The Copa do Brasil

The Copa do Brasil is a nationwide knockout competition run by the Brazilian Football Confederation, known as the CBF. Its field has changed over time, but the 2026 edition expanded to 126 clubs, including teams from Série A, clubs qualifying through state competitions, and selected regional and lower-division champions.

The competition was launched in 1989 to give clubs from smaller Brazilian states a route into national football. Before then, Brazil's national calendar was centred heavily on the Brasileirão and the country's powerful state championships. The Copa do Brasil opened the door to clubs from regions less well-represented in the top flight and has produced regular giant-killing moments alongside big-club runs to the final.

The current format uses nine phases. The first four phases are single-match knockout ties, followed by two-legged ties from the fifth phase through to the semi-finals. The final is a single match, with the CBF responsible for confirming the host stadium and match arrangements.

In the single-match phases, a level score is settled by penalties. In the two-legged phases, the winner is decided first by results over the two matches, then by goal difference and penalties if needed. The Copa do Brasil previously used an away-goals rule, but the CBF removed it from the 2018 edition.

The 20 Série A clubs now enter in the fifth phase. A smaller group of regional and lower-division champions enter in the third phase, while the other entrants begin earlier according to the competition regulations and the CBF club ranking. This replaced the older structure in which clubs involved in the Copa Libertadores entered later in the tournament.

The competition usually begins early in the year and runs alongside the Brasileirão, state competitions and continental tournaments. In the 2026 calendar, the opening phase is scheduled for February and the final is scheduled as a single match in December.

The calendar has changed several times as the CBF has tried to balance national competitions, state championships and continental football. Older editions ended with a two-legged final, but the 2026 reform moved the final to a single match. The competition's prize money also makes it especially important for smaller clubs, because each round can bring useful income as well as national exposure.

For the 2026 edition, the 126 places are divided into three main routes. The 20 Série A clubs qualify, four places go to the champions of the Copa do Nordeste, Copa Verde, Série C and Série D from the previous season, and 102 places are allocated through state competitions. Those state places are distributed across Brazil's 26 states and the Federal District according to CBF criteria.

The structure deliberately spreads the competition beyond Brazil's richest and most visible clubs. The CBF regulation also states that the field is due to expand to 128 clubs from 2027, with additional regional competition places added.

Two clubs from outside Série A have won the Copa do Brasil: Santo André in 2004 and Paulista in 2005, both from Série B. In 2008, Sport Recife became the first winner from outside Brazil's Southeast and South regions, a significant moment in the competition's geographic spread.

The Copa do Brasil champion qualifies for the next Copa Libertadores group stage. Under the 2026 regulations, the runner-up also receives a place in the preliminary phase, subject to redistribution rules if either finalist has already qualified through another route.

The exact allocation can depend on the Brasileirão table, other continental qualification routes and CONMEBOL eligibility rules. In practice, this makes the Copa do Brasil one of the most valuable domestic competitions in Brazil, because it can offer both a major trophy and a route into South America's top club competition.

The competition's prize money makes it commercially significant for smaller clubs as well as the bigger ones. Even early-round wins can generate meaningful revenue, which is one reason the Copa do Brasil matters so much to clubs outside Série A.

The competition was created in 1989 to expand Brazilian football's national reach. State football federations representing smaller regions had argued that their clubs needed a national competition that would give them a chance against the big-city clubs, particularly after the 1987 Copa União split that reduced their representation in the top division. The CBF launched the Copa do Brasil with 32 clubs, and Grêmio won the first edition by beating Sport Recife over a two-legged final.

The field has grown significantly across the modern era. It expanded from 32 clubs in 1989 to 92 clubs in the early 2020s, then to 126 clubs in 2026, with a further expansion to 128 clubs planned from 2027. These changes reflect the CBF's attempts to balance calendar pressure, national representation, state competitions and the demands on clubs also playing in continental tournaments.

The move to a single-match final from 2026 is one of the most significant format changes in the competition's modern history. It marks a clear break from the traditional two-legged final and brings the Copa do Brasil closer to the recent model used in South America's major continental finals.