FILE PHOTO: Ecuador's coach Sebastian Beccacece was an assistant coach at the 2014 and 2018 edition of the World Cup. | Photo Credit: AP

Ecuador is set to kick off its fifth FIFA World Cup with the Group E match against the Ivory Coast. For this tournament, La Tri are going to have Argentine head coach Sebastián Beccacece in their dug-out. While the 45-year-old is one of the younger managers in the tournament, he is also one of the most experienced coaches, having been a coach since 2003. Beccacece started out as a right-back in the Argentine lower league youth teams, but stepped away from playing in 2001 aged 21 after acknowledging he would not make it to the top level. A year later, he met Jorge Sampaoli, and followed him as his assistant coach for the next 12 years.

Beccacece took over the Ecuador job in 2024, succeeding Spaniard Félix Sánchez. This comes after a one-year stint at Elche, before which he had stints at Independiente, Racing Club, and two separate stints at Defensa y Justicia. While he was the head coach of the Argentina Under-20 team from 2017 to 2018, the Ecuador job is his first as a senior national team head coach. This will be Beccacece’s third FIFA World Cup as part of a coaching staff, going to the 2014 and 2018 editions as Chile and Argentina assistant coach respectively. This time, he comes into the tournament leading a side.

The Ivory Coast match will also carry personal significance for Beccacece, as it will be the 300th game as a head coach.

Sebastián Beccacece’s record as head coach:

• Matches: 299
• Wins: 124
• Draws: 82
• Losses: 93
• Win percentage: 41.4%

Sebastián Beccacece’s record as Ecuador head coach:

• Matches: 20
• Wins: 8
• Draws: 11
• Losses: 1
• Win percentage: 40%
• Goals scored: 20
• Goals conceded: 7

Published on Jun 14, 2026