# 2022 Segunda Categoría

The 2022 Campeonato Ecuatoriano de Fútbol Segunda Categoría, officially known as the 2022 Ascenso Nacional, is the 49th season of the Segunda Categoría, Ecuador's third tier football league. The season began on 15 March with the provincial stage, the national stage began on 10 September and ended on 19 November 2022.
Cuniburo won their first ever title after defeating Vargas Torres on penalties, after a 0–0 draw in the final.

## Qualified teams

The following list shows the teams that qualified for the National Stage.
| Association | Team | Qualification method |
| Azuay 5 berths | AVICED | 2022 Segunda Categoría de Azuay champions |
| Azuay 5 berths | Estrella Roja | 2022 Segunda Categoría de Azuay runners-up |
| Azuay 5 berths | Cuenca | 2022 Segunda Categoría de Azuay 3rd place |
| Azuay 5 berths | L.D.U. Cuenca | 2022 Segunda Categoría de Azuay 4th place |
| Azuay 5 berths | Baldor Bermeo Cabrera | 2022 Segunda Categoría de Azuay 5th place |
| Bolívar 3 berths | Unibolívar | 2022 Segunda Categoría de Bolívar champions |
| Bolívar 3 berths | Mineros | 2022 Segunda Categoría de Bolívar runners-up |
| Bolívar 3 berths | Atlético El Conde | 2022 Segunda Categoría de Bolívar 3rd place |
| Cañar 3 berths | D' León | 2022 Segunda Categoría de Cañar runners-up |
| Cañar 3 berths | Ciudadelas del Norte | 2022 Segunda Categoría de Cañar 3rd place |
| Cañar 3 berths | Independiente Azogues | 2022 Segunda Categoría de Cañar 5th place |
| Carchi 2 berths | Dunamis 04 | 2022 Segunda Categoría de Carchi champions |
| Carchi 2 berths | Ciudad de Tulcán | 2022 Segunda Categoría de Carchi runners-up |
| Chimborazo 1 berth | Independiente San Pedro | 2022 Segunda Categoría de Chimborazo 3rd place |
| Cotopaxi 3 berths | La Unión | 2022 Segunda Categoría de Cotopaxi champions |
| Cotopaxi 3 berths | Latacunga City | 2022 Segunda Categoría de Cotopaxi runners-up |
| Cotopaxi 3 berths | Atlético Kin | 2022 Segunda Categoría de Cotopaxi 3rd place |
| El Oro 3 berths | Bonita Bonita | 2022 Segunda Categoría de El Oro champions |
| El Oro 3 berths | Santos | 2022 Segunda Categoría de El Oro runners-up |
| El Oro 3 berths | Audaz Octubrino | 2022 Segunda Categoría de El Oro 3rd place |
| Esmeraldas 3 berths | Vargas Torres | 2022 Segunda Categoría de Esmeraldas champions |
| Esmeraldas 3 berths | Atacames | 2022 Segunda Categoría de Esmeraldas runners-up |
| Esmeraldas 3 berths | 5 de Agosto | 2022 Segunda Categoría de Esmeraldas 3rd place |
| Guayas 6 berths | Atlético Samborondón | 2022 Segunda Categoría de Guayas champions |
| Guayas 6 berths | Filanbanco | 2022 Segunda Categoría de Guayas runners-up |
| Guayas 6 berths | Toreros | 2022 Segunda Categoría de Guayas 3rd place |
| Guayas 6 berths | Patria | 2022 Segunda Categoría de Guayas 4th place |
| Guayas 6 berths | Rocafuerte | 2022 Segunda Categoría de Guayas 5th place |
| Guayas 6 berths | Atlético Daule | 2022 Segunda Categoría de Guayas 6th place |
| Imbabura 3 berths | Leones del Norte | 2022 Segunda Categoría de Imbabura champions |
| Imbabura 3 berths | San Antonio | 2022 Segunda Categoría de Imbabura runners-up |
