# 2021 Ecuadorian Serie A

The 2021 Campeonato Ecuatoriano de Fútbol Serie A, known as the LigaPro Betcris 2021 for sponsorship purposes, was the 63rd season of the Serie A, Ecuador's top tier football league, and the third under the management of the Liga Profesional de Fútbol del Ecuador (or LigaPro). The season began on 19 February and ended on 12 December 2021.
Independiente del Valle were the champions, winning their first league title by defeating Emelec in the finals by a 4–2 aggregate score. Barcelona were the defending champions, having won the previous season.

## Format

On 1 January 2021, LigaPro president Miguel Ángel Loor confirmed that the 2021 season would be contested by 16 teams and the competition would be played under the same format as the previous season. Three stages were played, with the first and second ones to be played as single round-robin tournaments with all teams playing each other once for a total of 15 matches per stage. The first stage fixture was reversed for the second stage, and the top teams at the end of each stage qualified for the final stage as well as the Copa Libertadores group stage. The finals were a double-legged series between the winners of both stages with a penalty shoot-out deciding the champion in case of a tie in points and goals scored. In case a team won both stages of the season, the finals would not be played and that team would win the championship.
An aggregate table including the matches of both the first and second stages was used to decide international qualification and relegation, with the best two teams (other than the stage winners) qualifying for the Copa Libertadores, the next best three teams qualifying for the Copa Sudamericana, while the remaining Copa Sudamericana berth would be awarded to the champions of the 2021 Copa Ecuador, which was eventually cancelled. The bottom two teams of the aggregate table at the end of the season will be relegated to Serie B.

## Teams

16 teams competed in the season. LDU Portoviejo and El Nacional were relegated after finishing in the bottom two places of the aggregate table of the previous season, being replaced by 2020 Serie B champions 9 de Octubre and runners-up Manta.

### Stadia and locations

| Team | City | Stadium | Capacity |
| 9 de Octubre | Guayaquil | Modelo Alberto Spencer Herrera | 42,000 |
| Aucas | Quito | Gonzalo Pozo Ripalda | 21,689 |
| Barcelona | Guayaquil | Monumental Banco Pichincha | 57,267 |
| Delfín | Manta | Jocay | 17,834 |
| Deportivo Cuenca | Cuenca | Banco del Austro Alejandro Serrano Aguilar | 18,549 |
| Emelec | Guayaquil | Banco del Pacífico Capwell | 40,020 |
| Guayaquil City | Guayaquil | Christian Benítez Betancourt | 10,152 |
| Independiente del Valle | Sangolquí | Banco Guayaquil | 12,000 |
| LDU Quito | Quito | Rodrigo Paz Delgado | 41,575 |
| Macará | Ambato | Bellavista | 16,467 |
| Manta | Manta | Jocay | 17,834 |
| Mushuc Runa | Ambato | COAC Mushuc Runa | 8,200 |
| Olmedo | Riobamba | Olímpico | 7,233 |
| Orense | Machala | 9 de Mayo | 16,456 |
| Técnico Universitario | Ambato | Bellavista | 16,467 |
| Universidad Católica | Quito | Olímpico Atahualpa | 35,258 |

### Personnel and kits

| Team | Manager | Kit manufacturer | Shirt sponsor |
| 9 de Octubre | Juan Carlos León | Jasa Evolution | GolTV Play |
| Aucas | Héctor Bidoglio | Umbro | Cooperativa San Francisco Ltda. |
| Barcelona | Fabián Bustos | Marathon | Pilsener |
| Delfín | Horacio Montemurro | Baldo's | Banco del Pacífico |
| Deportivo Cuenca | Guillermo Sanguinetti | Lotto | Chubb Seguros |
| Emelec | Ismael Rescalvo | Adidas | Tubos Pacífico |
| Guayaquil City | Pool Gavilánez | Astro | Cooperativa San Francisco Ltda. |
| Independiente del Valle | Renato Paiva | Marathon | Chery Banco Guayaquil |
| LDU Quito | Pablo Marini | Puma | Banco Pichincha |
| Macará | Paúl Vélez | Boman | Cooperativa San Francisco Ltda. |
| Manta | Fabián Frías | Astro | Atún Isabel |
| Mushuc Runa | Geovanny Cumbicus | Boman | Cooperativa Mushuc Runa |
| Olmedo | Héctor González | Boman | Cooperativa Daquilema |
| Orense | Andrés García | Elohim | Banco de Machala |
| Técnico Universitario | José Eugenio Hernández | Boman | Cooperativa San Francisco Ltda. |
| Universidad Católica | Miguel Rondelli Omar Andrade (caretakers) | Umbro | Banco Pichincha |

