Ecuador Women

Quito sits high in the Andes, and the Estadio Olímpico Atahualpa, where the national women's side plays its home matches, holds 35,258 people. Ecuador's footballing identity has long run through the men's team.

The federation put a team together in 1995, and the debut gave no illusions about where the program stood: an opening 13-0 defeat to Brazil on 8 January that year.

The closest Ecuador has come to a real breakthrough was in 2014, when the Copa América Femenina brought a third-place finish, still the best result in the team's history. Fourth place in 1995 and again in 1998 rounds out what passes for a honours list. A place at the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup followed, though Ecuador went out at the group stage.

For all the years since 1995, a continental title has stayed out of reach, and a Women's World Cup campaign beyond the group stage is still something Ecuador has not managed.