Ecuadorian Serie B
Football league
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Primera Categoría Serie B, shortened to Serie B or Primera B, is a professional football league in Ecuador. It is in the second tier of the Ecuadorian football league system. Currently contested by ten clubs, it operates a system of promotion and relegation with the top-flight Serie A and the bottom-level Segunda Categoría. The season runs from February to December in two stages. For sponsorship reasons, it is known as the LigaPro Banco Pichincha Pymes.
| Founded | 1971 |
|---|---|
| Country | Ecuador |
| Confederation | CONMEBOL |
| Number of clubs | 12 |
| Level on pyramid | 2 |
| Promotion to | Serie A |
| Relegation to | Segunda Categoría |
| Current champions | Guayaquil City (1st title) (2025) |
| Most championships | Técnico Universitario (6 titles) |
| Website | Official webpage |
| Current: 2026 Ecuadorian Serie B | |
Serie B has been in place since 1971 and has been held on a yearly basis since (except 1973 and 1983–88), often holding two tournaments a year. The number of teams being promoted or relegated changed through the years because, like the Serie A, the format often changes on a seasonal basis. With the creation of LigaPro for the beginning of the 2019 season, the format consisted of two separate round robin stages. The top four teams with the most points after both stages were placed in a playoffs to determine the two teams who would earn promotion to Serie A the following season. Additionally, the two teams with the fewest points at the end of the season are relegated to the Segunda Categoría.
Thirty two different clubs have won the Serie B, but only twelve have won it multiple times. The most successful team is Técnico Universitario, who won their sixth title in 2017, while the current champion is Guayaquil City.
Current teams
There are currently twelve teams in the 2026 Serie B.
| Club | City | Stadium | Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|
| 22 de Julio | Esmeraldas | Estadio Folke Anderson | 14,000 |
| 9 de Octubre | Guayaquil | Alejandro Ponce Noboa | 5,000 |
| Atlético Rojiblanco | Christan Benitez Betancourt | 10,152 | |
| Cuenca Juniors | Cuenca | Alejandro Serrano Aguillar | 14,500 |
| Cumbayá | Cayambe | Olímpico Guillermo Albornoz | 12,000 |
| El Nacional | Quito | Olímpico Atahualpa | 38,258 |
| Gualaceo | Gualaceo | Gerardo León Pozo | 2,791 |
| Independiente Juniors | Sangolquí | Banco Guayaquil | 12,000 |
| Liga de Portoviejo | Portojevio | Reales Tamarindos | 21,000 |
| Santo Domingo | Santo Domingo | Etho Vega Baquero | 10,172 |
| San Antonio | Ibarra | Olímpico de Ibarra | 18,600 |
| Vinotinto | Quito | Olímpico Atahualpa | 38,258 |
List of champions
| Ed. | Season | Champion (title count) | Runner-up | Top goalscorer[1] | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 |
1971 | Macará (1) | Olmedo |  Ítalo Cavagnari (14) | |
2 |
1972 | E1 | LDU Portoviejo (1) | Deportivo Quito |  Ángel Liciardi (24) |
3 |
E2 | Deportivo Cuenca (1) | Universidad Católica | ||
