The traditional rhythm of Brazilian football has been shattered. For the first time in the modern era, the 2026 Brasileirao season begins on Wednesday, months earlier than its usual April launch. Forced by the upcoming 2026 World Cup.
This historic new start sees the national league running concurrently with state championships, creating a high-stakes environment that will test squad depth like never before.
The new calendar features the Brasileirao running alongside the state championships, a first-time occurrence at this stage. This is likely to produce some unusual results in the state championships, with clubs often rotating heavily and handing opportunities to younger or fringe players.
That scheduling quirk has already played a pivotal role for Flamengo, who were given extra time to regroup and reset following a demanding 2025 campaign, in which they played 78 matches across seven different competitions, winning four of them.
However, their start to the 2026 Carioca has not gone according to plan. At the time of writing, Flamengo sit in the relegation zone and could be facing a relegation-stage match rather than battling for the state title, a trophy Filipe Luís’ side lifted last season.
Much of that can be attributed to Flamengo fielding youthful line-ups in their opening three matches, before opting for stronger selections against Vasco da Gama and Fluminense. While they managed to defeat Vasco, their most recent outing ended in defeat to Fluminense, denting their chances of progressing to the latter stages of the Carioca.
In recent years, as the Brasileirao has continued to grow into one of the most competitive leagues in world football, the calendar has evolved. International breaks have increasingly been built into the schedule, with more players now being called up from domestic clubs to represent their national teams, further reinforcing the need for designated windows.
The revised calendar is also impacting other competitions. The Copa do Brasil will now be decided by a single-match final, rather than the two-legged showpiece event.
Coritiba: The Série B champions return with a point to prove.
Athletico Paranaense: Only a one-year hiatus for the Furacão. Expect them to push for a top-half finish immediately.
Chapecoense: Back after four years away. Their focus will be pure survival in a condensed, high-intensity season.
Remo: The comeback 32 years in the making. Their massive fanbase in Belém will make them one of the toughest away trips in the league this year.
Flamengo boast one of the most stacked squads in Brazil and are the defending champions, after pipping Palmeiras to the title and securing their first Brasileirão crown since 2020.
Their squad includes the likes of Emerson Royal, Everton de Souza (Cebolinha), Bruno Henrique, Pedro, Luiz Araújo and Samuel Lino — just a few examples of the depth and quality at Filipe Luís’ disposal.
They are also looking to add further firepower, with a move for West Ham United midfielder Lucas Paquetá edging closer and increasingly appearing to be a deal that could be completed.
Read More: Lucas Paqueta agrees move to Brazilian giants Flamengo
They've added Vitão from Internacional, a solid centre-half, for a fee of around €10 million, strengthening their backline further.
With their strength and depth, the Rubro Negro are the leading favourites for the title, aiming to successfully defend their title, in what would be a repeat of 2019 and 2020.
Hoping to challenge Flamengo once again will be Palmeiras, who endured a disappointing campaign by their own high standards last season, despite finishing second. They suffered heartbreak in the Copa Libertadores final against Flamengo and, just days later, were narrowly pipped to the Brasileirão title by the same opponents.
However, Palmeiras proved to be Flamengo’s closest challengers, finishing three points behind them, something Abel Ferreira will be determined to address this time around.
Palmeiras have made a solid start to their Paulista campaign, winning four of their opening five matches and most recently enjoying a 3–1 victory over São Paulo, giving them encouraging momentum ahead of the league season.
Like Flamengo, Palmeiras possess a strong and well-balanced squad, packed with depth and quality. Key figures include captain Gustavo Gómez, Bruno Fuchs, Joaquín Piquerez, Mayke, Maurício, Raphael Veiga, Bruno Rodrigues, Felipe Anderson and Vitor Roque.
In the transfer market, Palmeiras have so far added Marlon Freitas from Botafogo, and on the departure front, Facundo Torres has been sold to Austin FC, while veteran goalkeeper Weverton has joined Grêmio on a free transfer.
Weverton, who arrived from Athletico Parananense in 2018, went on to win 12 trophies with Palmeiras and leaves behind a significant legacy. That said, he missed large parts of the latter stages of last season through injury, with Carlos Miguel stepping in and performing solidly in his absence.
