Campeonato Gaúcho: Inter and Grêmio seek answers after a turbulent year | OneFootball

The Gauchão 2026 kicks off this Saturday (10th), with a match between Juventude and Ypiranga, and features a new format.

Debuts

Grêmio begins its 2026 season journey this Saturday (10th), against Avenida, at 9 PM (Brasília time), at Estádio dos Eucaliptos, in Santa Cruz do Sul, for the first round of the tournament.

Internacional debuts on Sunday (11th), against Novo Hamburgo, at 6 PM (Brasília time), at Beira-Rio.

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Where to watch

Open TV – RBS TV (one game per round)

Pay TV – Sportv (11 games of the initial phase)

Digital platforms – GE TV and Portal GZH (three to four matches per round in the first phase)

Pay-per-view – Premiere (three games per round)

New Regulations

In 2026, the FGF introduces a new regulation for the Campeonato Gaúcho, lasting from January 10th to March 8th.

Groups

In the first phase, 12 teams are divided into two groups of 6. Each club will play six matches in the qualifying stage against opponents from the other group, as teams from the same group do not face each other.

The top four teams from each group advance to the quarterfinals.

The eliminated teams compete for the Farroupilha Cup in semifinals and finals, played in home and away matches.

The last two teams from each group will compete in a round-robin for staying in Serie A1. The two worst will be relegated to Serie A2 of the Gauchão.

Knockout Stage

The top four from each group face off in a format of 1st against 4th and 2nd against 3rd, determining the semifinals among themselves, and facing the representative from the other group in the final.

Semifinals and finals will be decided in home and away matches, with the team with the best campaign deciding at home.

In case of a tie, the spots will be decided by penalties, without extra time.

Groups of the first phase

Group 1: Inter, Juventude, Avenida, São José, Guarany, and São Luiz.

Group 2: Grêmio, Caxias, Novo Hamburgo, Monsoon, Inter-SM, and Ypiranga.

Expectations

Internacional

Despite winning the 2025 Gauchão and breaking a sequence of 7 consecutive titles of the rival, Grêmio, Inter's season was close to becoming a disaster. The team avoided relegation in the Brazilian Championship in the last round, by defeating RB Bragantino in the final round.

In 2026, the club starts the year with a very turbulent political and sports scenario, causing concern for its fans. With the arrival of Uruguayan coach Paulo Pezzolano, Colorado has the Gauchão as a chance to find its ideal team for the year.

Photo: Filipe Maciel / Internacional

Grêmio

With a less turbulent year than its great rival, Grêmio had an unremarkable season in 2025, finishing in 9th place in the Brasileirão and not going far in the Copa do Brasil or the South American Cup.

For the year 2026, the Tricolor Gaúcho bet on Luís Castro to coach the team and believes, especially in midfielder Arthur and forward Carlos Vinícius as key players in the new season.

Photo: Pedro H. Tesch / Grêmio FBPA

First Round Matches

01/10 – Juventude vs Ypiranga

01/10 – Guarany vs Monsoon

01/10 – Avenida vs Grêmio

01/11 – São Luiz vs Caxias

01/11 – Internacional vs Novo Hamburgo

01/11 – São José-RS vs Inter de Santa Maria

Last Year

In 2025, Internacional defeated Grêmio in the championship final with an aggregate score of 3 to 1, breaking a sequence of 7 consecutive titles of the rival, becoming champion again for the first time since 2016.

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