| Year | 2025 |
|---|---|
| Other titles | Copa Ecuador Ecuabet DirecTV 2025 |
| Country | Ecuador |
| Dates | 30 April – 18 December 2025 |
| Num teams | 49 |
| Champions | Universidad Católica |
| Count | 1 |
| Runner-up | LDU Quito |
| Continentalcup 1 | Copa Libertadores |
| Continentalcup1 qualifiers | Universidad Católica |
| Matches | 50 |
| Goals | 120 |
| Prevseason | 2024 |
| Nextseason | 2026 |
The 2025 Copa Ecuador (officially known as the Copa Ecuador Ecuabet DirecTV 2025 for sponsorship purposes)[1] was the fifth edition of the Copa Ecuador, Ecuador's domestic football cup. It began on 30 April 2025 and ended on 18 December 2025.
Universidad Católica were the champions, winning their first title in the competition after defeating LDU Quito 3–2 in the final.[2] By winning the tournament, Universidad Católica qualified for the 2026 Copa Libertadores first stage as well as the 2026 Supercopa Ecuador.
El Nacional were the defending champions, having won the previous edition of the competition in 2024, but were eliminated by 9 de Octubre in the round of 16.
Format
For this season, the competition kept the single knockout tournament used in the previous edition. A qualifying match was played by one Segunda Categoría team and an amateur one, with the winners advancing to the first stage of the competition, in which 10 Ecuadorian Serie B teams, the remaining Segunda Categoría ones and the amateur champions entered the competition. For this round, the involved clubs were drawn into 16 single-match ties, with the winners advancing to the second stage.
The 16 Ecuadorian Serie A teams joined the competition in the second stage, comprising the round of 32, round of 16, quarter-finals and semi-finals, with the final match played between the two semifinal winners being the third and final stage of the competition. All rounds in the competition except for the semi-finals were played over a single leg, which were hosted by the team from the lower tier or the worst placed team in the season's aggregate table if both teams were from the same league. The semi-finals were played over two legs, whilst the final was played on neutral ground.[3]
Prizes
The champions of this edition qualified for the 2026 Copa Libertadores, taking the Ecuador 4 berth in that competition, as well as the 2026 Supercopa Ecuador against the 2025 Ecuadorian Serie A champions. Monetary prizes were also granted for this edition, with the champions being awarded US$260,000 and the runners-up receiving US$120,000. The four semifinalists were awarded up to US$80,000, the quarter-finalists received up to US$50,000, whilst teams eliminated in the round of 16, round of 32, first round and qualifying stage earned up to US$30,000, US$20,000, US$10,000 and US$5,000, respectively.[4]
Schedule
| Round | Draw date | Matches |
|---|---|---|
| Qualifying stage | 16 April 2025[3] | 30 April 2025 |
| First round | 9 May – 13 June 2025 | |
| Round of 32 | 13 June 2025[5] | 9 July – 28 August 2025 |
| Round of 16 | 10 September – 9 October 2025 | |
| Quarter-finals | 13 October – 12 November 2025 | |
| Semi-finals | 17–25 November 2025 (1st leg) 2–3 December 2025 (2nd leg) | |
| Final | 18 December 2025 (Quito) |
Teams
49 clubs took part in this edition of the Copa Ecuador: 16 from the Serie A, 10 from the Serie B, 21 from the Segunda Categoría, and 2 amateur teams. Although Chacaritas and Vargas Torres were spared from relegation from Serie B despite ending in the bottom two places of the 2024 Serie B, they were not entered into the competition.[6]
Serie A
- Aucas
- Barcelona
- Delfín
- Deportivo Cuenca
- El Nacional
- Emelec
- Independiente del Valle
- Libertad
- LDU Quito
- Macará
- Manta
- Mushuc Runa
- Orense
- Técnico Universitario
- Universidad Católica
- Vinotinto Ecuador
Serie B
- 9 de Octubre
- 22 de Julio
- Atlético Vinotinto
- Cumbayá
- Gualaceo
- Guayaquil City
- Imbabura
- Independiente Juniors
- Leones
- San Antonio
Segunda Categoría
- Baños Ciudad de Fuego
- Cuenca Juniors
- Deportivo Coca
- Deportivo Ibarra
- Deportivo Santo Domingo
- Ecuagenera
- Huaquillas
- La Cantera
- La Troncal
- LDU Portoviejo
- Liga de Macas
- Loja City[i]
- Luz Valdivia
- Miguel Iturralde
- Mineros
- Montúfar
- Olmedo
- Panamericana
- Patria
- Río Aguarico
- San Camilo
Amateur teams
- Quito
- Sembrando Buenos Campeones
- Notes
Qualifying stage
The qualifying stage was played as a single match between the worst placed team in the 2024 Segunda Categoría's general standings and the amateur league runner-up. The winner advanced to the first stage.
