CBF competitions director highlights expansion of youth calendar | OneFootball

Julio Avellar celebrated the success of the Brazilian U-20 ChampionshipCredits: Rafael Ribeiro / CBF

Vasco’s unprecedented title in the Brazilian U-20 Championship brought to a close an edition that, for the CBF, also represents a step forward in expanding the calendar for youth categories. The entity’s Director of Competitions, Julio Avellar, highlighted the number of matches organized throughout the season and said the work will continue in the coming years.

The CBF organized more than 700 youth competition matches in 2026, a number that represents a historic record. The growth is part of the entity’s strategy to expand the place of development categories in the national calendar.

“We started a youth calendar with more than 700 matches. It’s a historic record for the CBF. It is the result of shared management, with president Samir [Xaud] giving a lot of support to all departments to innovate. So we’re on a very good path,” he said.

In the Brazilian U-20 Championship, there were 204 matches this season, six more than in 2025. The edition also had an important change in the knockout stage, with second-leg matches in the quarterfinals and semifinals. For Avellar, the new format contributed to an even more competitive decisive stretch.

“A competition with 204 matches this year, six more than the previous year, with second-leg quarterfinals and semifinals. Two teams where the title could have gone to either one, both with great campaigns,” he stressed.

The final between Vasco and Palmeiras ended up being an example of the balance mentioned by Avellar. After losing the first match 1-0 at São Januário, Vasco won 2-0 at Nubank Parque, turned the tie around, and won the Brazilian U-20 Championship for the first time.

The expansion of competitions, however, is only one of the fronts under discussion at the CBF. Created this year, the Youth Categories Working Group brings together clubs, federations, specialists, former players, and representatives of the entity itself to discuss structural changes in player development. Among the topics already on the agenda are the calendar, models for youth development clubs, the regulation of agents, and the development of women’s youth football.

It is precisely within this group that the CBF intends to discuss the next steps for development categories. Avellar says new proposals are being developed, without anticipating which changes may be implemented.

“Everyone works toward strong youth football. We are now working in the youth GT, with more innovations, more new developments that should be coming,” he said.

The executive also stressed that the intention is to maintain the process of expanding and improving competitions in the coming years.

“That’s it. Stay tuned, because next year there will be more,” Avellar concluded.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.