Enner Valencia

Enner Valencia is Ecuador's captain and all-time leading scorer, a centre-forward with 49 goals in 105 internationals. The Pachuca striker is 36 at kick-off and has been named in Sebastián Beccacece's projected squad as the focal point of the attack for the 2026 finals.

Ecuador qualified as CONMEBOL runners-up on 10 June 2025 and are drawn with Ivory Coast, Curaçao and Germany in Group E. Valencia has carried Ecuador's goal threat for over a decade and owns a remarkable World Cup scoring record, making him the player the team looks to for goals. With the final 26 due on 1 June, the captain is central to how Beccacece's side will attack, even at this stage of his career.

Valencia is a natural centre-forward whose game is built on movement, finishing and a striker's instinct in the box. He leads the line, plays off the shoulder of defenders, and has the experience to bring others into play, the all-round game of a veteran number nine. Years at the top have sharpened the timing rather than dulled it.

As captain, Valencia is the focal point of the attack, and in a Beccacece side that defends well but scores sparingly, his goals carry extra weight when the chances come.

Valencia gives Ecuador their clearest individual scoring reference: the captain is the national team's record scorer, with 49 goals in 105 caps. Ecuador sit in Tier 4 at £10m within the game's £200m card budget, and Group E begins against Ivory Coast before Curaçao and Germany.

The low slot cost sits beside a low-scoring team profile, because Ecuador's qualifiers were built on defensive control. Valencia's value is direct and narrow: captaincy, a forward role, and a record of scoring in World Cup games.