Rumor. La Tri could be going back to the Atahualpa. Ecuador’s federation is working to stage the November 13 friendly against Costa Rica at Quito’s Estadio Olímpico Atahualpa, the stadium where the senior team has not played an official game since 2017, Diario Extra reported on Wednesday. The FEF has not confirmed the venue.

What has been reported

The FEF announced on October 16 that Ecuador will host Costa Rica in Quito on Friday, November 13 and Bolivia in Guayaquil on Tuesday, November 17, but it did not name the stadiums or kickoff times. According to Extra, which says it learned of the plans unofficially, talks to play the Costa Rica game at the Atahualpa are well advanced. The paper adds that the idea goes beyond one friendly: if it works, the Atahualpa could become one of La Tri’s home venues again for the next World Cup qualifiers, with games alternating between Quito and Guayaquil.

Two things still stand in the way, Extra reports. Marcelo Gallardo has to check the pitch himself and give the final go-ahead, and there are legal and administrative details to settle with the Concentración Deportiva de Pichincha (CDP), which runs the stadium, including the advertising inside the ground.

El Hoy reported on Monday that the FEF and the CDP have already talked and that the goal is to have the stadium ready for November 13. According to El Hoy, the CDP has been under state intervention since June 2025, and since then the stadium has had a new main façade, renovated bathrooms and dressing rooms, restored boxes, suites and press areas, more than 200 replaced seats, electrical work and a new 11 x 4 meter LED screen. More repairs are still pending.

Not everyone agrees yet

The reports differ. Earlier this week El Crack, citing a federation official, said the friendlies would be played at Liga de Quito’s Estadio Rodrigo Paz Delgado and Barcelona SC’s Estadio Monumental, as we reported on Monday. The Rodrigo Paz Delgado has been La Tri’s Quito home for the last two qualifying campaigns, El Hoy noted. For the Bolivia game in Guayaquil, El Hoy says the Monumental, the country’s biggest stadium, is the expected venue.

Why the Atahualpa matters

The Atahualpa is where Ecuador qualified for its first World Cup in 2001. According to Extra, the senior team’s last official game there was on October 10, 2017, the 3-1 qualifying defeat to Argentina in which Lionel Messi scored a hat-trick. Ecuador have not played at home at all since September 9, 2025, when Enner Valencia’s penalty beat Argentina 1-0 in Guayaquil, El Universo noted.

The stadium will host football this week regardless: the FEF announced on X that the finals of the national youth championships will be played there on Friday, October 23.

What comes next

Under FIFA rules, Gallardo has until October 25 to notify clubs of the players he wants for the November window, El Hoy reported, although the squad does not have to be published that day. The FEF has said ticket and media accreditation details will follow on its official channels. This is a report, not an official announcement, and we will update as soon as La Tri confirms the venues. Kickoff times will go on our Schedule page when they are announced.