4 |
1974 | E1 | LDU Quito (1) | América de Quito | |
5 |
E2 | Aucas (1) | Deportivo Quito | ||
6 |
1975 | Audaz Octubrino (1) | 9 de Octubre | Carlos Infantino (26) | |
7 |
1976 | E1 | Carmen Mora (1) | Deportivo Quito | Carlos Infantino (24) |
8 |
E2 | LDU Portoviejo (2) | América de Quito | ||
9 |
1977 | E1 | LDU Cuenca (1) | Manta Sport |  Angel Guillermo Marin (27) |
10 |
E2 | Técnico Universitario (1) | Deportivo Quito | ||
11 |
1978 | E1 | Bonita Banana (1) | Valdez | Carlos Spadoni (24) |
12 |
E2 | América de Quito (1) | LDU Quito | ||
13 |
1979 | E1 | Manta Sport (1) | Aucas |  Miguel Adolfo López (20) |
14 |
E2 | El Nacional (1) | Everest | ||
15 |
1980 | E1 | Deportivo Quito (1) | LDU Cuenca | |
16 |
E2 | LDU Portoviejo (3) | Deportivo Cuenca | ||
17 |
1981 | E1 | Emelec (1) | 9 de Octubre | Enrique Lanza (26) |
18 |
E2 | Técnico Universitario (2) | LDU Portoviejo | ||
19 |
1982 | E1 | Quevedo (1) | Aucas | Miguel Adolfo López (10) |
20 |
E2 | Manta Sport (2) | América de Quito | ||
21 |
1989 | E1 | Delfín (1) | Universidad Católica |  Rooney de Oliveira (15) |
22 |
E2 | Juventus (1) | River Plate Riobamba | ||
23 |
1990 | E1 | Universidad Católica (1) | LDU Portoviejo | Paulo César (14) |
24 |
E2 | Juvenil (1) | LDU Loja | ||
25 |
1991 | E1 | Green Cross (1) | LDU Portoviejo | José Felix Salazar (19) |
26 |
E2 | Aucas (2) | ESPOLI | ||
27 |
1992 | E1 | LDU Portoviejo (4) | ESPOLI |  Hugo Rivas Mendoza (14) |
28 |
E2 | Santos (1) | Calvi | ||
29 |
1993 | ESPOLI (1) | LDU Portoviejo |  Johny Quiñonez (21) | |
30 |
1994 | Olmedo (1) | 9 de Octubre | Max Mecías (18) | |
31 |
1995 | Deportivo Cuenca (2) | Técnico Universitario | Pedro Valencia (16) | |
32 |
1996 | Quevedo (2) | Calvi |  Carlos Guttman Furtado (14) | |
33 |
1997 | Panamá (1) | Delfín | Fernando Lavezzi (13) | |
34 |
1998 | Macará (2) | Audaz Octubrino | Luis Zambrano (24) | |
35 |
1999 | Técnico Universitario (3) | LDU Portoviejo | José Esterilla (17) | |
36 |
2000 | LDU Portoviejo (5) | Delfín |  Aldemar Sanchez (15) | |
37 |
2001 | LDU Quito (2) | Deportivo Cuenca | Oscar Pacheco (27) | |
38 |
2002 | Técnico Universitario (4) | Manta | Martín Gorozo (22) | |
39 |
2003 | Olmedo (2) | Macará | Alex Rodríguez (21) | |
40 |
2004 | Quevedo (3) | LDU Loja | Alberto Capurro (26) | |
41 |
2005 | A | ESPOLI (2) | Manta | Leonardo García (17) |
42 |
C | Macará (3) | Universidad Católica | Marwin Pita (13) | |
43 |
2006 | E1 | Deportivo Azogues (1) | Universidad Católica | Edmundo Zura (18) |
44 |
E2 | Imbabura (1) | Universidad Católica | ||
45 |
2007 | Universidad Católica (2) | ESPOLI | Jasson Zambrano (25) | |
46 |
2008 | Manta (1) | LDU Portoviejo | Narciso Mina (25) | |
47 |
2009 | Independiente del Valle (1) | Universidad Católica | Cristian Hermosilla (18) | |
48 |
2010 | LDU Loja (1) | Imbabura | Fábio Renato (28) | |
49 |
2011 | Técnico Universitario (5) | Macará |  Carlos Quintero (28) | |
50 |
2012 | Universidad Católica (3) | Quevedo | Luis Espínola (18) | |
51 |
