Nickname(s):Atleti de Guayaquil(Atleti of Guayaquil),Rojiblancos(The Red and Whites)
Founded:2026
Stadium:Estadio Christian Benítez Betancourt
Capacity:10,150
2016-2025
2026-Present
Atlético FC Crest History
The crest history of Atlético Fútbol Club reflects the transformation of the organisation that previously competed as Atlético JBG into a completely new football identity for the 2026 season. The redesign retained the word Atlético but replaced virtually every other visual element of the previous badge.
The 2016–2025 crest belonged to the club's Atlético JBG era and used a conventional shield with a pointed lower section.
Dark navy blue, white and red formed the principal colour palette, establishing a combination that would remain relevant when the club adopted its new identity.
Across the upper section, the word ATLÉTICO appeared prominently in white capital letters against a dark-blue background.
The centre of the badge was dominated by the enormous red initials JBG.
These initials referred to the Junta de Beneficencia de Guayaquil, the organisation closely connected with the football project.
The unusually large lettering made JBG the dominant visual feature of the crest and clearly distinguished the club from other teams carrying the Atlético name.
Along the bottom of the white field appeared several small football-related graphic elements.
A small red star or sun-like symbol was positioned at the point of the shield, providing an additional detail within the otherwise strongly typographic design.
Overall, the Atlético JBG crest was built around the organisation behind the club rather than around a broader football brand.
That changed dramatically ahead of the 2026 season.
The club adopted the identity Atlético Fútbol Club, accompanied by a completely redesigned badge.
The traditional pointed shield disappeared and was replaced by a circular emblem.
Although the colours red, white and dark blue were retained, their arrangement was completely transformed.
Two thin dark-blue circular outlines surround the modern badge, creating a clean and contemporary appearance.
The outer white ring carries the word ATLÉTICO across the upper section and FÚTBOL CLUB around the bottom.
A blue star appears on either side, separating the two sections of lettering.
The centre contains a circular field divided between a large dark-blue diagonal section and vertical red-and-white stripes.
The red-and-white stripes provide the most immediate visual connection with the wider Atlético football identity and give the new badge a much more recognisable sporting appearance.
The enormous JBG initials, which had dominated the previous crest, were removed entirely.
Their disappearance is particularly significant because it shifts the visual emphasis away from the institutional identity of the Junta de Beneficencia and toward Atlético FC as a football brand in its own right.
At the same time, the continued use of red, white and blue provides a degree of continuity between the two eras.
The 2026 redesign accompanied a much broader transformation of the project.
Atlético FC emerged through a collaboration involving the Junta de Beneficencia de Guayaquil and Spain's Atlético de Madrid, with the project designed to combine professional football with youth development and social initiatives in Ecuador.
The visual influence of Atlético de Madrid is particularly apparent in the red-and-white vertical stripes combined with dark blue.
Nevertheless, the Ecuadorian club uses its own distinctive circular badge rather than simply reproducing the Spanish club's crest.
The words FÚTBOL CLUB also give the emblem a straightforward identity that can function independently of the JBG name used previously.
Atlético FC Club History
Atlético Fútbol Club is a new professional football identity based in Guayaquil, Ecuador, officially introduced for the 2026 season. Although Atlético FC is a new name within Ecuadorian professional football, its institutional roots extend through the football projects that preceded it, particularly Atlético JBG and later Atlético Vinotinto.
The origins of the project are closely connected with the Junta de Beneficencia de Guayaquil (JBG), one of Ecuador's historic charitable and social organisations.
Football was developed as part of a broader sporting and social initiative intended to provide opportunities for young players in Guayaquil and surrounding communities.
The team that became associated with this project competed under the name Atlético JBG.
The initials JBG, representing Junta de Beneficencia de Guayaquil, became the dominant feature of the club's original crest.
Atlético JBG progressed through Ecuador's lower football divisions while developing young players and attempting to establish itself within the country's professional structure.
