When Ecuador head coach Sebastian Beccacece names his final 26-man squad for World Cup 2026, Moises Caicedo is a dead cert to be included.
It will be a second World Cup for the Chelsea midfielder, who was part of Gustavo Alfaro's squad in Qatar four years ago as a 21-year-old Brighton & Hove Albion prospect with the world at his feet.
Now a senior figure within the Ecuador squad under Sebastian Beccacece, Caicedo has 60 caps at the age of 24 but has lots to learn, by his own admission.
Moises Caicedo will serve a World Cup ban
Caicedo has encountered some disciplinary problems during the 2025/26 season and will start the World Cup on the sidelines due to a one-match suspension.
Ecuador qualified for this summer's finals in the United States, Canada and Mexico thanks to a sturdy campaign in CONMEBOL. They lost just twice and finished second behind World Cup holders Argentina, beating them in the last qualifier in Guayaquil in September.
Caicedo was given a second yellow card five minutes into the second half and slapped with an automatic one-match ban to be served during Ecuador's World Cup opener.
La Tri's first World Cup fixture in Group E will be against Ivory Coast at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia. While it's reported that Ecuador will continue to push for the ban to be deferred or overturned, there's little chance they will succeed.
The Chelsea midfielder has found it difficult to stay out of trouble this season, picking up 12 yellow cards in all competitions for the Blues. He's been suspended twice in the Premier League including once for a red card, and has also served a ban in the Carabao Cup.
"I think players don't like to get yellow cards or red cards. I need to learn from that," Caicedo told reporters in January. "That's why people, referees, recognise me, because I'm very aggressive in winning the ball back, but not with bad intentions."
Ecuador's hopes of having their midfield man reinstated against Ivory Coast were perhaps boosted by the leeway afforded to Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo after his red card against the Republic of Ireland in November.
Ronaldo earned a three-match ban but FIFA's disciplinary committee suspended two matches of that for a year, a very rare intervention that just happened to clear the 41-year-old to play in the first two World Cup fixtures.
FIFA noted that the decision took into account Ronaldo's disciplinary record and a lack of a previous red card over the course of a very lengthy international career, a case that cannot be made in Caicedo's defence.
He will be available again for Ecuador's second group match against Curacao at Arrowhead Stadium and third group match against Germany at MetLife Stadium, which will also host the final on Sunday, July 19..