First round
- Teams entering this round: 10 teams from Serie B, 20 teams from Segunda Categoría, and 1 amateur team. The team from the lower tier hosted the match.
|}
Round of 32
- Teams entering this round: 16 teams from Serie A. The team from the lower tier hosted the match.
Round of 16
Matches in this round were played from 10 September to 9 October 2025.[7]
Quarter-finals
Matches in this round were played from 13 October to 12 November 2025.[8]
Final
The final was played on 18 December 2025 at Estadio Olímpico Atahualpa in Quito.[9]
See also
References
- ^ "¡Vuelve la Copa Ecuador! Todos los partidos se verán por DSPORTS y DGO" [The Copa Ecuador is back! All matches will be watched on DSPORTS and DGO] (in Spanish). Futbolecuador.com. 16 April 2025. Retrieved 16 June 2025.
- ^ "¡Campeón la 'Chatoleí'! Universidad Católica logra el título de la Copa Ecuador 2025 tras vencer en la final a Liga de Quito" [The Chatoleí are champions! Universidad Católica achieve the 2025 Copa Ecuador title after beating Liga de Quito in the final] (in Spanish). Primicias. 18 December 2025. Retrieved 18 December 2025.
- ^ "FEF: ¡Se sortearon las llaves de la Primera Etapa de la Copa Ecuador Directv 2025!" [FEF: The 2025 Copa Ecuador Directv First Stage matchups were drawn!] (in Spanish). Ecuadorian Football Federation. 16 April 2025. Retrieved 16 June 2025.
- ^ "¿Qué premio económico ganará el campeón de la Copa Ecuador en 2025?" [What monetary prize will the Copa Ecuador champion win in 2025?] (in Spanish). Olé. 11 April 2025. Retrieved 16 June 2025.
- ^ "Copa Ecuador 2025: ¡así quedaron los cruces de 16avos de final!" [2025 Copa Ecuador: here is how the round of 32 matchups turned out!] (in Spanish). Olé. 13 June 2025. Retrieved 16 June 2025.
- ^ "Reportan que la Copa Ecuador dejó afuera a dos clubes de la Serie B para la etapa inicial" [It is reported that the Copa Ecuador left out two Serie B clubs for the initial stage] (in Spanish). Studio Fútbol. 11 April 2025. Retrieved 16 June 2025.
- ^ "Copa Ecuador 2025: fechas y horarios confirmados para los octavos de final" [2025 Copa Ecuador: dates and times confirmed for the round of 16] (in Spanish). El Universo. 2 September 2025. Retrieved 2 September 2025.
- ^ "Copa Ecuador: Estas son las fechas y los horarios de los partidos de cuartos de final" [Copa Ecuador: These are the dates and times confirmed for the quarter-final matches] (in Spanish). Primicias. 10 October 2025. Retrieved 11 October 2025.
- ^ "La gran final de la Copa Ecuador 2025 se jugará en el estadio Olímpico Atahualpa" [The 2025 Copa Ecuador's grand final will be played at the Olímpico Atahualpa stadium] (in Spanish). El Universo. 27 November 2025. Retrieved 29 November 2025.
- ^ "Sportivo Loja cambia de nombre y ahora es Loja City Fútbol Club" [Sportivo Loja changes name and now it is Loja City Fútbol Club] (in Spanish). Diario Crónica. 23 May 2025. Retrieved 16 June 2025.
External links
- Copa Ecuador – Ecuadorian Football Federation (in Spanish)