This period formed the foundation upon which the later Atlético FC project would eventually be built.
The organisation subsequently became connected with Atlético Vinotinto, another project competing within Ecuadorian football.
Atlético Vinotinto established itself in the national professional structure and competed in Serie B, Ecuador's second-highest division.
This provided the institutional and competitive platform from which the next major transformation could take place.
A fundamental change was announced ahead of the 2026 season.
The Junta de Beneficencia de Guayaquil entered into a strategic football project involving Spanish giant Atlético de Madrid.
The initiative was conceived as much more than a conventional club rebranding.
Atlético de Madrid's involvement brought sporting methodology, technical knowledge and an internationally recognised football-development philosophy to the Ecuadorian project.
The objective was to establish a professional club capable of competing nationally while simultaneously creating a structured pathway for young Ecuadorian footballers.
As part of this transformation, the team adopted the new name Atlético Fútbol Club.
The previous Atlético JBG identity disappeared from the principal branding.
A completely new circular crest was introduced, replacing the traditional JBG shield.
The new emblem uses red, white and dark blue, with vertical red-and-white stripes that create an obvious visual relationship with Atlético de Madrid.
Despite this connection, Atlético FC was established as an Ecuadorian football club with its own identity, rather than simply functioning as a direct copy of the Spanish institution.
The project is centred in Guayaquil, Ecuador's largest city and one of the country's most important football centres.
This places Atlético FC in an exceptionally competitive football environment.
Guayaquil is already home to Barcelona Sporting Club and Club Sport Emelec, whose Clásico del Astillero represents the city's dominant football rivalry.
Historic clubs such as 9 de Octubre have also contributed significantly to Guayaquil's football culture.
Atlético FC therefore enters a city where football identities have been established over generations.
Unlike Barcelona and Emelec, however, Atlético FC begins its modern history without a century of championships, famous rivalries or a large inherited supporter base.
Its principal opportunity lies instead in player development.
The cooperation with Atlético de Madrid provides the project with a potentially distinctive position within Ecuadorian football, particularly if it can establish an effective academy and progression system for young players.
The involvement of the Junta de Beneficencia also gives the project a significant social dimension.
Rather than being conceived purely as a professional first team, the wider initiative is intended to use football as a vehicle for education, development and opportunities for young Ecuadorians.
This combination of professional competition and social development distinguishes Atlético FC from many traditional football projects.
The year 2026 therefore represents the defining point in the club's modern history.
It marks the introduction of the Atlético Fútbol Club name, the new circular crest and the formal development of the project associated with Atlético de Madrid.
From a historical perspective, it is useful to distinguish between the club's institutional lineage and its current identity.
The institutional story extends through the earlier Atlético JBG and Atlético Vinotinto projects.
The specific Atlético FC identity, however, begins in 2026.
This distinction also explains the dramatic transformation visible in the club's crest history.
The earlier badge prominently displayed the initials JBG, directly connecting the football team with the Junta de Beneficencia.
The new crest removes those initials entirely and instead places ATLÉTICO FÚTBOL CLUB around a red, white and blue circular emblem.
The change signals an ambition to establish a football identity capable of standing independently while retaining the institutional support behind the project.
Atlético FC's history is consequently very different from those of Ecuador's traditional giants.
Barcelona SC, Emelec, LDU Quito and El Nacional can tell their stories through generations of championships and famous continental campaigns.
Atlético FC's story is currently about building those traditions rather than inheriting them.
Its first seasons under the new identity will determine whether the project can develop a permanent supporter base, produce professional players and establish itself within Ecuador's national football structure.
The club also has the potential to strengthen the relationship between Ecuadorian and Spanish football.
Atlético de Madrid's expertise in coaching, academy structures and player development could provide young Ecuadorian footballers with opportunities extending beyond the domestic game.
For that reason, Atlético FC represents one of the more unusual new projects in contemporary Ecuadorian football.
