The 2026 Copa Sul-Sudeste was the inaugural edition of the football competition held in the Brazil. The tournament began on 24 March and ended on 7 June 2026.
Format In the group stage, the 12 teams were drawn into two groups of six. Each team played each of the six clubs from the other group once. The top two teams advanced to the semifinals, which were played over two legs. Those who qualify advanced to the final, which also was played in two matches.
Qualified teams AssociationTeamQualification method Minas Gerais2 berths América Mineiro 2025 Campeonato Mineiro best team with that did not qualify for CONMEBOL competitions Tombense Second best team with that did not qualify for CONMEBOL competitions Paraná2 berths Operário Ferroviário 2025 Campeonato Paranaense champions Cianorte 2025 Taça FPF champions Rio de Janeiro2 berths Volta Redonda 2025 Campeonato Carioca best team with that did not qualify for CONMEBOL competitions Sampaio Corrêa Second best team with that did not qualify for CONMEBOL competitions Rio Grande do Sul2 berths Juventude 2025 Campeonato Gaúcho second best team with that did not qualify for CONMEBOL competitions Caxias Third best team with that did not qualify for CONMEBOL competitions Santa Catarina2 berths Avaí 2025 Campeonato Catarinense champions Chapecoense 2025 Campeonato Catarinense runners-up São Paulo2 berths São Bernardo 2025 Campeonato Paulista best team with that did not qualify for CONMEBOL competitions Novorizontino Second best team with that did not qualify for CONMEBOL competitions
Notes
Group stage In the group stage, the 12 teams were drawn into two groups of six teams each. Each team in Group A played each team in Group B once. The top two teams of each group advanced to the semi-finals of the knockout stages. The teams were ranked according to points (3 points for a win, 1 point for a draw, and 0 points for a loss). If tied on points, the following criteria would be used to determine the ranking: 1. Wins; 2. Goal difference; 3. Goals scored; 4. Fewest red cards; 5. Fewest yellow cards; 6. Draw in the headquarters of the Brazilian Football Confederation (Regulations Article 13).
Group A
Group B
Final stages In the final stages, the teams played a single-elimination tournament with the following rules: Semi-finals and Finals were played on a home-and-away two-legged basis, with the higher-seeded team hosting the second leg. If tied on aggregate, a penalty shoot-out would be used to determine the winners (Regulations Article 18). Extra time would not be played and away goals rule would not be used in final stages.
In the Finals, the finalists were seeded according to their performance in the tournament. The teams were ranked according to overall points. If tied on overall points, the following criteria would be used to determine the ranking: 1. Overall wins; 2. Overall goal difference; 3. Overall goals scored; 4. Fewest red cards in the tournament; 5. Fewest yellow cards in the tournament; 6. Draw in the headquarters of the Brazilian Football Confederation (Regulations Article 16).
Bracket
Semi-finals
Group C
Group D
Finals
Group E
References