Ecuadorian Serie A Explained

Liga Pro Ecuador Serie A
Pixels:250
Country:Ecuador
Confed:CONMEBOL
Teams:16
Relegation:Serie B
Levels:1
Domest Cup:Copa Ecuador
Supercopa Ecuador
Confed Cup:Copa Libertadores
Copa Sudamericana
Champions:LDU Quito (12th title)
Most Successful Club:Barcelona (16 titles)
Most Appearances:Carlos Javier Caicedo (670)
Top Goalscorer:Ermen Benítez (191)
Current:2024 Serie A season

The Liga Pro Ecuador Serie A, simply known as the Liga Pro or the Serie A (or the Ecuadorian Serie A to distinguish it from the Italian Serie A and the Brazilian Série A), or officially as Liga Pro Bet593 for sponsorship reasons, is a professional football league in Ecuador. At the top of the Ecuadorian football league system, it is the country's premier football competition. Contested by sixteen clubs, it operates a system of promotion and relegation with the Serie B, the lower level of the Primera Categoría. The season runs from February to December and is usually contested in multiple stages.

While initially not a league, the Serie A has its roots in the national championship between the top teams of Ecuador's two regional leagues. For the first nine editions, teams from Guayaquil and Quito qualified to the competition through their professional regional leagues. It abandoned the qualification format to form a proper league in 1967. Since the first edition in 1957, the tournament has been held annually (except 1958 and 1959); the 2005 season had two champions. It was ranked by IFFHS as the 11th strongest football league in the world for 2022, and the 4th strongest league in South America.[1]

Eleven clubs have been crowned Ecuadorian champions, but four teams have a combined total of 55 championships. The most successful club is Barcelona with sixteen titles. LDU Quito are the defending champions.

Format

The format for the Serie A national championship changes consistently. The most common format is a two-stage tournament, in which teams qualify to a mini-league (es|Liguilla) to determine the champion. The current format was introduced for the 2010 season and consists of three stages. The First and Second Stages each follow the double round-robin format. The winners of each stage play against each other in the Third Stage for the championship. A third-place match also takes place in the Third Stage between the next two-best teams in the aggregate table. If the same team wins both the First and Second Stage, they are automatically the champion. In this case, the second and third best teams in the aggregate table play against each other for runner-up.

Relegation takes place after the Second Stage and is determined using an aggregate table of the first two stages. As well as playing to win the championship and avoid relegation teams also compete for places in the following season's Copa Libertadores and Copa Sudamericana.

History

All football in Ecuador was played at amateur level until 1950 when the Guayas Football Association (es|Asociación de Fútbol del Guayas [AFG]) turned professional and held its first professional tournament for affiliated clubs (for clubs in Guayaquil). The Professional Football Championship of Guayaquil (es|Campeonato Professional de Fútbol de Guayaquil) was first held in 1951 and was won by Río Guayas. In 1954, the football association in Pichincha (current the Asociación de Fútbol No Amatur de Pichincha [AFNA]) decided to turn professional and hold a professional tournament of their own for their affiliated clubs (for clubs in Quito and Ambato). The first Inter-Andean Professional Championship (es|Campeonato Professional Interandino) was held in 1954 and was won by LDU Quito.

The two tournaments were the top-level football leagues in Ecuador, but the champion of each could not claim to be the national champion. That changed in 1957 when a national football tournament was organized for the winners the two leagues. The first Ecuadorian Football Championship was contested between the champion and runner-up of the 1957 Campeonato Professional de Fútbol de Guayaquil of (Emelec and Barcelona, respectively) and the champion and runner-up of the 1957 Campeonato Professional Interandino (Deportivo Quito and Aucas, respectively). Emelec won the tournament and became the first national champions of football in Ecuador.

No championship was held in 1958 and 1959. The tournament returned in 1960 using the same format as in 1957. This time the field grew from four teams to eight teams. This format continued until 1967 when a number of changes occurred: 1) the regional tournaments were discontinued after the 1967 season; 2) teams contesting the national championship from 1968 onwards were now part of the Primera Categoría; and 3) a second level of Ecuadorian football (Segunda Categoría) was put into play and a system of relegation and promotion began in 1967.