### Managerial changes

| Team | Outgoing manager | Manner of departure | Date of vacancy | Position in table | Incoming manager | Date of appointment |
| First stage |||||||
| Delfín | Horacio Montemurro | End of caretaker spell | 19 December 2020 | Pre-season | Paúl Vélez | 27 December 2020 |
| Mushuc Runa | Ricardo Dillon | End of contract | 19 December 2020 | Pre-season | Geovanny Cumbicus | 24 December 2020 |
| Independiente del Valle | Miguel Ángel Ramírez | Resigned | 20 December 2020 | Pre-season | Renato Paiva | 25 December 2020 |
| Olmedo | Geovanny Cumbicus | End of contract | 20 December 2020 | Pre-season | Pablo Trobbiani | 27 December 2020 |
| Macará | Paúl Vélez | End of contract | 21 December 2020 | Pre-season | Eduardo Favaro | 25 December 2020 |
| Aucas | Darío Tempesta | Sacked | 14 March 2021 | 10th | Héctor Bidoglio | 16 March 2021 |
| Deportivo Cuenca | Guillermo Duró | Promoted to sporting director | 18 May 2021 | 12th | Guillermo Sanguinetti | 18 May 2021 |
| Orense | Patricio Lara | Sacked | 31 May 2021 | 14th | Andrés García | 6 June 2021 |
| LDU Quito | Pablo Repetto | Mutual consent | 16 June 2021 | 7th | Pablo Marini | 25 June 2021 |
| Olmedo | Pablo Trobbiani | Resigned | 13 July 2021 | 16th | César Ramos (caretaker) | 14 July 2021 |
| Second stage |||||||
| Delfín | Paúl Vélez | Mutual consent | 31 July 2021 | 8th | Horacio Montemurro | 4 August 2021 |
| Macará | Eduardo Favaro | Sacked | 3 August 2021 | 15th | Paúl Vélez | 5 August 2021 |
| Olmedo | César Ramos | End of caretaker spell | 5 August 2021 | 16th | Luis Espinel | 5 August 2021 |
| Olmedo | Luis Espinel | Resigned | 28 September 2021 | 16th | Nelson Brito | 28 September 2021 |
| Universidad Católica | Santiago Escobar | Resigned | 25 October 2021 | 4th | Miguel Rondelli Omar Andrade | 25 October 2021 |
| Olmedo | Nelson Brito | Mutual consent | 1 November 2021 | 16th | Héctor González | 1 November 2021 |

#### Notes

* ↑ Gabriel Di Noia was caretaker manager during the 2021 Supercopa Ecuador.
* ↑ Caretaker managers until the end of the season.

## First stage

The first stage began on 19 February and ended on 19 July 2021.

### Standings

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | Emelec | 15 | 10 | 4 | 1 | 29 | 14 | +15 | 34 | Advance to Finals and qualification for Copa Libertadores group stage |
| 2 | Barcelona | 15 | 9 | 4 | 2 | 31 | 13 | +18 | 31 | |
| 3 | Independiente del Valle | 15 | 8 | 3 | 4 | 27 | 18 | +9 | 27 | |
| 4 | Universidad Católica | 15 | 7 | 4 | 4 | 29 | 18 | +11 | 25 | |
| 5 | Mushuc Runa | 15 | 7 | 4 | 4 | 29 | 21 | +8 | 25 | |
| 6 | LDU Quito | 15 | 6 | 7 | 2 | 22 | 19 | +3 | 25 | |
| 7 | Macará | 15 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 17 | 17 | 0 | 23 | |
| 8 | 9 de Octubre | 15 | 6 | 2 | 7 | 22 | 21 | +1 | 20 | |
| 9 | Aucas | 15 | 5 | 4 | 6 | 27 | 26 | +1 | 19 | |
| 10 | Delfín | 15 | 4 | 6 | 5 | 19 | 25 | −6 | 18 | |
| 11 | Deportivo Cuenca | 15 | 4 | 4 | 7 | 14 | 18 | −4 | 16 | |
| 12 | Manta | 15 | 4 | 4 | 7 | 18 | 25 | −7 | 16 | |
| 13 | Técnico Universitario | 15 | 3 | 4 | 8 | 11 | 17 | −6 | 13 | |
| 14 | Orense | 15 | 3 | 3 | 9 | 14 | 24 | −10 | 12 | |
| 15 | Guayaquil City | 15 | 2 | 4 | 9 | 11 | 30 | −19 | 10 | |
| 16 | Olmedo | 15 | 2 | 6 | 7 | 13 | 27 | −14 | 9 | |
* ↑ Olmedo were deducted three points as punishment for failing to pay their creditors.