Cruzeiro finished third last season and, while it represented a decent campaign on paper, they were still some distance behind Flamengo and Palmeiras.
There was also disappointment in the cup competitions. Cruzeiro suffered early exits in the Copa Sudamericana, and while they did reach the Copa do Brasil semi-final, they endured penalty shootout heartbreak against Corinthians.
Their start to 2026 has been somewhat bizarre. Across their opening five matches in the Campeonato Mineiro, they have recorded two wins and three defeats, and at the weekend they suffered a 2–1 loss to their biggest rivals, Atlético Mineiro, despite taking an early 1–0 lead.
Cruzeiro have been active in the transfer market, adding Matheus Cunha from Flamengo, Neiser Villarreal from Millonarios, Fagner from Corinthians, Chico from Cerro Porteno, and a marquee signing in former Flamengo midfielder Gerson, who arrives from Zenit.
There have also been departures, with Yannick Bolasie joining Chapecoense and Gabriel Barbosa moving to Santos.
Despite last season’s frustrations, Cruzeiro will hope to close the gap on the league’s elite this time around. Their key attacking outlet remains Kaio Jorge, who has already made a solid start to the year with two goals in three appearances (207 minutes played). He will be central to their hopes of hitting the ground running.
2025 proved to be another disappointing year for Atletico Mineiro. After once again struggling to mount a serious challenge in the league, their focus shifted towards cup competitions — this time in the Copa Sudamericana.
Unfortunately, the story was all too familiar. Atletico reached the final, only to suffer penalty shootout heartbreak against Lanus in Asunción. That defeat added to a painful run of near-misses, having also lost the Copa Libertadores final and the Copa do Brasil final in previous campaigns.
As a result, Atlético Mineiro will be desperate to turn those frustrations into motivation in 2026. They enter the season among the leading contenders, but a genuine push will require a far greater emphasis on league consistency.
Corinthians: Timão look to build on last season's Copa do Brasil success, as Dorival Junior will be seeking further silverware.
Santos: After struggling for the majority of 2025, boyhood hero Neymar helped Peixe avoid the drop with stellar performances towards the end of the campaign to secure their survival.
Botafogo: Now led by Martín Anselmi, the Fogão aim to replicate their success of 2024, which saw them dominate Brazil.
Bahia: Bolstered by City Football Group investment and Rogério Ceni’s tactical vision, the Salvador-based side are a dark horse to compete for the top-six spots once again.
Internacional: Colorado had a very inconsistent 2025 that saw them almost relegated; however, Paulo Pezzolano takes the reins and will be hoping for a strong start.
Vasco da Gama: Vasco reached the Copa do Brasil final last year, before suffering penalty shootout heartbreak. Fernando Diniz will be hoping his exciting brand of football can bring silverware to the Rio club.
Fluminense: After nearly being relegated in 2024, last season was much calmer for Fluminense, who finished in fifth place. They'll be hoping for something similar this time around.
Red Bull Bragantino: The Red Bull club finished tenth in 2025, a huge improvement from the 2024 season, where they finished just two points above the drop zone. A strong start will be key to how the 2026 campaign goes.
Vitória: Relying on the fearsome atmosphere of the Barradão, Vitória’s mission is to turn their home ground into a fortress. Last season saw them earn a 15th-place finish, which means they have no continental commitments, something that could be an advantage in a World Cup season.
Mirassol: Mirassol stunned the whole of Brazil in their debut season by not only avoiding relegation but earning a place in the Copa Libertadores. Full-back Reinaldo was a key driver in their success.
Gremio: Gremio will be hoping for a season like 2023, where they finished runners-up. Since then, they have been underwhelming, finishing in 14th and 9th place. They will be seeking to return to the Copa Libertadores.
Sao Paulo: Sao Paulo missed out on the Copa Libertadores place last time out, finishing in eighth place. Despite only being one place off qualification, they trailed Bahia by nine points. Hernan Crespo's men will be eager to challenge at the top end of the table.