2013 | Olmedo (3) | Mushuc Runa |  Daniel Neculmán (29) | |
52 |
2014 | Aucas (3) | River Ecuador | Jimmy Delgado (22) | |
53 |
2015 | Delfín (2) | Fuerza Amarilla | Wagner Valencia (20) | |
54 |
2016 | Macará (4) | Clan Juvenil | Jorge Palacios (22) | |
55 |
2017 | Técnico Universitario (6) | Aucas | Edson Montaño (20) | |
56 |
2018 | Mushuc Runa (1) | América de Quito | Álex George (18) | |
57 |
2019 | Orense (1) | LDU Portoviejo | Luis Espínola (17) | |
58 |
2020 | 9 de Octubre (1) | Manta | Ángel Ledesma (9) | |
59 |
2021 | Cumbayá (1) | Gualaceo |  César Espínola (18) | |
60 |
2022 | El Nacional (2) | Libertad | Ronie Carrillo (16) | |
61 |
2023 | Macará (5) | Imbabura | Facundo Callejo (18) | |
62 |
2024 | Cuniburo[2] | Manta | José Lugo (19) | |
63 |
2025 | Guayaquil City (1) | Leones | Patricio Vargas (15)[3] | |
Titles by club
| Club | Titles | Seasons won |
|---|---|---|
| Técnico Universitario | 6 | 1977 E2, 1981 E2, 1999, 2002, 2011, 2017 |
| LDU Portoviejo | 5 | 1972 E1, 1976 E2, 1980 E2, 1992 E1, 2000 |
| Macará | 5 | 1971, 1998, 2005 C, 2016, 2023 |
| Aucas | 3 | 1974 E2, 1991 E2, 2014 |
| Olmedo | 3 | 1994, 2003, 2013 |
| Quevedo | 3 | 1982 E1, 1996, 2004 |
| Universidad Católica | 3 | 1990 E1, 2007, 2012 |
| ESPOLI | 2 | 1993, 2005 A |
| Delfín | 2 | 1989 E1, 2015 |
| Deportivo Cuenca | 2 | 1972 E2, 1995 |
| El Nacional | 2 | 1979 E2, 2022 |
| LDU Quito | 2 | 1974 E1, 2001 |
| Manta Sport | 2 | 1979 E1, 1982 E2 |
| Guayaquil City | 1 | 2025 |
| 9 de Octubre | 1 | 2020 |
| América de Quito | 1 | 1978 E2 |
| Audaz Octubrino | 1 | 1975 |
| Bonita Banana | 1 | 1978 E1, 1976 E1 |
| Cumbayá | 1 | 2021 |
| Cuniburo | 1 | 2024 |
| Deportivo Azogues | 1 | 2006 E1 |
| Deportivo Quito | 1 | 1980 E1 |
| Emelec | 1 | 1981 E1 |
| Green Cross | 1 | 1991 E1 |
| Imbabura | 1 | 2006 E2 |
| Independiente del Valle | 1 | 2009 |
| Juvenil | 1 | 1990 E2 |
| Juventus | 1 | 1989 E2 |
| LDU Cuenca | 1 | 1977 E1 |
| LDU Loja | 1 | 2010 |
| Manta | 1 | 2008 |
| Mushuc Runa | 1 | 2018 |
| Orense | 1 | 2019 |
| Panamá | 1 | 1997 |
| Santos | 1 | 1992 E2 |
Titles by city
| City | Nº of titles | Clubs |
|---|---|---|
| Quito | 14 | Aucas (3), Universidad Católica (3), El Nacional (2), ESPOLI (2), LDU Quito (2), América de Quito (1), Deportivo Quito (1) |
| Ambato | 12 | Técnico Universitario (6), Macará (5), Mushuc Runa (1) |
| Manta | 6 | Manta Sport (2), Delfín (2), Green Cross (1), Manta FC (1) |
| Portoviejo | 5 | LDU Portoviejo (5) |
| Guayaquil | 4 | 9 de Octubre (1), Emelec (1), Guayaquil City (1), Panamá (1) |
| Cuenca | 3 | Deportivo Cuenca (2), LDU Cuenca (1) |
| Machala | 3 | Audaz Octubrino (1), Bonita Banana (1), Orense (1) |
| Riobamba | 3 | Olmedo (3) |
| Esmeraldas | 2 | Juvenil (1), Juventus (1) |
| Azogues | 1 | Deportivo Azogues (1) |
| Cayambe | 1 | Cuniburo (1) |
| Cumbayá | 1 | Cumbayá (1) |
| El Guabo | 1 | Santos (1) |
| Ibarra | 1 | Imbabura (1) |
| Loja | 1 | LDU Loja (1) |
| Pasaje | 1 | Carmen Mora (1) |
| Quevedo | 1 | Deportivo Quevedo (1) |
| Sangolquí | 1 | Independiente del Valle (1) |