Copa (Ecuador)

Ecuador Cup (Copa Ecuador) - a national knockout cup competition organized by the Ecuadorian Football Federation. Regulations: the competition is played by 49 clubs, including 16 top division clubs, 10 second tier clubs, 21 provincial stage champions from the Segunda Categoría Ascenso Nacional system, and 2 teams from the national amateur league, with the tournament built around elimination rounds, starting with a possible qualifying tie played as a single match, then early rounds and the Round of 32, Round of 16, Round of 8, and quarterfinals played as one off ties, with draws after 90 minutes decided by penalty kicks, semifinals played over two legs, with a level aggregate after 180 minutes decided by penalty kicks, and a single match final hosted at a venue selected by the federation, also decided by penalties if level after 90 minutes. The champion earns the Ecuador 4 berth for the next season Copa Libertadores, but if the champion already qualifies for Copa Libertadores via league placement the berth is reassigned to the runner up if eligible, otherwise it goes to the next best team by the competition ranking rules, and a club cannot qualify for both Copa Libertadores and Copa Sudamericana in the same season.