In 1971, the Primera Categoría was divided into two Series: Serie A & Serie B. Serie A was to be the top level of club football, while Serie B was the second, and Segunda the third. Between, 1983–1988, Serie B was merged into the Segunda, but the Serie A continued. Serie B was brought back in 1989, and has stayed as the second level since.

In 2005, the Campeonato Ecuatoriano was divided into two tournaments to crown two champions in one year. The two tournaments were called Apertura and Clausura. The tournament returned to its year-long format in 2006.

Clubs

A total of 55 clubs have competed in the Serie A since the first season in 1957. Although Barcelona is the only club to have never been relegated, no club has ever played in every season. This anomaly is due to the fact that for the 1964 competition, teams from Guayaquil (including Barcelona and Emelec) declined to participate in the national championship.

The following sixteen clubs will compete in the Serie A during the 2024 season.

Team City Stadium Capacity
AucasQuitoGonzalo Pozo Ripalda21,689
BarcelonaGuayaquilMonumental Banco Pichincha57,267
CumbayáQuitoOlímpico Atahualpa35,258
DelfínMantaJocay17,834
Deportivo CuencaCuencaAlejandro Serrano Aguilar Banco del Austro18,549
El NacionalQuitoOlímpico Atahualpa35,258
EmelecGuayaquilBanco del Austro Capwell40,020
ImbaburaIbarraOlímpico17,300
Independiente del ValleSangolquíBanco Guayaquil12,000
LDU QuitoQuitoRodrigo Paz Delgado41,575
LibertadLojaReina del Cisne14,935
MacaráAmbatoBellavista Universidad Indoamérica16,467
Mushuc RunaAmbatoCOAC Mushuc Runa8,200
OrenseMachala9 de Mayo16,456
Técnico UniversitarioAmbatoBellavista Universidad Indoamérica16,467
Universidad CatólicaQuitoOlímpico Atahualpa35,258

Champions by year

Barcelona has won 16 championships, followed by Emelec with 14 titles, El Nacional with 13, LDU Quito with 12 titles, Deportivo Quito with 5 titles, and Deportivo Cuenca, Olmedo, Delfin, Everest, Independiente del Valle, and Aucas with one title each. All the clubs that have won multiple titles have won back-to-back titles at least once. El Nacional and Emelec are the only two clubs to have won three titles in a row, El Nacional has done twice from 1976 - 1978 and 1982 - 1984, and C.S. Emelec from 2013-2015.

