Overview
- Gallardo was officially presented as Ecuador’s head coach on Thursday, September 17, signing a reported four-year deal that the FEF framed as a multi-year mandate toward Copa América 2028 and the 2030 World Cup.
- The coach arrived in Quito to begin work and said he accepted the job because directing a national team was a new challenge and because he wants to develop Ecuador’s talented group of players who featured at the 2026 World Cup.
- He reconfigured his technical staff before starting with Hernán Buján named his principal assistant and Juan Carlos Docabo added as goalkeeper coach while long-time collaborator Matías Biscay will not join for personal reasons.
- Gallardo will use a largely continuity-based first squad for a rapid assessment during an Asian friendly tour that opens on September 24 against South Korea, continues on October 1 against Japan and includes a third match in the same tour.
- The appointment signals a shift from club routines to limited international windows so Gallardo faces practical constraints in implementing his methods quickly and will focus on consolidating the senior group, bringing in young prospects and strengthening youth links that feed the national team.