October 2 – In a major overhaul, Brazil’s domestic top-flight calendar will run from January to December next year, the Confederation of Brazilian Football (CBF) confirmed on Wednesday.
Serie A will also break to accommodate the 2026 World Cup. Serie B, the equivalent of the Championship in England, will be staged from March to November, and is also pausing for the global finals. The new formats will apply until 2029.
“The process of developing the new calendar was extensively debated,” said CBF president Samir Xaud. “The CBF consulted clubs, federations, and market representatives, and relied on the collaboration of several internal departments.”
However, the state championships have been retained with a limit of up to eleven rounds of matches held between January and March, a reduction from sixteen match dates. The Copa do Brasil will no longer retain a two-legged final but will conclude with a single showpiece match. From next year, top-flight clubs will enter the competition in the fifth round.
The new calendar will reduce the workload for the top clubs which on average feature in 67 matches a year. In 2024, Red Bull Bragantino, Corinthians, Flamengo, Fortaleza, Athletico Paranaense, Atlético Mineiro and Botafogo all played at least 70 matches. The CBF estimates that fixtures for Serie A clubs will drop by fifteen per cent.
The revised playing schedule also accommodates the growing international match calendar. In 2026, the World Cup will be played over 39 days. The following year, Brazil will host the Women’s World Cup and in 2028, the Copa America will also expand.
Xaud added: “It was a collective, technical, and transparent effort. 2026 will still be a year of transition, but every journey requires a first step.”
Contact the writer of this story, Samindra Kunti, at [email protected]