Ayacucho

Ayacucho is an Andean city in southern Peru, capital of the department of the same name, set at some 2,761 metres of altitude. Founded in 1540 as San Juan de la Frontera de Huamanga, it was renamed in 1825 by decree of Simón Bolívar to commemorate the battle of Ayacucho, fought on 9 December 1824 on the neighbouring plain of Quinua, which sealed the independence of Peru and of Hispanic America. Known as the 'city of churches' for its dense colonial heritage, it hosts one of the most celebrated Holy Weeks in the country and sustains a long craft tradition of altarpieces, Quinua ceramics and filigree. Its department had 616,176 inhabitants in the 2017 national census.

The city's major recent sporting event was the Juegos Bolivarianos del Bicentenario, which Ayacucho hosted from 27 November to 8 December 2024, in the year marking two centuries since the battle: a continental gathering with more than twenty sports that brought together the delegations of the Bolivarian countries alongside several guests. Its great infrastructure project, the Gran Complejo Deportivo 'Vencedores de Ayacucho' —planned for more than 20,000 spectators, with an athletics track and a swimming pool, on the site of the former Ciudad de Cumaná stadium— nonetheless remained under construction. Professional football is represented by Ayacucho FC, nicknamed 'los Zorros', which has played in Peru's Liga 1 and Liga 2 and for years played its home matches at the Ciudad de Cumaná, where the altitude became a sporting advantage.

In December 2025, ACES proclaimed Ayacucho American Region of Sport 2026 at its annual gala held in Brussels, the same cohort in which Guayaquil was named American Capital of Sport 2026. The bid, driven by the Regional Government, included an assessment visit accompanied for the first time by UNESCO. The title, of regional scope, recognises the commitment of one of Peru's historic regions to sport as an engine of development and brings it into the continental network of ACES América.