| Imbabura 3 berths | Santa Fe | 2022 Segunda Categoría de Imbabura 3rd place |
| Loja 2 berths | Atlético Zamora | 2022 Segunda Categoría de Loja champions |
| Loja 2 berths | Loja Federal | 2022 Segunda Categoría de Loja runners-up |
| Los Ríos 4 berths | Río Babahoyo | 2022 Segunda Categoría de Los Ríos champions |
| Los Ríos 4 berths | Insutec | 2022 Segunda Categoría de Los Ríos runners-up |
| Los Ríos 4 berths | Montry | 2022 Segunda Categoría de Los Ríos 3rd place |
| Los Ríos 4 berths | San Camilo | 2022 Segunda Categoría de Los Ríos 4th place |
| Manabí 5 berths | Grecia | 2022 Segunda Categoría de Manabí champions |
| Manabí 5 berths | L.D.U. Portoviejo | 2022 Segunda Categoría de Manabí runners-up |
| Manabí 5 berths | Fijalán | 2022 Segunda Categoría de Manabí 3rd place |
| Manabí 5 berths | Juventud Italiana | 2022 Segunda Categoría de Manabí 4th place |
| Manabí 5 berths | Malecón de Santa Ana | 2022 Segunda Categoría de Manabí 5th place |
| Orellana 2 berths | Orellanense | 2022 Segunda Categoría de Orellana champions |
| Orellana 2 berths | Sacha Petrolero | 2022 Segunda Categoría de Orellana runners-up |
| Pastaza 1 berth | Danubio | 2022 Segunda Categoría de Pastaza champions |
| Pichincha 5 berths | AAMPETRA | 2022 Segunda Categoría de Pichincha champions |
| Pichincha 5 berths | Deportivo Quito | 2022 Segunda Categoría de Pichincha runners-up |
| Pichincha 5 berths | Cuniburo | 2022 Segunda Categoría de Pichincha 3rd place |
| Pichincha 5 berths | Miguel Iturralde | 2022 Segunda Categoría de Pichincha 4th place |
| Pichincha 5 berths | ESPOLI | 2022 Segunda Categoría de Pichincha 5th place |
| Santa Elena 4 berths | Huancavilca | 2022 Segunda Categoría de Santa Elena champions |
| Santa Elena 4 berths | Atlético Porteño | 2022 Segunda Categoría de Santa Elena runners-up |
| Santa Elena 4 berths | Ecuador | 2022 Segunda Categoría de Santa Elena 3rd place |
| Santa Elena 4 berths | Atlético Espartanos | 2022 Segunda Categoría de Santa Elena 4th place |
| Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas 3 berths | 3 de Julio | 2022 Segunda Categoría de Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas champions |
| Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas 3 berths | La Concordia | 2022 Segunda Categoría de Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas runners-up |
| Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas 3 berths | San Rafael | 2022 Segunda Categoría de Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas 3rd place |
| Sucumbíos 2 berths | Unión Manabita | 2022 Segunda Categoría de Sucumbíos champions |
| Sucumbíos 2 berths | Caribe Junior | 2022 Segunda Categoría de Sucumbíos runners-up |
| Tungurahua 2 berths | Baños Ciudad de Fuego | 2022 Segunda Categoría de Tungurahua champions |
| Tungurahua 2 berths | Santiago de Píllaro | 2022 Segunda Categoría de Tungurahua runners-up |
| Zamora Chinchipe 2 berths | Primero de Mayo | 2022 Segunda Categoría de Zamora Chinchipe champions |
| Zamora Chinchipe 2 berths | Ecuagenera | 2022 Segunda Categoría de Zamora Chinchipe runners-up |

