Universidad Católica will host Liga de Quito on Thursday, October 29, 2026, at 19:00 in the first leg of the Copa Ecuador 2026 semifinals, with the match scheduled for the estadio de Independiente del Valle in Amaguaña. The game is the first step in a two-match series that will decide one finalist.
For fans in Ecuador, the match will be shown on DirecTV, adding urgency to a night that could shape the rest of the tournament. Universidad Católica arrives after beating Vinotinto Ecuador 3-2 in the round of 16 and Astillero FC 1-0 in the quarterfinals, while Liga de Quito reached this stage by defeating Leones FC 6-0 and Aucas 1-0.
The semifinal will not be settled by the first result alone. The winner will be determined by the global score over both matches, and if the teams are level after 180 minutes, the place in the final will be decided by a penalty shootout. That means the return leg matters as much as the opener, especially with Liga de Quito set to be the home team in the second match.
That second leg is already fixed for Wednesday, November 4, 2026, at 19:00 at the estadio Rodrigo Paz Delgado in Quito. The sequence leaves Universidad Católica listed as the home side for the opening match, even though it will not be played at its own venue, a detail that gives the first leg an unusual setting before the series shifts to Quito.
What is at stake goes beyond a place in the final. The winner of the Copa Ecuador 2026 will earn the Ecuador 4 berth for the Copa Libertadores de 2027, which gives this semifinal a direct link to next year’s continental race. By the end of the week, one club will have the edge, but the series should still be open until the final whistle of the second leg.
