The Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) released this Monday (24) the Women’s Football Calendar for the year 2026. One of the highlights is the increase in the number of teams in Series A1 of the Brazilian Championship (going from 16 to 18 participants), which will be played between February 15 and October 4.
Another competition that will see an increase in clashes (going from 64 to 72 games) is the Copa do Brasil, which will now feature round-trip games between the quarter-finals and the decision of the competition. The tournament, which will involve 66 clubs from the country’s 27 federative units, will be played between April 22nd and November 15th.
With the expansion of the Copa do Brasil there is a change in the Women’s Super Cup, which now follows the existing model in men’s football, involving only the winner of the Brazilian Series A1 and the champion of the Copa do Brasil. The title will be defined in a single match, scheduled for February 8th.
Another important announcement was the unprecedented support for mother and breastfeeding athletes, who will have the opportunity to take their children on trips with costs paid by the CBF, in addition to investments in grassroots women’s football.
According to the highest body of Brazilian football, the reformulation of the women’s football calendar is a strategic theme for promoting and consolidating the sport on the eve of the World Cup that Brazil will host in 2027.
“Just as we did in men’s football, we spent the last few months analyzing and studying opportunities to improve the calendar and promotion of women’s football. We listened to experts, federations, clubs and players. And we came up with a model that meets important demands, placing Brazilian women’s football where it deserves to be. We are going to change the entire structure of our competitions, increasing the number of clubs and games”, declared the president of the CBF, Samir Xaud.
According to the CBF, in total, the changes promoted represent an investment of R$685 million in women’s competitions, with an increase of 41% in dates in this calendar, 84% in the number of matches and 69% in places in the national calendar.