## Format

The competition is a single-elimination tournament, from the first round to the semi-finals are played as a two-legged ties, the final is played as a single match in neutral venue. All sixty four teams enter in the first round, order is decided by draw.

## Schedule

The schedule of the competition is as follows:
| Stage | First leg | Second leg |
| First round | 10–12 September | 16–18 September |
| Second round | 23–28 September | 30 September–2 October |
| Round of 16 | 7–9 October | 14–16 October |
| Quarter-finals | 21–23 October | 28–30 October |
| Semi-finals | 4–6 November | 11–13 November |
| Final | 19 November (Quevedo) | 19 November (Quevedo) |

## First round

The draw for the first round was held on 5 September 2022, 16:00 at FEF headquarters in Guayaquil. In a first draw, the 32 teams, seeded by their FEF ranking, were drawn into 16 ties. The home and away teams of each leg were decided in a second draw. The first legs were played on 10–12 September and the second legs were played on 16–18 September 2022.
| Team 1 | Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
| Latacunga City | 0–3 | Filanbanco | 0–3 | w/o |
| Orellanense | 3–4 | Audaz Octubrino | 3–1 | 0–3 |
| San Rafael | 4–1 | Atacames | 1–0 | 3–1 |
| Montry | 2–3 | Toreros | 1–1 | 1–2 |
| Santiago de Píllaro | 0–8 | Mineros | 0–3 | 0–5 |
| Atlético Espartanos | 2–6 | Leones del Norte | 2–1 | 0–5 |
| L.D.U. Portoviejo | 2–2 (4–3 p) | Primero de Mayo | 0–1 | 2–1 |
| Sacha Petrolero | 2–9 | Baldor Bermeo Cabrera | 1–4 | 1–5 |
| Loja Federal | 0–3 | Independiente San Pedro | 0–3 | w/o |
| Santos | 1–5 | Huancavilca | 1–3 | 0–2 |
| Atlético El Conde | 1–12 | La Unión | 0–4 | 1–8 |
| Atlético Daule | 3–2 | L.D.U. Cuenca | 3–2 | 0–0 |
| Cuenca | 5–0 | Danubio | 5–0 | w/o |
| Caribe Junior | 1–3 | Atlético Zamora | 1–0 | 0–3 |
| Atlético Porteño | 3–6 | Atlético Samborondón | 2–3 | 1–3 |
| Ciudad de Tulcán | 1–4 | Insutec | 1–1 | 0–3 |
| Baños Ciudad de Fuego | 3–4 | Ecuagenera | 2–1 | 1–3 |
| Ciudadelas del Norte | 0–1 | Río Babahoyo | 0–1 | 0–0 |
| Deportivo Quito | 3–2 | Dunamis 04 | 1–1 | 2–1 |
| Rocafuerte | 4–0 | Bonita Bonita | 1–0 | 3–0 |
| ESPOLI | 1–1 (4–5 p) | Grecia | 1–0 | 0–1 |
| Miguel Iturralde | 0–2 | 3 de Julio | 0–1 | 0–1 |
| Santa Fe | 3–0 | Ecuador | 0–0 | 3–0 |
| Patria | 1–2 | Vargas Torres | 1–0 | 0–2 |
| 5 de Agosto | 0–2 | Unibolívar | 0–0 | 0–2 |
| Fijalán | 0–3 | San Antonio | 0–2 | 0–1 |
| Unión Manabita | 1–6 | Juventud Italiana | 1–2 | 0–4 |
| Atlético Kin | 1–7 | AVICED | 1–5 | 0–2 |
| San Camilo | 2–7 | D' León | 2–3 | 0–4 |
| Independiente Azogues | 2–3 | Cuniburo | 1–1 | 1–2 |
| Malecón de Santa Ana | 0–6 | AAMPETRA | 0–0 | 0–6 |
| La Concordia | 3–0 | Estrella Roja | 2–0 | 1–0 |

## Second round

The draw for the second round was held on 19 September 2022, 16:00 at FEF headquarters in Guayaquil. In a first draw, the 16 teams, seeded by their FEF ranking, were drawn into 8 ties. The home and away teams of each leg were decided in a second draw. The first legs were played on 23–28 September and the second legs were played on 30 September–2 October 2022.
| Team 1 | Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
| Atlético Daule | 1–6 | Cuniburo | 0–1 | 1–5 |
| Río Babahoyo | 3–1 | La Unión | 3–0 | 0–1 |
| Baldor Bermeo Cabrera | 3–2 | Leones del Norte | 2–1 | 1–1 |
| Deportivo Quito | 2–0 | Independiente San Pedro | 0–0 | 2–0 |
| La Concordia | 2–2 (3–4 p) | Unibolívar | 1–0 | 1–2 |
| San Rafael | 0–6 | San Antonio | 0–3 | 0–3 |
| Ecuagenera | 3–6 | Mineros | 1–1 | 2–5 |
| D' León | 4–3 | Filanbanco | 0–1 | 4–2 |
| 3 de Julio | 3–3 (2–4 p) | Huancavilca | 2–1 | 1–2 |
| AAMPETRA | 3–2 | Insutec | 2–1 | 1–1 |
| L.D.U. Portoviejo | 1–1 (5–3 p) | Rocafuerte | 0–1 | 1–0 |
| Audaz Octubrino | 0–7 | AVICED | 0–3 | 0–4 |
| Juventud Italiana | 4–2 | Atlético Zamora | 2–1 | 2–1 |
| Toreros | 0–2 | Vargas Torres | 0–0 | 0–2 |
| Santa Fe | 2–5 | Atlético Samborondón | 1–2 | 1–3 |
| Cuenca | 3–4 | Grecia | 2–1 | 1–3 |

## Final rounds

In the final rounds, each tie will be played on a home-and-away two-legged basis. If the aggregate score is level, the second-leg match will go straight to the penalty shoot-out to determine the winners.

