Liga de Quito and Independiente del Valle Draw Palmeiras and Flamengo in Copa Libertadores Quarterfinals

Ecuador is back to having double representation in the Copa Libertadores quarterfinals. Liga de Quito and Independiente del Valle now know their opponents and the exact dates for a round that promises plenty of noise across the continent: Palmeiras and Flamengo, two Brazilian heavyweights, stand in the way of the Ecuadorian sides.

Liga de Quito vs Palmeiras: a rematch pending

There's some recent history behind this matchup. Palmeiras was in fact the team that eliminated Liga de Quito in the semifinals of the 2025 edition, so the Ecuadorian side now has a chance to even the score a year later.

The first leg will be played on September 9 in Brazil, at 5:00 p.m. Ecuador time. The second leg is set for September 16 at Estadio Rodrigo Paz Delgado in Quito, at the same time. Liga will close out the series at home after finishing first in its group, while Palmeiras arrives as runner-up in its group, behind Cerro Porteño.

Playing the second leg in Quito, with the altitude factor added in, is an advantage the Rey de Copas knows how to use at this stage of the competition. It's no guarantee of anything, but it's no small detail either for a team that needs to make the most of home turf against an opponent of Palmeiras' caliber.

Independiente del Valle vs Flamengo: another top-level test

On the other side is Independiente del Valle, which reaches this stage after eliminating Tolima in the round of 16 and now runs into another Brazilian giant: Flamengo, the reigning protagonist of the continent.

The first leg will be played on September 10 at Estadio Banco Guayaquil, at 7:30 p.m. Ecuador time. The return match will be on September 17 at the Maracana, also at 7:30 p.m. Here the situation is reversed compared to Liga's case: even though both Independiente and Flamengo finished atop their respective groups, it was the Brazilian side that posted the better record, meaning it will be the team from Sangolqui that has to close out the series on the road.

Playing the second leg at the Maracana, under the pressure of the Flamengo faithful, is without a doubt the toughest stage a team can face in this Copa Libertadores. Independiente del Valle has already shown in previous editions that it knows how to compete on equal footing with the continent's biggest clubs, and this series will be another test of that.

With these matchups confirmed, Ecuador keeps alive its hopes of reaching the semifinals. Both series will be decided within just a week between the first and second legs, so September is shaping up to be a decisive month for Ecuadorian soccer in South America's most important club competition.