### Results

| Home \ Away | 9OC | AUC | BSC | DEL | CUE | EME | GUA | IDV | LDQ | MAC | MAN | MUS | OLM | ORE | TEC | CAT |
| 9 de Octubre | — | 1–3 | 0–1 | — | 2–1 | — | 4–0 | — | — | — | 2–0 | 1–2 | 2–0 | — | — | 1–0 |
| Aucas | — | — | — | 3–3 | 2–0 | 2–3 | 3–0 | 3–4 | — | — | — | — | 1–3 | — | 0–2 | — |
| Barcelona | — | 3–0 | — | 2–1 | — | 1–1 | — | 2–2 | — | 3–0 | — | — | 4–0 | 2–0 | 3–0 | — |
| Delfín | 2–2 | — | — | — | 1–1 | — | 1–1 | — | 1–1 | 2–0 | — | — | 2–4 | 1–1 | — | — |
| Deportivo Cuenca | — | — | 1–0 | — | — | — | 3–0 | — | 2–2 | — | — | 1–2 | — | 1–0 | 1–0 | 0–1 |
| Emelec | 0–1 | — | — | 1–0 | 4–1 | — | 1–0 | 0–0 | 1–1 | — | — | — | — | — | 2–0 | — |
| Guayaquil City | — | — | 0–3 | — | — | — | — | — | 2–2 | 3–1 | 0–3 | 0–0 | — | 4–1 | — | 1–2 |
| Independiente del Valle | 2–1 | — | — | 2–0 | 0–0 | — | 3–0 | — | 3–1 | — | — | 2–0 | — | — | — | 2–3 |
| LDU Quito | 4–2 | 1–3 | 2–2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2–1 | 1–0 | 0–0 | — | 2–1 | — | 2–1 |
| Macará | 3–2 | 1–0 | — | — | 1–0 | 1–1 | — | 3–1 | — | — | — | — | — | 1–0 | 1–1 | — |
| Manta | — | 1–1 | 2–3 | 1–2 | 1–0 | 0–4 | — | 2–1 | — | 1–1 | — | — | — | — | 0–2 | — |
| Mushuc Runa | — | 1–3 | 2–2 | 6–1 | — | 1–2 | — | — | — | 0–0 | 4–2 | — | 4–0 | — | — | 2–6 |
| Olmedo | — | — | — | — | 2–2 | 2–3 | 0–0 | 1–3 | 0–0 | 0–2 | 1–1 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Orense | 3–1 | 2–2 | — | — | — | 2–3 | — | 2–0 | — | — | 0–1 | 0–2 | 0–0 | — | — | 0–3 |
| Técnico Universitario | 0–0 | — | — | 0–1 | — | — | 3–0 | 0–2 | 0–1 | — | — | 1–3 | 0–0 | 1–2 | — | — |
| Universidad Católica | — | 1–1 | 2–0 | 0–1 | — | 2–3 | — | — | — | 1–1 | 3–3 | — | 3–0 | — | 1–1 | — |
* ↑ Match ended after 20 minutes of play and awarded 3–0 to Barcelona by walkover due to the withdrawal of Aucas player Johan Lara by injury, leaving the team below the minimum number of players required per tournament regulations (seven). The score at the time of suspension was 2–0.
* ↑ Match awarded 3–0 to Universidad Católica due to a breach of the competition's financial regulations and lack of cleared players by Olmedo.

