Ecuador face a high bar of competition if they are to match the World Cup prowess of their South American neighbours.
The good news at least is that they look set to hold on to their place at the tournament after Fifa's appeals committee dismissed a claim of ineligibility against one of their players.
The Chilean federation lodged a complaint with the game's global governing body over Byron Castillo, who it claimed was not born in Ecuador, and argued that Ecuador should forfeit the World Cup qualifying matches he had played in.
Fifa's disciplinary committee closed the proceedings in June but the Chileans appealed, leading to a new hearing before the appeals committee.
However, that too has now been dismissed with a Fifa statement saying: "Amongst other considerations, (the committee) deemed that on the basis of the documents presented, the player was to be considered as holding permanent Ecuadorian nationality."
The Chilean federation could now take their case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, but time is running out with Ecuador due to feature in the opening match of the tournament against the hosts on Nov 20.
Castillo played in eight of Ecuador's 18 qualifying games for the World Cup. Ecuador have denied that the player was ineligible.
Ecuador picked up 14 of their 26 points in matches Castillo played. Losing points for the games in which Castillo appeared would have meant they missed out on a place in Qatar.
Ecuador World Cup 2022 squadWorld Cup squads are usually formally announced around six weeks before the World Cup starts. This year the World Cup will run from November 21 - December 18.
But earlier this year, Alfaro named his provisional squad, as follows.
Goalkeepers: Hernan Galindez (Universidad de Chile), Moises Ramirez (Independiente del Valle), Jorge Pinos (9 de Octubre)
Defenders: Robert Arboleda (Sao Paulo), Pervis Estupinan (Villarreal), German Pezzella (Real Betis), Angelo Preciado (Genk), Piero Hincapie (Bayer Leverkusen), Xavier Arreaga (Seattle Sounders), Diego Palacios (Los Angeles), Byron Castillo (Barcelona), Fernando Leon (Atletico San Luis)
Midfielders: Carlos Gruezo (Augsburg), Angel Mena (Leon), Jhegson Mendez (Orlando City), Gonzalo Plata (Real Valladolid), Romario Ibarra (Pachuca), Moises Caicedo (Brighton), Alan Franco (Charlotte), Joao Rojas (Emelec), Jose Cifuentes (Los Angeles), Michael Carcelen (Barcelona), Jeremy Sarmiento (Brighton), Danny Cabezas (Independiente del Valle)
Forwards: Enner Valencia (Fenerbahce), Michael Estrada (DC United), Jordy Caicedo (CSKA Sofia), Djorkaeff Reasco (Newell's Old Boys)
Who is likely to be the star name in the squad?Former West Ham strike Enner Valencia, now 32, is almost certain to make the squad and remains the team’s most experienced forward. Now signed with Fenerbahce, he scored four goals in qualification.
What are Ecuador's fixtures?Ecuador are in Group A with Qatar, Senegal and Netherlands.
November 20: Qatar vs Ecuador, Al Bayt Stadium, 4pm (GMT), 7pm local time
November 25: Netherlands vs Ecuador, Khalifa International Stadium, 4pm (GMT), 7pm local time
November 29: Ecuador vs Senegal, Khalifa International Stadium, 3pm (GMT), 6pm local time
See the full list of World Cup 2022 fixtures.
What is Ecuador’s World Cup record?This will be Ecuador's fourth World Cup. They first appeared in Japan and South Korea in 2002, before competing at Germany 2006 and Brazil 2014.
They reached the round of 16 in 2006, their best result.
Ecuador raised eyebrows in the South American qualifiers, winning away in Chile, losing to Paraguay, and drawing to Argentina and Brazil, which saw them reach fourth spot ahead of Peru, Colombia, Chile and Paraguay.
Recent form is promising, winning two and drawing three of their last six matches, including a 1-1 tie with Argentina.
The Andeans, who have qualified alongside regional powerhouses Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay, have now qualified for four of the last six finals, a better record than the likes of Chile, Colombia, Paraguay and Peru.
Latest oddsEcuador are currently 100/1 to win the World Cup 2022.
The leading contenders...Information correct as of October 22
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