CBF unveils new 2026 women’s football calendar, check out the changes | OneFootball

This Monday, the CBF announced the new calendar for women's football, effective from the 2026 season. Among the changes is the increase in the number of clubs and dates for the A1, A2, and A3 series, and the Women's Copa do Brasil, competitions that will be aligned with Conmebol and FIFA, and will have increased quotas and prizes.

Support for mother and breastfeeding athletes was also announced, allowing them to bring their children on trips, with costs covered by the organization, along with investments in youth women's football through the CBF Transforma program.

Announced within the first six months of President Samir Xaud's tenure at CBF, the overhaul of the women's football calendar is considered a strategic topic for the promotion and consolidation of the sport on the eve of the World Cup, hosted by Brazil in 2027.

“Just as we did in men's football, we spent the last few months analyzing and studying opportunities to improve the calendar and promotion of women's football. We listened to experts, federations, clubs, and players. And we reached a model that meets important demands, placing Brazilian women's football where it deserves to be. We will change the entire structure of our competitions, increasing the number of clubs and games in the A1, A2, A3 series, and the Copa do Brasil, a competition that was abandoned and has been revived this year,” said Samir Xaud.

The new schedule restructures the main women's competitions in the country, promoting changes in the volume of matches for elite teams and offering growth prospects for teams below.

“We started designing the calendar in July, and by October it was well underway. From October until now, the end of November, some changes emerged, and we tried internally to improve various issues. I want to thank Julio Avellar (CBF's competition director), who took on this 'fight' with me. We went until the last minute trying to improve, and the feeling is that we achieved our goal, which is beyond CBF, beyond the competition department: it is that the clubs that will compete see themselves represented, see that they were looked at with care, affection, that we have this concern, that we want them to play more,” said Aline Pellegrino, CBF's women's competitions manager.

Overall, the changes represent an investment of R$ 685 million in women's competitions, with a 41% increase in dates in this calendar, 84% in the number of matches, and 69% in slots in the national calendar.

See the news by competition

Supercup

Among the nine competitions organized by CBF in women's football, the one that opens the new calendar is the Supercup, on February 8, played between the champion team of Series A1 and the Women's Copa do Brasil. The prize is R$ 1 million for the champions and R$ 600 thousand for the runners-up. The home field will be defined by consensus between CBF and the participating clubs.

Series A1

Series A1, the main competition in the women's calendar, will start on February 15 and end on a base date of October 4, with the number of clubs expanded from 16 to 18 participants. The competition will have base dates on Wednesdays and Sundays and will have 23 dates, two more than in 2025, representing an increase from 134 to 167 games. All participating clubs in the competition have a guaranteed spot in the Women's Copa do Brasil.

Each participating club will have a fixed quota of R$ 720 thousand in the first phase, with an increase of R$ 20 thousand for each first-choice match by the holder with national broadcast. The prize for the champion team will be R$ 2 million, and R$ 1 million for the runner-up. Two teams will be relegated to Series A2. From 2027, CBF will require all participating athletes to have signed professional contracts.

Participation criteria:

14 clubs remaining in A1 (1st to 14th of 2025);

4 clubs promoted from A2 in 2025.

Series A2

Series A2, the second division of women's football, will start on March 14 and end on September 19, with an increase from 13 to 21 dates (representing an increase from 70 to 134 games) and maintaining the number of 16 participating clubs. The base dates for the rounds are Wednesdays and Saturdays.

The competition format undergoes a change, with a single round and a single group in the 1st phase. The quotas for participating clubs are adjusted by 2.4 times, increasing to R$ 360 thousand for each in the first phase. Four clubs qualify for A1, and two are relegated to A3. The participating teams have a guaranteed spot in the Women's Copa do Brasil.

Criteria:

2 clubs relegated from A1 (15th and 16th of 2025);

10 remaining clubs from A2 (5th to 14th of 2025);

4 clubs promoted from A3 (1st to 4th of 2025).

Series A3

Series A3, the third division, will start on March 21 and is expected to end on September 5. The increase will be from 11 to 14 dates: from 78 to 126 games. In total, there will be 32 clubs with all federative units represented. The format will be a round-robin in the 1st phase. The base date for the matches will be Saturday.

The quota for each participating club will be adjusted by 3.3 times, increasing to R$ 120 thousand in the first phase. The participating clubs have a spot in the Women's Copa do Brasil. The four best teams move up to A2.

Criteria:

2 clubs relegated from A2 (15th and 16th of 2025);

27 adult state champions of 2025 (with replacement by the runner-up or next, if necessary);

3 remaining clubs from A3 (5th to 7th of 2025).

Women's Copa do Brasil

The Women's Copa do Brasil will increase from 65 to 66 participants, bringing together clubs from the three national divisions. It will start on April 22 and is expected to end on November 15. The number of games will increase from 64 to 72, with a change from 8 to 11 dates.

The debut of the teams remains similar, with A3 clubs participating from the 1st phase, A2 clubs entering from the 2nd phase, and A1 clubs only in the 3rd phase. From the quarter-finals onwards, however, until the decision of the tournament, the games will be home and away. The base dates are Thursdays and Sundays. The confrontations and home fields of each phase will be defined by draw. The participation quotas for all phases will be doubled compared to the 2025 format.

Entry criteria:

18 clubs from A1 in 2026;

16 clubs from A2 in 2026;

32 clubs from A3 in 2026.

Youth categories (under-20, under-17, under-16, and under-14)

The development calendar also underwent structural adjustments. The Women's Under-20 Brazilian Championship will take place between March 8 and May 28, with finals in home and away games and an increase from 11 to 12 dates (85 to 86 matches). The participation quotas for all phases were adjusted by 10%, and the schedule was organized to preserve dates for the Brazilian Under-20 National Team and ensure a training window between the group stage and the knockout rounds.

The Women's Under-17 Brazilian Championship will follow a similar format, occurring between May 30 and August 29, also with finals in home and away games. There will be an increase from 11 to 12 dates and a 10% increase in participation quotas. As in the Under-20, the calendar avoids conflicts with the Under-17 National Team dates.

The Under-16 and Under-14 Leagues will continue to be held at a single venue, both taking place between March 23 and 29, with 20 matches in five dates each. The tournaments maintain the current format and continue to guarantee a spot in the Fiesta CONMEBOL Evolución for their champions. Additionally, CBF will increase investment in development through CBF Transforma, with increased support for state championships in the Under-15, Under-17, and inclusion of the Under-20, reinforcing the base as a strategic pillar of the sport.

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