“Now It’s Easier to Be Ecuadorian”

It’s worth noting, as mentioned here, that these are the good old days of Ecuadorian international football. It’s not easy to qualify out of CONMEBOL, which encompasses South America. But here sit Ecuador, in their second-straight World Cup finals.

There are only four automatic qualification slots (plus a play-in spot) in CONMEBOL, and two of those are more or less reserved for Brazil and Argentina. Throw in traditional South American powers like Uruguay and Colombia, and the situation becomes clear.

Ecuador failed to escape the group stage in Korea/Japan, and are favored to meet the same fate this summer in Germany. Their group, Group A, is pretty weak however, and if the tournament were anywhere else but Germany, the group would be wide-open.

Anyway, Ecuador fans should enjoy this burgeoning Golden Age of international football, rankings be damned.