Brazilian football calendar 2026

Brasileirão Série A

The main change in the Brasileirão is the duration of the tournament, which will now cover practically the entire season. The competition will start on January 28th and end on December 2nd. Previously, the championship started in April, after the State Championships. Despite the new period, the competition format remains the same, now coexisting with other national competitions.

The championship will stop on June 1st, at the end of the 18th round, and will only resume on July 22nd, due to the World Cup.

Brazilian Cup

The Copa do Brasil will also undergo important adjustments. The tournament will now have five initial phases, instead of three. Until the fourth phase, the clashes will be in a single game, without return matches.

From the fifth phase onwards, the duels will once again be round-trip, with the exception of the final, which will be played in a single game. The decision is scheduled for December 6, 2026 and will officially end the season. The tournament starts on February 18th.

The number of matches will increase from 122 to 155, as will the total number of participating clubs, which will rise from 92 to 126 in 2026, reaching 128 from 2027 onwards. Serie A clubs will only enter the fifth phase, reducing one to three games in the elite teams’ calendar.

Brazilian Super Cup

The Brazilian Super Cup will continue in the 2025 format, with a single match between the champions of the Brazilian Championship and the Brazilian Cup. The 2026 game is expected to take place on January 24th.

Brasileirão Série B

Series B will have an expanded calendar. The competition will begin one week after the end of the State Championships, starting on March 21st and ending on November 28th, 2026. The competition model will not change.

Brasileirão Series C

Series C will undergo gradual changes until 2028, when it will reach the definitive format planned by the CBF:

• 2026: current model, with 20 clubs and relegation of two teams to Series D. Competition between April 5th and October 25th.

• 2027: maintaining the format, but expanding to 24 clubs, maintaining two relegations.

• 2028: new format, with 28 teams divided into two groups of 14, round-trip games and six clubs falling into Series D.

Brasileirão Série D

The 2026 Series D will take place between April 5th and September 13th and will feature a significant expansion: from 64 to 96 clubs and from 510 to 610 matches. Each team will play at least ten games, up to 22.

In the first phase, there will be 16 groups with six teams each, in round-trip games, four qualifying per group. The following phases – second phase, third phase, round of 16, quarter-finals, semi-finals and final – will have round-trip clashes.

State Championships

The main State Championships will have their dates reduced: from the 16th to the 11th. The competitions will continue to be concentrated between January and March, starting on January 11th and ending on March 8th, 2026.

Northeast Cup

The Copa do Nordeste will increase from 16 to 20 clubs, totaling 60 matches between March 25th and June 7th. Each team will play between five and ten games. Clubs participating in the Libertadores or Copa Sudamericana will not be able to compete in the regional tournament.

The first phase will have four groups of five teams, in single games. The top two from each group advance to the quarterfinals, also in a single game. From the semifinals onwards, the clashes will be round-trip.

Green Cup

Maintaining 24 participants, the Copa Verde will have a significant increase in the number of games: from 30 to 70, between March 25th and June 7th. Each club will play five to ten matches, and teams involved in Conmebol competitions will also be left out.

The new format foresees four groups of six clubs. Two will form the North Cup and two the Central-West Cup. The decisive phases include single-game semi-finals and regional finals, with the champions facing each other in the Green Cup final, played in a round-trip format.

South-Southeast Cup

Among the new features on the calendar is the creation of the South-Southeast Cup. The competition will feature 12 clubs, also excluding teams competing in South American tournaments.

The tournament will be held between March 25th and June 7th, with 42 matches in total. There will be two groups of six teams, with everyone facing each other. The four best advance to the semi-finals, which, like the final, will be played in round-trip games.

Brazilian football calendar 2026: transfer window

The first window, at the beginning of the season, will be open from January 5th to March 3rd. The second will take place between July 20th and September 11th.

MORE: 2026 World Cup: groups, table, games and schedule