Ecuador’s national team announced Marcelo Gallardo as its new head coach for the 2030 World Cup cycle.
The River Plate idol will take charge of “La Tri” following the dismissal of fellow Argentine Sebastián Beccacece, who left the position after the team’s elimination in the second round of the 2026 World Cup against Mexico (2-0).
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At 50, Gallardo is taking over only the fifth team of his coaching career.
The Argentine began his journey on the touchline managing Uruguay’s Nacional in 2011/2012.
Between 2014 and 2022 came his most successful spell, in charge of River Plate. In 2023 and 2024, he was at the helm of Saudi Arabia’s Al-Ittihad, and then returned to the Millonarios, where he stayed from 2024 to 2026.
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Marcelo Gallardo will make his debut as Ecuador head coach during the next FIFA international window, in September, when the team faces South Korea on the 24th during its Asia “tour.”
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The Argentine’s contract with the Ecuadorian Football Federation runs until the end of the South American qualifiers for the 2030 World Cup, with a chance of renewal if the team qualifies for the Portugal-Spain-Morocco World Cup.
Under Sebastián Beccacece, Ecuador qualified for the 2026 World Cup in second place in the South American qualifiers, with 29 points from 18 matches, behind only Argentina (38 points).
In the qualifiers, Ecuador lost to Brazil 1-0 at Couto Pereira on September 6, 2024, and drew 0-0 in Guayaquil on June 5, 2025.
This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.
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