2026 Carioca fixtures out: Flamengo face Bangu in opener | OneFootball

First Flamengo Classic in the 2026 Carioca Will Take Place in the 3rd Round

Flamengo has already begun the club's planning for the 2026 season. Thus, the Football Federation of the State of Rio de Janeiro (FERJ) has released the schedule for the next edition of the Carioca Championship, with the Rubro-Negro debuting against Bangu.

Photos: Disclosure/FERJ

What Will Flamengo's Matches Be in the 2026 Carioca Classification Phase?

Flamengo's debut in the Carioca 2026 will be against Bangu, at 9:30 PM (Brasília time). Right after, in the second round, the Rubro-Negro faces Volta Redonda, at the same time.

The first classic for Flamengo in the Cariocão will take place in the third round, against Vasco, also at 9:30 PM (Brasília time). Subsequently, the Rubro-Negro returns to the field to face Fluminense, in the fourth round of the tournament, at 6 PM (Brasília time).

Finally, Flamengo's last two matches in the classification phase of the Carioca will be against Portuguesa and Sampaio Corrêa, respectively. The last two matches will also take place at 9 PM (Brasília time).

Could Flamengo Have a Postponed Match in the 2026 Carioca?

It is worth noting that the classic between Flamengo and Fluminense, valid for the fourth round of the Carioca, is expected to be postponed. This is because the match is scheduled for January 25. However, the day before, the Rubro-Negro will face Corinthians in the Supercopa do Brasil.

How Will the Carioca Regulations Work?

The 2026 Carioca Championship consists of two groups of six teams each. In a single round, the teams from group A face those from group B. Thus, the team that scores the most points in this phase will be considered the champion of the Taça Guanabara.

Moreover, the top four from each group advance to the quarterfinals, which will take place in a single match. The losers of this phase will compete for the Taça Rio, while the winners will go to the semifinals, in a home-and-away format.

Finally, the grand final of the Carioca Championship will return to being played in a single match. Thus, the decision is likely to take place at Maracanã, probably on March 8.

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