Brasileirão Feminino A1 returns Thursday with bigger prize funds | OneFootball

Brasileirão Feminino A1 TrophyCredits: Staff Images Woman / CBF

Expanded and with higher participation and prize quotas, the Brasileirão Feminino A1 2026 kicks off on Thursday night (12th) and is expected to be one of the greatest editions in history. At 9:00 p.m. (Brasília time), Mixto-MT and Flamengo face off at Eurico Gaspar Dutra, in Cuiabá.

Check out the schedule for the first round:

Friday (13th)

Palmeiras vs. América-MG - 9:00 p.m., Arena Barueri, in Barueri

Atlético-MG vs. Corinthians - 9:00 p.m., Arena MRV, in Belo Horizonte

Saturday (14th)

Fluminense vs. Vitória - 3:00 p.m., Moça Bonita, in Rio de Janeiro

Botafogo vs. Juventude - 4:00 p.m., Nilton Santos, in Rio de Janeiro

Bahia vs. Cruzeiro - 6:00 p.m., Pituaçu, in Salvador

Sunday (15th)

Red Bull Bragantino vs. Ferroviária-SP - 5:00 p.m., CPD Atibaia, in Atibaia

Monday (16th)

Santos vs. Grêmio - 7:00 p.m., Vila Belmiro, in Santos

Internacional vs. São Paulo - 8:00 p.m., SESC Protásio Alves, in Porto Alegre

Corinthians are the current champions of Brasileirão Feminino A1Credits: Rafael Ribeiro / CBF

More games, more opportunities

This season, the main competition of the national women's calendar increased the number of participants from 16 to 18 teams, as well as the number of matches: from 134 to 167.

With this new structure, the championship jumped from 21 to 23 match dates, preserving FIFA Date periods and international competitions for national teams and clubs, and aligning with the Senior Brazilian Women's National Team to avoid rounds on the eve or at the end of FIFA Dates.

The following clubs will compete in this edition: América-MG, Atlético-MG, Bahia, Botafogo, Corinthians, Cruzeiro, Ferroviária-SP, Flamengo, Fluminense, Grêmio, Internacional, Juventude, Mixto-MT, Palmeiras, Red Bull Bragantino, Santos, São Paulo, and Vitória. Just for participating in the first phase, each club will receive a fixed quota of R$ 720,000, a value that is more than double the R$ 300,000 paid in 2025.

Brasileirão Feminino A1 TrophyCredits: Rafael Ribeiro / CBF

Competition format

In the first phase, the 18 teams play each other once, aiming to finish among the top eight to advance to the quarterfinals. In the knockout stage, the matches will be played over two legs. At the end of the first phase, the bottom two teams will compete in the Brasileirão Feminino A2 in 2027.

The champion and runner-up will secure a spot in the 2027 CONMEBOL Libertadores Feminina. The winner will also qualify for next year's Supercopa Feminina.

All participating clubs are guaranteed a spot in the Copa do Brasil Feminina.

Prizes

The champion will receive R$ 2 million, a prize that the CBF increased by R$ 500,000 compared to the 2025 edition. The runner-up will receive R$ 1 million. Last year, it was R$ 750,000.

Top-choice matches with national broadcast will receive an additional R$ 20,000 per game, covering 27 matches from the first to the fourth phase.

__twitter:https://x.com/BRFeminino/status/2019117956353900725__

What's new

CBF will allow breastfeeding athletes to travel with their children, with costs covered by the organization. Starting in 2027, all participating athletes will be required to have a signed professional contract.

Aiming for better technical performance from the teams, CBF will provide a performance analysis tool for the 18 participating clubs.

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