Esmeraldas's home for football is the Estadio Folke Anderson, named after a Swedish-Ecuadorian businessman who funded its construction in the 1940s. The stadium is small by South American capital standards — a few thousand seats — but a match here is one of the better-value introductions to coastal Ecuadorian sporting culture: lively, noisy, and welcoming to foreign visitors.
The local first-division side, Esmeraldas FC, plays here when they are in the top flight. Out of season the venue hosts athletics and occasional concerts.