CBF brings Brasileirão forward, cuts state leagues and revamps the Copa 🇧🇷 | OneFootball

On this Wednesday (1), at the headquarters in Rio de Janeiro, the CBF announced significant changes to the Brazilian football calendar.

The main one is that the Serie A of the Brasileirão will start on January 28, which will be played throughout the year, until December 2.

The format is the same: 20 teams facing each other in a round-robin format, with four being relegated, six qualifying for the Libertadores (four directly to the group stage and two to the second stage) and another six for the Copa Sudamericana.

The State Championships will start on January 11 and end on March 8, with only 11 dates (previously there were 16 dates).

The Serie B will start two weeks after the end of the State Championships, starting on March 21 and ending on November 28.

The Copa do Brasil will start on February 18, with all 20 Serie A clubs entering the new fifth stage, and the final - in a single match on neutral ground - contested on December 6.

In total there will be 126 teams in the tournament, with the first five stages in a single match. The new fifth stage is the last before the round of 16.

There are 102 spots distributed in the state championships and another four for the champions of the Serie C, D, Copa Verde and Copa do Nordeste (these four enter in the third stage). The round of 16, quarterfinals and semifinals will be in home and away matches. The final will be a single match that ends the Brazilian football calendar on December 6.

All State Federations will compete in regional tournaments.

Copa do Nordeste

Begins on March 25 and ends on June 7. The teams qualified for Conmebol competitions do not participate in the tournament. The tournament will increase from 16 to 20 clubs.

Serie C

The third division of the Brazilian Championship will start on April 5 and will end on October 25. Only two clubs will be relegated to Serie D in the first year. The competition will be expanded, moving to 24 clubs in 2027, and 28 clubs in 2028. The format will be modified from 2028, with two groups of 14 and relegation of six teams to Serie D.

Serie D

The last national division will also start on April 5 and will end on September 13. The tournament will increase from 64 to 96 clubs, with an increase of 100 matches in total. The clubs will have at least 10 games and a maximum of 22.

Copa Verde

The tournament will be divided into "Conferences", with the Copa Norte and the Copa Centro-Oeste. It will start on March 25 and end on June 7. Increase from 30 to 70 matches. Espírito Santo, despite being geographically in the Southeast, competes in the tournament.

New tournament

In addition to the Copa do Nordeste and the Copa Verde, the CBF announced the creation of the Copa Sul-Sudeste.  Teams qualified for the Conmebol tournaments do not compete in these competitions, which will have matches precisely on continental dates. Despite being located in the southeast region, the teams from Espírito Santo will play the Copa Centro-Oeste.

The new tournament starts on March 25 and ends on June 7. There will be 42 matches without the teams that compete in Conmebol tournaments. There will be 12 clubs in the competition and the champion guarantees a spot in the third stage of the Copa do Brasil.

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

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