The Ecuabet League 2026 officially starts tonight with the opening match between Orense and Liga de Quito, scheduled for 19:00 at the 9 de Mayo Stadium in Machala. This season's league features a revamped format that differs from the previous year's structure. Fans are particularly interested in understanding how these changes will affect the teams and the overall competitiveness of the league.

As in previous editions, the tournament will be contested over two stages. The first phase comprises 30 matchdays with a round-robin format, where each club strives to earn as many points as possible to enhance their positioning for the decisive phase of the competition. The adjustments made to the tournament will add even more significance to each match, as teams will aim to perform well early on.

The most notable alteration for this season comes in the second stage. Following the regular phase, the league will split into two hexagonal groups and one quadrangular group, with all teams participating in home-and-away matches. Importantly, points accumulated during the initial phase will carry over, which reinforces the importance of every single match leading up to the playoffs, making each game critical for teams looking to secure favorable spots in the final stages of the tournament.