18 qualifiers.

In June, after Chile had launched the initial accusation, Fifa’s disciplinary committee cleared Ecuador of wrongdoing. Peru then joined Chile in an appeal against the verdict.

Finally, on September 16, Fifa’s appeal committee ruled that, “on the basis of the documents presented, the player was to be considered as holding permanent Ecuadorian nationality” and therefore eligible to represent the country. Ecuador were clear to play.

In Qatar, they were drawn in Group A alongside Qatar, Senegal and the Netherlands.

In the gallery above, you can see how Ecuador qualified for the finals that kick off on November 20. To view the next image, click on the arrows or just swipe if on a mobile device.

Ecuador's fixtures in Qatar

November 20 Qatar v Ecuador – Al Bayt Stadium (8pm)

November 25 Netherlands v Ecuador – Khalifa International Stadium (8pm)

November 29 Ecuador v Senegal – Khalifa International Stadium (7pm)