2002 in Ecuadorian football
# 2002 in Ecuadorian football

The 2002 season was the 80th season of competitive football in Ecuador.

## National leagues

### Serie A

* Champion: Emelec (10th title)
* International cup qualifiers:
   * 2003 Copa Libertadores: Emelec, Barcelona, El Nacional
   * 2002 Copa Sudamericana: Barcelona, Aucas
* Relegated: Olmedo, Macará

### Serie B

* Winner: Técnico Universitario (4th title)
* Promoted: Técnico Universitario, Manta
* Relegated: LDU Portoviejo

### Segunda

* Winner: Deportivo Quevedo
* Promoted: Deportivo Quevedo

## Clubs in international competitions

| Team | 2002 Copa Libertadores | 2002 Copa Sudamericana |
| - | - | - |
| Aucas | N/A | Eliminated in the Preliminary Stage |
| Barcelona | N/A | Eliminated in the Preliminary Stage |
| El Nacional | Eliminated in the Round of 16 | N/A |
| Emelec | Eliminated in the First Stage | N/A |
| Olmedo | Eliminated in the Round of 16 | N/A |

## National teams

### Senior team

The Ecuador national team played 15 matches in 2002: three FIFA World Cup matches, to CONCACAF Gold Cup matches, and ten friendlies.

**2002 FIFA World Cup**

Ecuador participated in their first FIFA World Cup. They were drawn in Group G with Italy, Mexico, and Croatia. They were eliminated from the competition in the Group Stage, but not before registering their first World Cup victory over 1998 third-place finisher, Croatia.

| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Mexico | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 2 | +2 | 7 |
| Italy | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 3 | +1 | 4 |
| Croatia | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 3 | −1 | 3 |
| Ecuador | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | −2 | 3 |

**CONCACAF Gold Cup**

Ecuador was invited to play in the 2002 CONCACAF Gold Cup, held in the United States. They were drawn into Group D with Haiti and Canada. Despite a tie among all the team in the group, they were eliminated from the competition in the Group Stage by a draw of lots.

| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Canada | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 3 |
| Haiti | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 3 |
| Ecuador | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 3 |
