Ecuador will begin its 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign against Argentina this Thursday (7th) already at a disadvantage, before a ball has been kicked.
The situation follows a sanction imposed by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in November 2022 over the ineligible fielding of right-back Byron Castillo. The penalty was confirmed just eight days before the Qatar World Cup began.
Carlezzo Advogados, led on the case by Eduardo Carlezzo, represented Chile in proceedings against Ecuador, first before FIFA. Chile argued that Castillo had been born in Colombia rather than Ecuador and should therefore have been ineligible, with Ecuador losing the points from its matches against Chile. Ecuador had won one and drawn the other. FIFA rejected the allegations, and Chile appealed to CAS.
In proceedings concluded in fewer than 45 days, the Lausanne tribunal accepted the Chilean case and found that the Ecuadorian Football Federation had registered the player using documents containing false information. The sanction, however, was imposed on the federation: three points were deducted in the new qualifying cycle and it was fined CHF100,000 (R$525,000). Ecuador still played in the 2022 World Cup and Castillo received no individual sanction.
Because the case could have changed World Cup participation, it became one of the most significant legal battles between national teams in South American football. It has also intensified rivalry between Chilean and Ecuadorian supporters.