Leonardo de Sá
One day after starting the Copa do Brasil semi-final clashes between Corinthians e Cruise and hours before the second decisive duel for the final between Fluminense e Vascoa CBF announced something new for the tournament next year. During the Série A Technical Council, at its headquarters in Rio, the institution officially confirmed another vacancy for the Libertadores through competition. Now, the runner-up will also compete in the continental tournament.
However, this opportunity created within the Copa do Brasil has a consequence. The six places via Brasileirão will be reduced to just five. Before the announcement, the division of places for the Libertadores was simple: the top four in the Brasileirão went directly to the group stage of the Libertadores, while the fifth and sixth placed teams had guaranteed places in the pre-Libertadores — in addition to the Copa do Brasil champion, who also entered directly (a total of seven classified).
After the change“sixth placed” ceases to exist through the conventional method, and the vice-president of the Copa do Brasil takes over this space.
There is still discussion about what the fate of this new wave will be — group stage or pre-Libertadores. The CBF has not yet reached a consensus. As the format only comes into force next year, fans of the Bahia — seventh placed and classified for the pre-qualification because Flamengo is in the Top 4 and guaranteed access through the Libertadores itself — you can rest assured.
São Paulo and the combination of results
The eighth-placed team in the Brasileirão may still have the chance to play in the Libertadores next year. As the change will only come into effect in 2026, São Paulo, with a combination of results, remains alive in the fight for a continental spot. In other words: nothing will change from the 2025 Brasileirão deal.
For this, the Tricolor needs to hope that Fluminense or Cruzeiro are champions of the Copa do Brasilopening up another space in the pre-Libertadores — since the two teams are in the G4 and, therefore, classified via the Brasileirão. The situation became a little more complicated after the victory of Corinthians 1-0 over Cruzeiroon Wednesday night, in the semifinals. Now, it remains to be seen the clash between Fluminense and Vasco and then the return games.
Brazil Cup 2026
The changes proposed by the CBF will not only be in the vacancies allocated to the Libertadores. THE 2026 Brazil Cup will also have structural changesstarting to count on 128 clubsfurther expanding the scope of the competition. The increase in the number of participants reinforces the CBF’s proposal to make the tournament even more democratic and comprehensivebringing together teams from all corners of the country. These will be the news, in addition to the runner-up’s trip to the Libertadores.
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Brazilian vacancies at Libertadores
Not total, or Brazil continues to have seven places guaranteed by the national tablenot counting the extra vacancies that may arise if a Brazilian club wins the Libertadores or Sudamericana — vacancies that are not exclusive to Brazilian football, as they can go to any other South American club that wins these competitions.
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