The 2025 edition of the Brazilian Championship ended on Sunday afternoon (7). With the title secured by Flamengo one round in advance, the final day was about defining places in international competitions and relegation to the second division.
It was a tough day for fans of rivals Fortaleza and Ceará, who will play in the national Series B in 2026. These teams joined Juventude and Sport, who played their last matches of the season with no mathematical chance of remaining in the elite.
Internacional had the combination it needed for a salvation considered unlikely. They defeated Bragantino and surpassed Fortaleza and Ceará, who lost, respectively, to Botafogo and Palmeiras.
It was a seesaw afternoon, with multiple alternatives. Vitória and Internacional, who started their games in the relegation zone, did not depend solely on themselves and spent a good part of the afternoon in the last four.
Inter, even when they beat Bragantino 1-0, were still in that range, as they were one goal behind against Fortaleza on balance. But he ended up making it 3-1, at Beira-Rio, in Porto Alegre. And Fortaleza, who came ahead of Botafogo at Engenhão, in Rio Janeiro, ended up losing 4-2.
Ceará also took the lead in their match, against Palmeiras, at Castelão, in Fortaleza. However, they won 3-1 and will join their arch-enemy in the second division of Brazilian football next year.
Vitória escaped by scoring 1-0 at São Paulo, at Barradão, in Salvador.
At the top, Fluminense took fifth place with a 2-0 victory over Bahia, at Maracanã, in Rio de Janeiro. In this way, they achieved a direct place in the group stage of the next Copa Libertadores, something that the top four teams, Flamengo, Palmeiras, Cruzeiro and Mirassol, had already achieved.
