This World Cup holds a dimension that no other tournament has ever given Ecuador. For the first time, the World Cup will be contested in North American territory – the United States, Canada, and Mexico – the very same territory where most of the Ecuadorian migrant community has made its home. This makes La Tri, the Ecuadorian national football team, a de facto home team. Not by venue, but by presence.

Robot&Partners used this reality as the starting point to craft the official squad announcement video for the Ecuadorian Football Federation. The question wasn’t simply how to announce a squad. It was how to make it visible that this list represents something much larger than 26 players on a pitch.

The answer is that the national team players were not born into elite academies. They emerged from their local neighbourhoods, fought hard, crossed borders, and reached the pinnacle of world football. They are a mirror image of every Ecuadorian who emigrates – effort, sacrifice, and making it to the top. What defines the national team is the exact same thing that defines those who left everything behind to build something bigger far from home.

The campaign video shows Ecuadorian migrants in their daily lives across New York – cooking before dawn, building skyscrapers, driving through the city, caring for others, and forging their own paths. Yet they are wearing the official jerseys of the 26 squad members, with the players’ names emblazoned on their backs.

“The players left everything behind to reach a World Cup. Ecuadorians, and especially our migrants, leave everything behind every single day. It’s the same story. We just had to tell it,” Daniel Pérez Pallares, founder & CCO of Robot&Partners.

The video closes with the official list of the 26 displayed against the backdrop of New York City streets, the very stage where, in just a few weeks, Ecuador will play as the home team.

“A squad announcement is more than just a list. It is about recognising who represents us today, and we Ecuadorians have poured years of effort, courage, and sacrifice into moving forward, especially far from home,” commented Francisco Egas, president of the Ecuadorian Football Federation.

Credits:

Creative Agency: Robot&Partners
CCO: Daniel Pérez Pallares
CEO: Santiago Crespo
CD: Francisco Robalino

Production Company: Vertigo
Executive Producer: Renata Péndola
General Producer: Erick González
Directors: Andrés González – Joshua González
Director of Photography: Juan Sebastián Guerrero
New York Producer: Joseph Alban
Field Production: Gabriela Males