Overview
- Gallardo travelled from Buenos Aires to Quito on Thursday to be formally presented as Ecuador’s new coach and spoke to media at Ezeiza airport before departure.
- He told reporters he had declined an offer to lead Ecuador about two years ago and accepted now because the timing fits his career plans and motivation to work with a national team.
- Gallardo reconfigured his technical staff, excluding long‑time assistant Matías Biscay and naming Hernán Buján as his main assistant while adding Juan Carlos Docabo as goalkeeper coach.
- Ecuador will begin Gallardo’s cycle with an Asian friendly tour that includes a match in Suwon against South Korea on September 24 and a game in Japan on October 1.
- The appointment replaces Sebastián Beccacece after Ecuador’s 2026 World Cup exit and signals a process-focused approach that asks for institutional support and fan patience as Gallardo builds toward the next World Cup.