## Second stage
### Standings

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | Independiente del Valle | 15 | 10 | 4 | 1 | 29 | 9 | +20 | 34 | Advance to Finals and qualification for Copa Libertadores group stage |
| 2 | Emelec | 15 | 9 | 3 | 3 | 30 | 15 | +15 | 30 | |
| 3 | 9 de Octubre | 15 | 9 | 3 | 3 | 25 | 17 | +8 | 30 | |
| 4 | Universidad Católica | 15 | 8 | 5 | 2 | 25 | 15 | +10 | 29 | |
| 5 | LDU Quito | 15 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 27 | 22 | +5 | 23 | |
| 6 | Delfín | 15 | 6 | 4 | 5 | 25 | 20 | +5 | 22 | |
| 7 | Técnico Universitario | 15 | 5 | 7 | 3 | 13 | 9 | +4 | 22 | |
| 8 | Aucas | 15 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 20 | 17 | +3 | 20 | |
| 9 | Barcelona | 15 | 6 | 2 | 7 | 20 | 20 | 0 | 20 | |
| 10 | Guayaquil City | 15 | 6 | 2 | 7 | 16 | 18 | −2 | 20 | |
| 11 | Orense | 15 | 4 | 7 | 4 | 14 | 13 | +1 | 19 | |
| 12 | Deportivo Cuenca | 15 | 4 | 4 | 7 | 25 | 24 | +1 | 16 | |
| 13 | Mushuc Runa | 15 | 4 | 4 | 7 | 12 | 21 | −9 | 16 | |
| 14 | Macará | 15 | 3 | 4 | 8 | 18 | 29 | −11 | 13 | |
| 15 | Manta | 15 | 2 | 6 | 7 | 11 | 21 | −10 | 12 | |
| 16 | Olmedo | 15 | 0 | 1 | 14 | 9 | 49 | −40 | 1 | |

### Results

| Home \ Away | 9OC | AUC | BSC | DEL | CUE | EME | GUA | IDV | LDQ | MAC | MAN | MUS | OLM | ORE | TEC | CAT |
| 9 de Octubre | — | — | — | 1–0 | — | 2–2 | — | 1–0 | 4–1 | 1–1 | — | — | — | 3–1 | 0–1 | — |
| Aucas | 1–1 | — | 1–0 | — | — | — | — | — | 1–0 | 2–4 | 3–0 | 1–1 | — | 0–0 | — | 1–2 |
| Barcelona | 1–3 | — | — | — | 3–2 | — | 2–1 | — | 0–2 | — | 2–0 | 4–0 | — | — | — | 1–1 |
| Delfín | — | 1–2 | 4–1 | — | — | 1–2 | — | 0–0 | — | — | 2–1 | 3–0 | — | — | 1–1 | 0–2 |
| Deportivo Cuenca | 3–1 | 2–1 | — | 2–3 | — | 0–1 | — | 1–1 | — | 1–1 | 1–0 | — | 5–0 | — | — | — |
| Emelec | — | 2–2 | 2–1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 3–0 | 4–0 | 2–0 | 4–0 | 1–0 | — | 2–2 |
| Guayaquil City | 0–1 | 1–0 | — | 2–1 | 2–1 | 0–1 | — | 0–2 | — | — | — | — | 4–2 | — | 1–0 | — |
| Independiente del Valle | — | 1–0 | 1–0 | — | — | 3–2 | — | — | — | 4–0 | 1–1 | — | 5–0 | 3–2 | 1–1 | — |
| LDU Quito | — | — | — | 1–1 | 3–3 | 3–2 | 3–1 | 0–2 | — | — | — | — | 4–0 | — | 1–0 | — |
| Macará | — | — | 1–1 | 2–3 | — | — | 0–2 | — | 2–1 | — | 1–2 | 1–1 | 3–2 | — | — | 1–2 |
| Manta | 1–3 | — | — | — | — | — | 1–1 | — | 2–2 | — | — | 0–0 | 3–0 | 0–0 | — | 0–1 |
| Mushuc Runa | 1–2 | — | — | — | 1–0 | — | 1–0 | 0–2 | 1–3 | — | — | — | — | 0–0 | 0–1 | — |
| Olmedo | 1–2 | 1–4 | 0–2 | 1–3 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2–5 | — | 0–2 | 0–0 | 0–3 |
| Orense | — | — | 1–0 | 2–2 | 1–1 | — | 2–0 | — | 1–1 | 2–1 | — | — | — | — | 0–0 | — |
| Técnico Universitario | — | 1–1 | 1–2 | — | 3–1 | 1–0 | — | — | — | 2–0 | 0–0 | — | — | — | — | 1–1 |
| Universidad Católica | 2–0 | — | — | — | 3–2 | — | 1–1 | 1–3 | 2–2 | — | — | 0–1 | — | 1–0 | — | — |

