Joel Ordóñez was one of 13 Ecuador players pulled into a World Cup baptism during the squad’s camp in Columbus, and the ritual said as much about the team’s age as it did about the mood inside the group. The debutants were made to perform a dance choreography for the more experienced players, a locker-room welcome that turned a pre-tournament camp into a rite of passage.
That is why Ordóñez’s name is drawing attention now. Ecuador is in the final stretch toward the 2026 World Cup, and the squad is being shaped by firsts: 13 players are living their first World Cup experience, including Kendry Páez, Anthony Valencia, Jordy Caicedo, Jeremy Arévalo, Nilson Angulo, Jordy Alcívar, Yaimar Medina, John Yeboah, Pedro Vite, Gonzalo Valle, Alan Minda and Denil Castilo. Moisés Caicedo shared photos and videos of the convivencia in Columbus on Instagram, where the group was also seen playing UNO and swapping World Cup album stickers, a reminder that the camp is part preparation and part bonding exercise.
Caicedo, 24, said he is already playing his second World Cup and sees himself as a reference for Ecuador. He said it is special to represent his country, that he wants to show what he is capable of, and that he is excited to help teammates who are going to their first tournament. For a side built around so many newcomers, that leadership matters. The line between teammate and guide is thinner than it looks, and Ecuador is asking one of its most established players to carry both roles at once.
The picture also points to the work still ahead. Ecuador’s next confirmed test was against Costa de Marfil on Sunday 14 June at 18:00 Ecuador time in its World Cup debut, a match that arrives after the team’s group-stage exit in Qatar 2022 and before the harder judgment of the 2026 tournament itself. Ordóñez’s baptism was only a ceremony, but it marked the point where a young squad stopped introducing itself and started acting like one.
