San Antonio FC

The strangest promotion in Ecuadorian football that year came without a trophy. In the 2023 Ascenso Nacional final, San Antonio FC lost 1-2 to Leones del Norte. Yet the rules sent both finalists up to Serie B, so a runner-up in a two-legged tie ended the season with what it had come for.

The club had already moved twice by then. It was founded on 25 May 2012 in San Antonio de Pichincha, a district of Quito, then relocated to Cotacachi before settling in Ibarra, the provincial capital of Imbabura. The name stayed San Antonio Fútbol Club through all three addresses. It plays as the farm side of Universidad Católica.

Home games are at the Estadio Olímpico Ciudad de Ibarra. Before the 2023 breakthrough, San Antonio had not troubled the upper places even in regional competition — a 2018 campaign in the Segunda Categoría de Imbabura passed without silverware.

The bench has turned over quickly since promotion. The Spanish coach Kevin Vidaña held the job for less than six months, from January to June 2026.

Leones del Norte remain the reference point.