Brazil · Football economics
Brazil's Série B moved two promotion places into playoffs
The 2026 Série B gives direct promotion to the top two clubs after 38 rounds. Clubs placed third through sixth compete in two home-and-away playoffs for the remaining promotion places.
Sources checked
- 011st and 2nd
Direct promotion · Both earn Série A places Source 1
- 023rd and 6th
Two-leg playoff · Winner earns a Série A place Source 1
- 034th and 5th
Two-leg playoff · Winner earns a Série A place Source 1
- 047th to 16th
No promotion playoff · Remain in Série B under the competition format Source 1
- 0517th to 20th
Direct relegation · Four clubs go down after the league stage Source 1
The league phase sends two clubs directly up and seeds two separate playoffs.
Four teams still go up
The CBF said the previous format awarded direct promotion to all four top finishers. The new format preserves four promotion places and awards two of them after the playoffs. Third and fourth place therefore earn a playoff match-up rather than automatic promotion. Source 2 Source 1
The league table determines the opponents
Third place plays sixth and fourth plays fifth. Each tie consists of two matches, one at each club's home. Each tie supplies one promotion place, with the two winners joining the top two. Source 2 Source 1
Fifth and sixth gain a path to promotion
The change gives clubs in those positions a way to reach Série A after the league phase. Third and fourth must convert their stronger league placement into a winning playoff tie. The regular-season positions still determine who reaches that stage. Source 2 Source 1
Relegation still follows the league table
The bottom four go down after 38 rounds. The playoff applies to places three through six at the top of the table. Clubs from seventh through sixteenth finish outside both the playoff and relegation groups in the competition format. Source 1 Source 2