## Finals

The finals (Third stage) were played by Emelec (first stage winners) and Independiente del Valle (second stage winners). The winners of the double-legged series were the Serie A champions and earned the Ecuador 1 berth in the 2022 Copa Libertadores, and the losers were the Serie A runners-up and earned the Ecuador 2 berth in the 2022 Copa Libertadores. By having the greater number of points in the aggregate table, Emelec played the second leg at home.
Independiente del Valle won 4–2 on aggregate.

## Aggregate table

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
| 1 | Emelec | 30 | 19 | 7 | 4 | 59 | 29 | +30 | 64 | Qualification for Copa Libertadores group stage |
| 2 | Independiente del Valle (C) | 30 | 18 | 7 | 5 | 56 | 27 | +29 | 61 | Qualification for Copa Libertadores group stage |
| 3 | Universidad Católica | 30 | 15 | 9 | 6 | 54 | 33 | +21 | 54 | Qualification for Copa Libertadores second stage |
| 4 | Barcelona | 30 | 15 | 6 | 9 | 51 | 33 | +18 | 51 | Qualification for Copa Libertadores first stage |
| 5 | 9 de Octubre | 30 | 15 | 5 | 10 | 47 | 38 | +9 | 50 | Qualification for Copa Sudamericana first stage |
| 6 | LDU Quito | 30 | 12 | 12 | 6 | 49 | 41 | +8 | 48 | Qualification for Copa Sudamericana first stage |
| 7 | Mushuc Runa | 30 | 11 | 8 | 11 | 41 | 42 | −1 | 41 | Qualification for Copa Sudamericana first stage |
| 8 | Delfín | 30 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 44 | 45 | −1 | 40 | Qualification for Copa Sudamericana first stage |
| 9 | Aucas | 30 | 10 | 9 | 11 | 47 | 43 | +4 | 39 | |
| 10 | Macará | 30 | 9 | 9 | 12 | 35 | 46 | −11 | 36 | |
| 11 | Técnico Universitario | 30 | 8 | 11 | 11 | 24 | 26 | −2 | 35 | |
| 12 | Deportivo Cuenca | 30 | 8 | 8 | 14 | 39 | 42 | −3 | 32 | |
| 13 | Orense | 30 | 7 | 10 | 13 | 28 | 37 | −9 | 31 | |
| 14 | Guayaquil City | 30 | 8 | 6 | 16 | 27 | 48 | −21 | 30 | |
| 15 | Manta (R) | 30 | 6 | 10 | 14 | 29 | 46 | −17 | 28 | Relegation to Serie B |
| 16 | Olmedo (R) | 30 | 2 | 7 | 21 | 22 | 76 | −54 | 10 | Relegation to Serie B |
* ↑ Since the 2021 Copa Ecuador was cancelled due to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic in Ecuador, the spot awarded to its champions (Copa Sudamericana first stage) was passed over to the aggregate table fourth best-placed team not qualified for the Copa Libertadores.
* ↑ Olmedo were deducted three points as punishment for failing to pay their creditors.

## Top scorers

| Rank | Name | Club | Goals |
| 1 | Jonathan Bauman | Mushuc Runa / Independiente del Valle | 26 |
| 2 | Jhon Cifuente | Delfín | 17 |
| 3 | Lisandro Alzugaray | Universidad Católica | 15 |
| 4 | Diego Dorregaray | Deportivo Cuenca | 14 |
| 5 | José Fajardo | 9 de Octubre | 12 |
| 5 | Francisco Fydriszewski | Aucas | 12 |
| 7 | Facundo Barceló | Emelec | 10 |
| 7 | Jhonny Quiñónez | Aucas | 10 |
| 7 | Sebastián Rodríguez | Emelec | 10 |
| 7 | Joao Rojas | Emelec | 10 |
Source: FEF