2001 in Ecuadorian football
# 2001 in Ecuadorian football

The 2001 season was the 79th season of competitive football in Ecuador.

## National leagues

### Serie A

* Champion: Emelec (9th title)
* International cup qualifiers:
   * 2002 Copa Libertadores: Emelec, El Nacional, Olmedo
* Relegated: Delfín, LDU Portoviejo

### Serie B

* Winner: LDU Quito (2nd title)
* Promoted: LDU Quito, Deportivo Cuenca
* Relegated: Deportivo Quevedo

### Segunda

* Winner: Manta
* Promoted: Manta

## Clubs in international competitions

| Team | 2001 Copa Libertadores | 2001 Copa Merconorte |
| - | - | - |
| Aucas | N/A | Eliminated in the Group Stage |
| Barcelona | N/A | Eliminated in the Group Stage |
| El Nacional | Eliminated in the Round of 16 | N/A |
| Emelec | Eliminated in the Round of 16 | Runner-up |
| Olmedo | Eliminated in the first round | N/A |

## National teams

### Senior team

The Ecuador national team played in fourteen matches in 2001: eight FIFA World Cup qualifiers, three Copa América matches, and three friendlies. At the end of the year, the team qualified for their first FIFA World Cup.

**2002 FIFA World Cup qualifiers**

Ecuador finished their qualifying campaign to the 2002 FIFA World Cup. They finished 2nd in the region, behind Argentina and ahead of Brazil, to qualify to their first FIFA World Cup.

**Copa América**

Ecuador was drawn into Group A with hosts Colombia, Chile, and Venezuela. After finishing third in the group, as well has the third best third-place team, they were eliminated in the Group Stage.

| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Colombia | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | +5 | 9 |
| Chile | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 3 | +2 | 6 |
| Ecuador | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 3 |
| Venezuela | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 7 | −7 | 0 |
