Ecuador participated in their first
FIFA World Cup. They were drawn in Group G with
Italy,
Mexico, and
Croatia. They were eliminated from the competition in the Group Stage, but not before registering their first World Cup victory over
1998 third-place finisher, Croatia.
Ecuador was invited to play in the 2002 CONCACAF Gold Cup, held in the United States. They were drawn into Group D with
Haiti and
Canada. Despite a tie among all the team in the group, they were eliminated from the competition in the Group Stage by a draw of lots.