For 20 seasons, the Brasileirão Série B ran on a simple rule: the top four clubs went up and the bottom four went down. In February 2026, Brazilian clubs voted 17 to 3 to change how promotion works.
Only the top two now go up automatically, while the clubs in third to sixth place play two-legged playoffs for the last two Série A spots. This guide explains the full format, from points and tiebreakers to promotion, relegation, past champions and the clubs in the division.
Principais Pontos
- The Brasileirão Série B is Brazil’s second tier, with 20 clubs playing 38 matches each in a home-and-away league.
- Since 2026, the top two clubs are promoted directly, and the clubs in third to sixth place play two-legged playoffs for the other two Série A places.
- The bottom four clubs are relegated to the Série C, and clubs level on points are separated first by number of wins.
- Coritiba hold the title record with three championships, and recent winners include Cruzeiro, Santos and Botafogo.
- Série B crowds are large, with Coritiba averaging 22,048 paying fans per match in 2025.
What Is the Brasileirão Série B?
The Brasileirão Série B is the second tier of Brazilian football, placed below the Série A and above the Série C. The Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) organises it, and under its current sponsorship deal the official name is Brasileirão Série B Superbet.
The competition started in 1971 but was not played at all in several years, including 1973 to 1979 and 1993. The format settled in 2006, when it became a 20-club league of 38 rounds, according to Wikipedia’s history of the competition.
Before 2006 the number of promoted and relegated clubs changed often. In 2000 the second tier was played inside the Copa João Havelange, and the CBF does not recognise some early group-format winners, such as those of 1986 and 1987, as official Série B champions.
Brazilian media often call it the Segundona, and you will also see “Brasileirão B” on schedules and in news reports. They all mean the same league.
How the Série B Season Works
Twenty clubs play each other twice, once at home and once away. That adds up to 38 rounds and 380 matches per season. A win earns three points, a draw earns one and a defeat earns none.
When clubs finish level on points, Flashscore’s guide to the 2026 season lists the first three tiebreakers in this order:
- Most wins.
- Best goal difference.
- Most goals scored.
Putting wins first changes how a close finish plays out. Take two clubs on 52 points, one with 15 wins, 7 draws and 16 defeats and the other with 13 wins, 13 draws and 12 defeats. The first club finishes higher, whatever the goal difference says.
The 2026 season is scheduled to run from 21 March to 28 November. It continues through the World Cup with no mid-year break, as Band reported when the new format was approved.
How Promotion Works in the Série B
Four clubs are promoted to the Série A each year, but since 2026 only two of them go up automatically. The other two come out of a playoff.
Direct Promotion for the Top Two
The champion and the runner-up after 38 rounds go straight up to the Série A. They play no extra matches.
The Playoff for Third to Sixth Place
The clubs that finish third to sixth enter a two-legged playoff. Third place plays sixth, and fourth place plays fifth, and the winner of each tie is promoted. There is no final between the two winners, so both go up.
The better-placed club in each tie hosts the second leg. If the aggregate score is level, that club goes through, as Diário de Pernambuco explained after the vote.
Here is how that plays out in practice. Say the third-placed club loses the first leg away to the sixth-placed club 1-0, then wins the second leg at home 1-0. The aggregate is 1-1, and the third-placed club goes up because it finished higher in the league.
That tiebreak gives a real reward to finishing third rather than sixth. It also means a club in sixth place has to win the tie outright, with no second-leg home advantage to lean on.
Clubs approved the change at a CBF technical council meeting on 5 February 2026. The model comes from England’s Championship, which also promotes its top two directly and runs a playoff for third to sixth. That league has 24 clubs and 46 rounds, and it promotes three clubs overall.
Why Clubs Backed the Change
Club officials argued that playoffs add tension and widen the race. Juventude’s president, Fábio Pizzamiglio, said they raise competitiveness and draw more attention from fans, media and television, as Band reported.
