Ecuadorian Serie A
The Liga Pro Bet593, simply known as the Liga Pro, or the Serie A, is a professional football league in Ecuador. At the top of the Ecuadorian football league system, it is the country's premier football competition. Contested by sixteen clubs, it operates a system of promotion and relegation with the Serie B, the lower level of the Primera Categoría. The season runs from February to December and is usually contested in multiple stages.
| Founded | 1957 |
|---|---|
| Country | Ecuador |
| Confederation | CONMEBOL |
| Number of teams | 16 |
| Level on pyramid | 1 |
| Relegation to | Serie B |
| Domestic cup(s) | Copa Ecuador Supercopa Ecuador |
| International cup(s) | Copa Libertadores Copa Sudamericana Recopa Sudamericana |
| Current champions | LDU Quito (12th title) |
| Most championships | Barcelona (16 titles) |
| Most appearances | Carlos Javier Caicedo (670) |
| Top goalscorer | Ermen Benítez (191) |
| Website | www |
| Current: 2024 Serie A season | |
While initially not a league, the Serie A has its roots in the national championship between the top teams of Ecuador's two regional leagues. For the first nine editions, teams from Guayaquil and Quito qualified to the competition through their professional regional leagues. It abandoned the qualification format to form a proper league in 1967. Since the first edition in 1957, the tournament has been held annually (except 1958 and 1959); the 2005 season had two champions. It was ranked by IFFHS as the 11th strongest football league in the world for 2022, and the 4th strongest league in South America.
Eleven clubs have been crowned Ecuadorian champions, but four teams have a combined total of 55 championships. The most successful club is Barcelona with sixteen titles. LDU Quito are the defending champions.