Guayaquil, American Capital of Sport 2026
The Brussels gala presented the titles of a cohort spanning nine awards across six countries of the continent.
On 11 December 2025, at the annual gala held at the European Parliament in Brussels, ACES presented the titles of the 2026 cohort, headed by Guayaquil (Ecuador) as American Capital of Sport — a designation announced months earlier that made it the first Ecuadorian city to receive the recognition.
Alongside the Ecuadorian capital, Escazú and Garabito (Costa Rica), Vicente López (Argentina), Caruaru and Rio Claro (Brazil) and Facatativá (Colombia) were recognised as American City of Sport 2026. In the regional category, the titles of American Region of Sport 2026 went to Ayacucho (Peru) — whose assessment was accompanied for the first time by UNESCO — and to the province of Limón (Costa Rica).
The 2026 cohort reflects the network's expansion across six countries and consolidates the ACES model on the continent: cities and regions that make sport a public policy, assessed under the same criteria that have governed the European awards since 1999.
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