CNN Brasil made a similar point, saying the format keeps more clubs in contention until the final rounds. Not every club agreed at first, since Sport and Náutico both said they had voted against the proposal.
The Old System From 2006 to 2025
From 2006 to 2025, the top four clubs were promoted with no playoff at all. The 2025 season shows how tight that could get. Chapecoense and Remo both finished on 62 points, and Chapecoense took third place ahead of Remo on wins, 18 to 16.
Under the 2026 rules, neither club would have been safe at that point, because third and fourth place now lead into playoffs. A club finishing in the middle of the top six has more to play for than before, and more to lose.
Where Each Finishing Position Leads
| Final Position | What Happens |
|---|---|
| 1st and 2nd | Promoted directly to the Série A |
| 3rd to 6th | Two-legged playoffs: 3rd v 6th and 4th v 5th, with the winners promoted |
| 7th to 16th | Stay in the Série B |
| 17th to 20th | Relegated to the Série C |
How Many Points Promotion Has Taken
Over the last six seasons, the champion finished on 68 to 78 points, and fourth place finished on 61 to 64. That is the range the old top-four system produced.
| Season | Champion (Points) | Fourth Place (Points) |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Chapecoense (73) | Cuiabá (61) |
| 2021 | Botafogo (70) | Avaí (64) |
| 2022 | Cruzeiro (78) | Vasco da Gama (62) |
| 2023 | Vitória (72) | Atlético Goianiense (64) |
| 2024 | Santos (68) | Ceará (64) |
| 2025 | Coritiba (68) | Remo (62) |
The 2026 rules change what that cut-off means. Fourth place now enters a playoff instead of going up directly, so a club on 62 points still has a route, but it has to win a two-legged tie to use it.
How Relegation Works in the Série B
The bottom four clubs are relegated to the Série C. That rule did not change in 2026. In 2025 the four were Ferroviária, Amazonas, Volta Redonda and Paysandu.
The Série C sends four clubs up in return. Ponte Preta, Londrina, Náutico and São Bernardo joined the Série B for 2026 that way.
Survival can come down to the last round. In 2025, Athletic and Botafogo-SP both entered the final matchday at risk of dropping and escaped on other results, according to Gazeta Esportiva’s season wrap-up.
The 20 Clubs in the 2026 Série B
The 2026 field has 12 clubs that stayed from 2025, four relegated from the Série A and four promoted from the Série C. The relegated clubs are Ceará, Fortaleza, Juventude and Sport. The promoted clubs are Ponte Preta, Londrina, Náutico and São Bernardo.
São Paulo state supplies the most clubs with four: Botafogo-SP, Novorizontino, Ponte Preta and São Bernardo. Goiás state has three in Atlético Goianiense, Goiás and Vila Nova. Ceará and Fortaleza give the division a city derby, and Sport and Náutico add another in Recife.
The Goiás clubs are the most concentrated group, because Atlético Goianiense, Goiás and Vila Nova are all based in Goiânia. Flashscore’s season guide singles out Ceará, Pernambuco and Goiás as the three states with derbies in 2026.
Stadium sizes vary a lot. Ceará and Fortaleza both play at the Castelão in Fortaleza, which holds 57,876, while Vila Nova’s Onésio Brasileiro Alvarenga holds 6,500. That gap in capacity limits how many fans some clubs can draw, whatever their support.
Série B Champions and the Giants Who Needed It
Many of Brazil’s biggest clubs have won the Série B, often in the season right after a relegation. Since 2006 the champions include Atlético Mineiro (2006), Corinthians (2008), Vasco da Gama (2009), Palmeiras (2013), Botafogo (2015 and 2021), Cruzeiro (2022) and Santos (2024).
TuSportNews’s fan’s guide to the Brazilian Série B covers how Palmeiras, Corinthians, Vasco, Botafogo and Cruzeiro each fought their way back to the top flight.
