From Libertadores glory to shirt‑sponsor sales: El Nacional’s fall
Once a semifinalist in the Copa Libertadores, El Nacional of Quito now scrambles to stay afloat by selling tiny sponsorship patches on a commemorative shirt, a stark reversal from continental heroics to survival‑mode fundraising as debts swell beyond $13 million and the club struggles to register full squads.
From continental hero to domestic crisis
The club’s decline began with an administrative relegation in 2025 and a disastrous campaign in the Segunda División, where financial and administrative turbulence spilled onto the pitch.
Loss of player‑registration windows left El Nacional unable to field complete squads, forcing reliance on youth teams and incomplete line‑ups.
President Marco Pazos disclosed that the club’s debt rose from an initially reported $6 million to more than $13 million, with over 160 lawsuits filed and wages left unpaid for players, coaches and staff.
Coaching instability added to the turmoil: Omar Asad quit in 2025 after months without pay, and Juan Grabowski resigned in 2026 just days before the Serie B season began, citing unsigned contracts and broken promises.
In June 2026 the Ministry of Sport rejected the board led by Liliana Yunda, placing the club under intervention and triggering a new electoral process.
Price of commemorative shirt sponsorship
On 9 August the club announced an auction of small advertising spaces on a commemorative shirt, offering $250 for sleeve or back positions and $500 for the central chest area, with the offer closing on 17 August.
The initiative mirrors a recent move by Deportivo Municipal of Per, which sold around 1 000 tiny spaces at 200 soles each (about $60) and cleared its inventory in three months; El Nacional hopes to replicate that success.
On the field, El Nacional has recorded only two wins, five draws and 13 defeats in the Segunda División, sitting at the bottom of the table and facing a serious risk of another relegation.
The contrast between a former Libertadores contender and a club now selling Patrocinadores on shirts underscores a structural rupture; the fight is no longer just about returning to the top flight but about regaining control of the club’s future.