width=pxEd.Seasonwidth=180px Champion (Title count)width=180px Runner-upwidth=180px Third placewidth=450px Leading goalscorer(s)[2]
1957BarcelonaDeportivo Quito Simón Cañarte (Barcelona; 4 goals)
1958-1959No championship held
1960EmelecPatria Enrique Cantos (Barcelona; 8 goals)
1961PatriaEverest Galo Pinto (Everest; 12 goals)
1962BarcelonaEmelec Iris López (Barcelona; 9 goals)
1963EmelecDeportivo Quito Carlos Alberto Raffo (Emelec; 4 goals)
1964El NacionalLDU Quito Jorge Valencia (América (M); 8 goals)
19659 de OctubreBarcelona Helio Cruz (Barcelona; 8 goals)
1966EmelecPolitécnico Pio Coutinho (LDU Quito; 13 goals)
1967EmelecBarcelona Tom Rodríguez (El Nacional; 16 goals)
1968BarcelonaEmelec Víctor Battaini (Deportivo Quito; 19 goals)
1969América de QuitoAucas Francisco Bertocchi (LDU Quito; 26 goals)
1970EmelecAmérica de Quito Rómulo Dudar Mina (Macará; 19 goals)
1971América de QuitoEmelec Alfonso Obregón (LDU Portoviejo; 18 goals)
1972El NacionalBarcelona Nelsinho (Barcelona; 24 goals)
1973Universidad CatólicaBarcelona Ángel Marín (América (Q); 18 goals)
1974Deportivo Cuenca Ángel Liciardi (Deportivo Cuenca; 19 goals)
1975Deportivo CuencaAucas Ángel Liciardi (Deportivo Cuenca; 36 goals)
1976Deportivo CuencaEmelec Ángel Liciardi (Deportivo Cuenca; 19 goals)
1977LDU QuitoUniversidad Católica Fabián Paz y Miño (El Nacional; 27 goals)
1978Técnico UniversitarioEmelec Juan José Pérez (LDU Portoviejo; 24 goals)
1979Universidad CatólicaManta Sport Carlos Miori (Emelec; 26 goals)
1980Técnico UniversitarioUniversidad Católica Miguel Gutíerrez (América (Q); 26 goals)
1981LDU QuitoEl Nacional Paulo César (LDU Quito; 25 goals)
1982BarcelonaLDU Portoviejo José Villafuerte (El Nacional; 25 goals)
19839 de OctubreBarcelona Paulo César (Barcelona; 28 goals)
19849 de OctubreLDU Quito Sergio Saucedo (Deportivo Quito; 25 goals)
1985Deportivo QuitoFilanbanco Juan Carlos de Lima (Universidad Católica; 24 goals)
Guga (Esmeraldas Petrolero; 24 goals)
1986BarcelonaTécnico Universitario Juan Carlos de Lima (Deportivo Quito; 23 goals)
1987FilanbancoAudaz Octubrino Ermen Benitez (El Nacional; 24 goals)
Hamilton Cuvi (Filanbanco; 24 goals)
Waldemar Victorino (LDU Portoviejo; 24 goals)
1988Deportivo QuitoLDU Quito Janio Pinto (LDU Quito; 18 goals)
1989EmelecDeportivo Quito Ermen Benítez (El Nacional; 18 goals)
1990BarcelonaEmelec Ermen Benítez (El Nacional; 33 goals)
1991Valdez Pedro Varela (Delfín; 24 goals)
1992BarcelonaEmelec Carlos Muñoz (Barcelona; 19 goals)
1993BarcelonaEl Nacional Diego Herrera (LDU Quito; 21 goals)
1994El NacionalBarcelona Manuel Uquillas (ESPOLI; 25 goals)
1995ESPOLIEl Nacional Manuel Uquillas (Barcelona; 24 goals)
1996EmelecBarcelona Ariel Graziani (Emelec; 28 goals)
1997Deportivo QuitoEmelec Ariel Graziani (Emelec; 24 goals)
1998EmelecAucas Iván Kaviedes (Emelec; 43 goals)
1999El NacionalEmelec Christian Botero (Macará; 25 goals)
2000Emelec Alejandro Kenig (Emelec; 25 goals)
2001El NacionalOlmedo Carlos Juárez (Emelec; 17 goals)
2002BarcelonaEl Nacional Christian Carnero (Deportivo Quito; 26 goals)
2003BarcelonaEl Nacional Ariel Graziani (Barcelona; 23 goals)
2004OlmedoLDU Quito Ebelio Ordóñez (El Nacional; 24 goals)
2005AperturaBarcelonaEl Nacional Wilson Segura (LDU Loja; 21 goals)
ClausuraDeportivo CuencaLDU Quito Omar Guerra (Aucas; 21 goals)
2006EmelecLDU Quito Luis Miguel Escalada (Emelec; 29 goals)
2007Deportivo CuencaOlmedo Juan Carlos Ferreyra (Deportivo Cuenca; 17 goals)
2008LDU QuitoDeportivo Cuenca Pablo Palacios (Barcelona; 20 goals)
2009Deportivo CuencaEmelec Claudio Bieler (LDU Quito; 22 goals)
2010EmelecDeportivo Quito Jaime Ayoví (Emelec; 23 goals)
2011EmelecEl Nacional Narciso Mina (Independiente José Terán; 28 goals)
2012EmelecLDU Quito Narciso Mina (Barcelona; 30 goals)
2013Independiente del ValleDeportivo Quito Federico Nieto (Deportivo Quito; 29 goals)
2014BarcelonaIndependiente del Valle Armando Wila (Universidad Católica; 20 goals)
2015LDU QuitoIndependiente del Valle Miller Bolaños (Emelec; 25 goals)
2016EmelecEl Nacional Maximiliano Barreiro (Delfín; 26 goals)
2017DelfínIndependiente del Valle Hernán Barcos (LDU Quito; 21 goals)
2018EmelecBarcelona Jhon Cifuente (Universidad Católica; 37 goals)
2019LDU QuitoMacará Luis Amarilla (Universidad Católica; 19 goals)
2020LDU QuitoIndependiente del Valle Cristian Martínez Borja (LDU Quito; 24 goals)
2021EmelecUniversidad Católica Jonathan Bauman (Mushuc Runa/Independiente del Valle; 26 goals)
2022BarcelonaUniversidad Católica Francisco Fydriszewski (Aucas; 15 goals)
2023Independiente del ValleBarcelona Miguel Parrales (Guayaquil City; 16 goals)
2024