### Bracket

| Round of 16 | Round of 16 | Round of 16 | Round of 16 | Round of 16 | Quarter-finals | Quarter-finals | Quarter-finals | Quarter-finals | Quarter-finals | Semi-finals | Semi-finals | Semi-finals | Semi-finals | Semi-finals | | Final | Final | Final | |
| Cuniburo | Cuniburo | 2 | 0 | 2 (6) | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Río Babahoyo | Río Babahoyo | 0 | 2 | 2 (5) | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Río Babahoyo | Río Babahoyo | 0 | 2 | 2 (5) | Cuniburo | Cuniburo | 4 | 2 | 6 | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | Baldor Bermeo Cabrera | Baldor Bermeo Cabrera | 0 | 1 | 1 | | | | | | | | | | |
| Baldor Bermeo Cabrera | Baldor Bermeo Cabrera | 2 | 0 | 2 (3) | Baldor Bermeo Cabrera | Baldor Bermeo Cabrera | 0 | 1 | 1 | | | | | | | | | | |
| Deportivo Quito | Deportivo Quito | 2 | 0 | 2 (2) | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Deportivo Quito | Deportivo Quito | 2 | 0 | 2 (2) | | | | | | Cuniburo | Cuniburo | 3 | 1 | 4 | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | | San Antonio | San Antonio | 3 | 0 | 3 | | | | | |
| Unibolívar | Unibolívar | 0 | 1 | 1 | | | | | | | | | | | San Antonio | San Antonio | 3 | 0 | 3 | | | |
| San Antonio | San Antonio | 0 | 2 | 2 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| San Antonio | San Antonio | 0 | 2 | 2 | San Antonio | San Antonio | 0 | 3 | 3 | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | Mineros | Mineros | 0 | 1 | 1 | | | | | | | | | | |
| Mineros | Mineros | 1 | 3 | 4 | Mineros | Mineros | 0 | 1 | 1 | | | | | | | | | | |
| D' León | D' León | 1 | 0 | 1 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| D' León | D' León | 1 | 0 | 1 | | | | | | | | | | | | Cuniburo | Cuniburo | 0 (4) | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Vargas Torres | Vargas Torres | 0 (3) | |
| Huancavilca | Huancavilca | 1 | 0 | 1 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Vargas Torres | Vargas Torres | 0 (3) |
| AAMPETRA | AAMPETRA | 1 | 2 | 3 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| AAMPETRA | AAMPETRA | 1 | 2 | 3 | AAMPETRA | AAMPETRA | 1 | 0 | 1 | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | AVICED | AVICED | 1 | 2 | 3 | | | | | | | | | | |
| AVICED | AVICED | 1 | 3 | 4 | AVICED | AVICED | 1 | 2 | 3 | | | | | | | | | | |
| L.D.U. Portoviejo | L.D.U. Portoviejo | 2 | 0 | 2 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| L.D.U. Portoviejo | L.D.U. Portoviejo | 2 | 0 | 2 | | | | | | AVICED | AVICED | 0 | 0 | 0 (2) | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | | Vargas Torres | Vargas Torres | 0 | 0 | 0 (3) | | | | | |
| Juventud Italiana | Juventud Italiana | 2 | 0 | 2 | | | | | | | | | | | Vargas Torres | Vargas Torres | 0 | 0 | 0 (3) | | | |
| Vargas Torres | Vargas Torres | 1 | 3 | 4 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Vargas Torres | Vargas Torres | 1 | 3 | 4 | Vargas Torres | Vargas Torres | 2 | 2 | 4 | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | Grecia | Grecia | 2 | 0 | 2 | | | | | | | | | | |
| Atlético Samborondón | Atlético Samborondón | 1 | 0 | 1 | Grecia | Grecia | 2 | 0 | 2 | | | | | | | | | | |
| Grecia | Grecia | 1 | 1 | 2 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
* $^†$ Order to be decided.

### Round of 16

The first legs were played on 7–9 October and the second legs were played on 14–16 October 2022.
| Team 1 | Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
| Cuniburo | 2–2 (6–5 p) | Río Babahoyo | 2–0 | 0–2 |
| Baldor Bermeo Cabrera | 2–2 (3–2 p) | Deportivo Quito | 2–2 | 0–0 |
| Unibolívar | 1–2 | San Antonio | 0–0 | 1–2 |
| Mineros | 4–1 | D' León | 1–1 | 3–0 |
| Huancavilca | 1–3 | AAMPETRA | 1–1 | 0–2 |
| AVICED | 4–2 | L.D.U. Portoviejo | 1–2 | 3–0 |
| Juventud Italiana | 2–4 | Vargas Torres | 2–1 | 0–3 |
| Atlético Samborondón | 1–2 | Grecia | 1–1 | 0–1 |

### Quarter-finals

The first legs were played on 21–25 October and the second legs were played on 29–30 October 2022.
| Team 1 | Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
| Cuniburo | 6–1 | Baldor Bermeo Cabrera | 4–0 | 2–1 |
| Mineros | 1–3 | San Antonio | 0–0 | 1–3 |
| AAMPETRA | 1–3 | AVICED | 1–1 | 0–2 |
| Vargas Torres | 4–2 | Grecia | 2–2 | 2–0 |

### Semi-finals

The first legs were played on 5–6 November and the second legs were played on 12–13 November 2022. Winners were promoted to 2023 Ecuadorian Serie B.
| Team 1 | Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
| Cuniburo | 4–3 | San Antonio | 3–3 | 1–0 |
| AVICED | 0–0 (2–3 p) | Vargas Torres | 0–0 | 0–0 |

### Final

The final will be played in November 2022 at Estadio 7 de Octubre in Quevedo.