Copa do Nordeste: semi-finals get under way this Wednesday | OneFootball

The semifinals of the Copa do Nordeste begin this Wednesday (20) with two matches, both at 9 p.m.: Vitória vs. ABC, at Barradão, and Fortaleza vs. Sport, at Castelão. The return matches, which will determine the finalists, will be played on Wednesday the 27th, at Arena das Dunas and Ilha do Retiro.

Fortaleza and Sport have won six Copa do Nordeste titles combined, with three each. Vitória has four, while ABC has none — its best finish came in 2010, when it was runner-up. Bahia holds the record for most titles: five.

In the group stage, Sport had the best campaign, with 12 points and first place in Group C. In the quarterfinals, it beat ASA 1–0. Vitória topped Group A with 10 points and, in the knockout stage, eliminated Ceará: 1–0.

ABC, meanwhile, finished the group stage in first place in Group D with 10 points, the same total as Fortaleza, which was second in the group. In the quarterfinals, ABC thrashed Juazeirense 4–0.

The current Copa do Nordeste champion is Bahia, which, in the 2025 final, defeated Confiança twice. Tricolor was left out of the 2026 edition due to a change in CBF regulations that prevents clubs qualified for Conmebol competitions (the Libertadores and the Copa Sudamericana) from playing in regional tournaments. Since Bahia secured a spot in the Libertadores preliminary round, it was automatically barred from the competition.

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