The 2025 Copa Ecuador (officially known as the Copa Ecuador Ecuabet DirecTV 2025 for sponsorship purposes) 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. 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.
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.
Schedule RoundDraw dateMatchesQualifying stage16 April 202530 April 2025First round9 May – 13 June 2025Round of 3213 June 20259 July – 28 August 2025Round of 1610 September – 9 October 2025Quarter-finals13 October – 12 November 2025Semi-finals17–25 November 2025 (1st leg)2–3 December 2025 (2nd leg)Final18 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.
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 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.
Bracket
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.
Quarter-finals Matches in this round were played from 13 October to 12 November 2025.
Semi-finals
First leg
Second leg
Final The final was played on 18 December 2025 at Estadio Olímpico Atahualpa in Quito.
See also 2025 Ecuadorian Serie A 2025 Ecuadorian Serie B
References
External links Copa Ecuador – Ecuadorian Football Federation