The Last Six Champions
| Season | Champion | Runner-Up |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Chapecoense | América Mineiro |
| 2021 | Botafogo | Goiás |
| 2022 | Cruzeiro | Grêmio |
| 2023 | Vitória | Juventude |
| 2024 | Santos | Mirassol |
| 2025 | Coritiba | Athletico Paranaense |
Coritiba, the Record Holder
Coritiba hold the title record with three championships, won in 2007, 2010 and 2025. Their 2025 title came on 68 points, three clear of Athletico Paranaense.
That is one more title than Palmeiras, Botafogo or any other club on the list, including the famous names that passed through the division.
Série B Records and Numbers
The most goals in a single Série B season since the 2006 format began is 31, scored by Bruno Rangel for Chapecoense in 2013. Zé Carlos for Criciúma scored 27 in 2012, and Alessandro for Ipatinga scored 25 in 2007.
Scoring has been lower in recent years. Since 2018, no top scorer has passed 19 goals, and the last three top scorers finished on 14, 13 and 15 goals.
CRB hold the record for appearances in the competition with 36 seasons, ahead of Ceará on 33 and América Mineiro on 29, according to Wikipedia’s club list. Those counts include the 2026 season.
Crowds are a strength of the division. In 2025 MKT Esportivo reported average attendances of 22,048 at Coritiba, 19,545 at Athletico Paranaense and 19,341 at Remo.
Remo also earned the biggest gate revenue of the season at R$15.8 million, and they won promotion after 31 years away from the top flight. Pedro Rocha scored 15 goals for them and finished as the division’s top scorer.
When a Série A Club Drops Into the Série B
Four Série A clubs fall into the Série B every year, and the drop rarely ends a club’s story. For 2026 those clubs were Ceará, Fortaleza, Juventude and Sport.
At the end of the 2025 season, only Flamengo and São Paulo had played in every top-flight season since the national championship was unified in 1971. TuSportNews’s look at Brazil’s never-relegated clubs traces which clubs lost that record and when.
To see how the top flight looks right now, including the relegation zone, the Brazilian Série A standings and fixtures page on BBScore keeps the table in one place.
Where to Watch the Série B
Broadcast rights are shared among several outlets. Wikipedia lists ESPN, Disney+, RedeTV!, Desimpedidos, Kwai and SportyNet, while Flashscore’s guide adds Xsports and Canal GOAT, with some channels showing one match per round.
The mix changes from season to season. Check the broadcaster list for the current round before you plan to watch a match.
Common Questions About the Série B
How Many Teams Are Promoted From the Série B?
Four clubs are promoted each year. Since 2026, the top two go up directly and the other two come from playoffs between the clubs finishing third to sixth.
Does the Série B Playoff Have a Final?
No. The two ties, third against sixth and fourth against fifth, are separate, and the winner of each is promoted.
How Many Teams Are Relegated From the Série B?
Four clubs are relegated to the Série C each year. The four teams finishing 17th to 20th go down.
How Many Matches Does Each Club Play?
Each club plays 38 league matches, 19 at home and 19 away. The playoff clubs play two more matches if they reach that stage.
Who Has Won the Série B the Most Times?
Coritiba, with three titles in 2007, 2010 and 2025. América Mineiro, Botafogo, Goiás, Palmeiras, Bragantino, Paraná and Paysandu follow with two each.
When Does the Série B Season Run?
The 2026 season is scheduled from 21 March to 28 November. Recent seasons have started in March or April and finished in November.
How to Read a Série B Table
Start with the two ends of the table. Positions 1 and 2 are promoted directly, positions 3 to 6 are in the playoff zone, and positions 17 to 20 are heading to the Série C.
Then check wins before goal difference whenever two clubs share points, because wins are the first tiebreaker. A club with a weaker goal difference can still sit higher if it has won more matches.
For live standings, results and fixtures across the whole season, the Brazilian Serie B standings and fixtures page on BBScore tracks every round as it is played.