Titles by club

Rankscope=col class="unsortable" width=170Clubscope=col width=80 Winnersscope=col width=80Runners-upscope=col class="unsortable" Winning yearsscope=col class="unsortable" Runners-up years
1Barcelona16131960, 1963, 1966, 1970, 1971, 1980, 1981, 1985, 1987, 1989, 1991, 1995, 1997, 2012, 2016, 20201957, 1962, 1968, 1982, 1986, 1990, 1992, 1993, 2002, 2003, 2005 Apertura, 2014, 2022
2Emelec14151957, 1961, 1965, 1972, 1979, 1988, 1993, 1994, 2001, 2002, 2013, 2014, 2015, 20171960, 1963, 1966, 1967, 1970, 1989, 1996, 1998, 2006, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2016, 2018, 2021
3El Nacional1371967, 1973, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1986, 1992, 1996, 2005 Clausura, 20061964, 1972, 1974, 1994, 1999, 2000, 2001
4LDU Quito1261969, 1974, 1975, 1990, 1998, 1999, 2003, 2005 Apertura, 2007, 2010, 2018, 20231977, 1981, 2008, 2015, 2019, 2020
5Deportivo Quito531964, 1968, 2008, 2009, 20111985, 1988, 1997
6Deportivo Cuenca1520041975, 1976, 2005 Clausura, 2007, 2009
Independiente del Valle1220212013, 2023
Olmedo1120002004
Delfín1120192017
Everest11962
Aucas12022
align=center rowspan="8"3 align=center rowspan="8"1965, 1983, 1984
Universidad Católica 2 1973, 1979
2 1969, 1971
Técnico Universitario 2 1978, 1980
1 1961
1 1987
Valdez 1 1991
1 1995

Titles by Province

width=125Provincewidth=75Nº of titlesClubs
Pichincha32 El Nacional (13), LDU Quito (12), Deportivo Quito (5), Independiente del Valle (1), Aucas (1)
Guayas31 Barcelona (16), Emelec (14), Everest (1)
Azuay1 Deportivo Cuenca (1)
Manabi1 Delfín (1)
Chimborazo1 Olmedo (1)

All-time top goalscorers

Ecuadorian Ermen Benítez is the league's all-time top-scorer, having scored 191 goals over 15 season. He is also holds the record for scoring the most goals for one team. The top active goalscorer is Ebelio Ordóñez.[3]

Rank Player Club(s) Years Goals Total goals
align=center rowspan=51 1980 - 90 154 align=center rowspan=5191
1991 - 92 19
1993 1
1994 12
1995 5
align=center rowspan=42 1972 - 79 94 align=center rowspan=4181
1980 - 84 73
1986 6
1987 8
align=center rowspan=43 1996 13 align=center rowspan=4159
1997 - 2004; 2006 - 07 137
2005 0
2008; 2010 9
align=center rowspan=34 Ángel Liciardi1970 - 71 8 align=center rowspan=3154
1972; 1974 - 77 132
1978 14
5 1972 - 88 153 153

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: IFFHS MEN'S STRONGEST NATIONAL LEAGUE IN THE WORLD 2022 . . 20 January 2023.
  2. Web site: Ecuador - List of Topscorers . November 27, 2010 . website . . January 29, 2010 . Juan Pablo . Andrés . Fernando . Espinoza Añazco .
  3. Web site: Ecuador - List of All-Time Topscorers 1957-2009 . Fernando . Espinoza Añazco . January 29, 2010 . . November 6, 2010 .