CBF holds 2026 Série C technical council | OneFootball

CBF held the 2026 Série C technical councilCredits: Rafael Ribeiro/CBF

The Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) held the Technical Council for the 2026 Brasileirão Série C on the afternoon of Wednesday (4), at its headquarters in Rio de Janeiro. The event, which was attended by presidents and representatives from the 20 clubs, presented participants with the details of the competition.

This will be the last edition with 20 teams, before the adoption of the format with 24 teams in 2027 and 28 in 2028.

“The Série C Technical Council reaffirms CBF’s commitment to the structural strengthening of the competition. The recent measures widely publicized, such as the improvement of the calendar, increased predictability for clubs, evolution in operational protocols, and strengthening of the commercial model, are the result of a process of ongoing dialogue. Our goal is to offer a Série C that is increasingly organized, sustainable, and competitive, valuing clubs, athletes, fans, and partners,” highlighted CBF’s Director of Competitions, Julio Avellar.

“We are consolidating a project to strengthen Série C and will work to ensure that this edition meets the needs of clubs, sponsors, and, above all, fans. This year, we will also have increased visibility with the partnerships of Band, SportyNet, and Canal do Benja so that fans across the country can follow and cheer for their clubs,” explained Helder Melillo, CBF’s Executive Director.

Rubens Angelotti, Ricardo Paul, Flávio Zveiter, Hélder Melillo, and Julio Avellar during the 2026 Série C technical councilCredits: Rafael Ribeiro/CBF

The president of Maringá, João Vitor Mazzer, highlighted the growing closeness between clubs and the CBF and reinforced that the clubs’ goal is to bring requests aligned with each other, for the development and appreciation of Série C.

“We are seeing more and more closeness between clubs and the CBF. It’s a much more organized competition than last year’s in terms of advance notice and clarity of requests. There is cohesion among the presidents, we are always trying to align requests and expectations and bring aligned requests to the CBF so that together we can improve the division. Our joint goal is always to improve Série C, so that it is a better regarded, better sold, better worked, and recognized competition for the division it is,” he said.

Maringá president, João Vitor Mazzer, during the 2026 Série C technical councilCredits: Rafael Ribeiro/CBF

Competition Format

With broadcasts by Band, SportyNet, and Canal do Benja, Série C will feature clubs from all five regions of Brazil and will be held from April 5 to October 25, over 27 matchdays, all on weekends, with 216 games.

In the first phase, there will be 19 rounds to determine the eight teams that qualify for the second phase. This stage will be divided into two groups, with four teams in each. The top two from each group will secure promotion to Série B in 2027, while the group leaders will compete for the title in the final.

The champion qualifies directly for the third phase of the 2027 Copa do Brasil. At the end of the first phase, the bottom two teams will be relegated to Série D in 2027.

CBF held the 2026 Série C technical councilCredits: Rafael Ribeiro/CBF

Player Registration and Participation

Until September 4, clubs may register a maximum of 50 athletes, of which up to eight may be replaced until September 25.

The registration of professional athletes can be carried out under the domestic exception—which refers exclusively to national transfers of athletes who played in the State Championships and applies only to players who can prove participation in the State Championship—effective from this Wednesday (4) and valid until March 27.

Registrations can also be made in the second window, from July 20 to September 11. The first window took place between January 5 and March 3.

CBF’s Director of Competitions, Julio Avellar, during the Série C Technical CouncilCredits: Rafael Ribeiro / CBF

An athlete may only be registered by another club in the 2026 Série C, after the start of the championship, if he has played a maximum of 12 matches for his original club. Participation is considered as the act of the athlete entering the field to play, either from the start or during the match.

An athlete who has played for one club in the championship may only play for one more club. Once the championship has started, each club may register up to five athletes who have previously played for other clubs in the 2026 Série C, with a maximum of three athletes coming from the same club.

Logistics

CBF will continue to cover logistics expenses (transportation, accommodation, and meals for 32 members, including athletes and members of the technical staff of visiting clubs), refereeing, and anti-doping tests.

VAR will be used from the second phase of Série C onwards.

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