Brazil · Football economics
How the first Copa Sul-Sudeste gave Avaí a national cup place
Brazil’s new regional tournament put 12 clubs in two groups but scheduled the group matches across those groups. Avaí won the first edition after two 3-0 home wins in the final took the tie to penalties.
Sources checked
The competition included teams from the four national divisions.
Each state supplied two clubs across the groups
The draw separated representatives of the same federation, putting one in Group A and one in Group B. It used pots based on the federation ranking and the representative clubs’ ranking. The 12 entrants came from six states and spanned Série A through Série D, with Série B accounting for half the field. Source 2 Source 1
Group opponents came from the other group
Each club played six matches against the six clubs in the other group, with three at home and three away. There were 36 distinct group-stage matches because each fixture involved two clubs. The two best-ranked clubs in each group advanced despite playing opponents drawn from the other group. Source 2
The knockout stages raised the schedule to ten games for finalists
The two semifinals used home and away legs, as did the final. The CBF scheduled 42 matches across ten dates overall. Volta Redonda faced Avaí and Novorizontino faced Chapecoense in the semifinals. Clubs eliminated in the group stage played six games while finalists could play ten. Source 2 Source 1
The final’s aggregate score sent the result to penalties
Avaí won the home leg 3-0 and Chapecoense won the return by the same score. Avaí took the shootout 5-4 after the aggregate finished 3-3. The CBF says the title secured Avaí a place in the third round of the 2027 Copa do Brasil, giving the regional tournament a route into the national cup. Source 3