Ecuador

Ecuador made it to Germany 2006 easily. They came third in the South American qualifying group, behind only Brazil and Argentina, two of the favourites for the competition. Along the way they had 7 home victories and one away, but they did manage to beat Argentina and Brazil.

Ecuador World Cup profile continues below

The surprise qualifier's manager, Luis Fernando Suarez, is a Columbian who took over in 2004 just before the Copa America. He immediately made his impression on the future of the team clear, by removing older, more experienced players and bringing up younger talents.

Despite their potential they were ranked 37th in the world for a reason - the only other World Cup appearance Ecuador have made was in 2002, where they went out in the group stages.

Although their World Cup history is short, their captain, Ivan Hurtado, has been with them the whole way. He has picked up 130 caps, an incredible record for a 31 year old.

Ecuador might be on the up, and they got off to a good start in the World Cup beating Poland 2-0 on the opening day. Their 3-0 victory over Costa Rica ensured that Ecuador qualified for the last 16. In their third game, Ecuador lost 3-0 to hosts, Germany; but they had already done enough to qualify and meet England in the last 16.

Ecuador caused England an early worry when Carlos Tenorio's shot deflected off Ashley Cole to hit the crossbar, but they eventually lost 1-0 after a 60th minute David Beckham free kick.

Ecuador World Cup squad by shirt number: 1 Edwin Villafuerte 2 Jorge Guagua 3 Ivan Hurtado 4 Ulises De la Cruz 5 Jose Perlaza 6 Patricio Urrutia 7 Christian Lara 8 Edison Mendez 9 Felix Borja 10 Ivan Kaviedes 11 Agustin Delgado 12 Cristian Mora 13 Paul Ambrossi 14 Segundo Castillo 15 Marlon Ayovi 16 Luis Valencia 17 Geovanny Espinoza 18 Neicer Reasco 19 Luis Saritama 20 Edwin Tenorio 21 Carlos Tenorio 22 Damian Lanza 23 Cristian Benitez

Ecuador World Cup profile by Ben Rosenbaum