The 2019 Copa Ecuador was the second edition of the Copa Ecuador, Ecuador's domestic football cup. It began with the first round on 10 November 2018 and concluded with its double-legged final on 10 and 16 November 2019. LDU Quito were the winners, beating Delfín on away goals after tying 3–3 on aggregate score. They would have qualified for the 2020 Copa Sudamericana, but since they had already qualified for international competition through their league performance as well as the runners-up and both semifinalists, the berth was reallocated to the ninth-placed team of the league, El Nacional.
Format
The competition involved 48 teams and was divided into seven rounds. The first round was played by 22 teams from the provincial associations (20 provincial champions and 2 invitees) and 2 amateur teams, which were drawn into 12 two-legged ties. The 12 winners qualified for the second round, where they were drawn into six two-legged ties with the winners advancing to the third round.
In the third round, the six winners from the previous round were joined by the 16 Serie A and 10 Serie B teams, who played in 16 two-legged ties with the winners advancing to the round of 16, from where the competition advanced to the quarterfinals, semifinals, and final.[1]
Prizes
The champions of this edition earned the right to compete in the 2020 Copa Sudamericana, taking the Ecuador 4 berth.[1] In case the champions were already qualified for the Copa Libertadores or Copa Sudamericana through their league performance, the berth would be transferred to the runners-up, the semifinalists, or the next best team of the league not yet qualified for either competition.
^ abAlianza Cotopaxi and Duros del Balón (later renamed as Independiente Juniors and Atlético Porteño, respectively) received byes to the third round following their promotion to Serie B at the end of the 2018 season.
First round
Teams entering this round: 20 teams from Segunda Categoría, 2 amateur teams and 2 invited teams.
Note: Deportivo Quito qualified for the third round, however they were excluded from the competition due to their suspension for failing to pay its creditors. They were replaced by Mineros, as the next best team in the aggregate table of the competition.[4]
Third round
The third round of the competition was held from 24 April to 19 June 2019, with teams in Serie A and Serie B entering at this stage. The draw for this stage of the competition was held on 2 April 2019.[5]
