New Brazilian football calendar: impact on Fluminense | OneFootball

The CBF has announced profound changes to the Brazilian football calendar starting from 2026. The Brazilian Championship will be contested from January to December, starting on January 28 and ending on December 2. The changes to the CBF calendar aim to create a fairer format and further highlight the competition. The organization believes that this change enhances the commercial interest of the event. The goal is to ensure that Brazil's elite clubs play a reduced number of games.

Thus, the state championships will have a more reduced calendar. The Carioca, for example, will lose space and will not occupy almost the entire first quarter, resulting in a reduced number of dates. The matches will take place from January 11 to March 8.

On the other hand, new regional tournaments are emerging, such as the South-Southeast Cup, the Central-East Cup, and the North Cup, which promise to shake up the clubs and generate new sources of revenue, being contested between March 25 and June 7.

What will change in the Brazil Cup?

The competition will go from 80 to 102 clubs, expanding its reach. The 20 clubs from Serie A will only enter from the 5th round, which gives more space for smaller teams in the initial stages. The first four rounds will be decided in a single match, that is, more short shots, not home and away. From the 5th round, already with the Serie A clubs, the disputes will return to the home and away format until the semifinals. The final will be in a single match and in a neutral location. The Brazil Cup will start on February 18 and end on December 6 from 2026.

For Fluminense, the changes bring direct impacts:

The changes in Fluminense's scenario bring significant consequences. The team will need to be ready already in January, as the Brazilian Championship will start on a date close to the state championships. The reduction of the Carioca could result in less physical wear in less attractive matches, but it could also limit opportunities for experimentation. The new regional competitions emerge as an additional chance to win titles and provide more playing time for the squad, especially for the young talents from Xerém. The extensive duration of the Brazilian Championship demands a well-balanced squad and constant rotation, which can be advantageous for the Tricolor, as long as Zubeldía manages to integrate the base players and offer playing minutes to the players. The stop for the World Cup will be important for the physical and technical planning of the team, in addition to the stop coinciding with the mid-year European transfer window, which could mean arrivals or departures.

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