- \n
- The Brasileir\u00e3o S\u00e9rie B is Brazil’s second tier, with 20 clubs playing 38 matches each in a home-and-away league.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- 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 S\u00e9rie A places.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- The bottom four clubs are relegated to the S\u00e9rie C, and clubs level on points are separated first by number of wins.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Coritiba hold the title record with three championships, and recent winners include Cruzeiro, Santos and Botafogo.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- S\u00e9rie B crowds are large, with Coritiba averaging 22,048 paying fans per match in 2025.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
![\"Brasileir\u00e3o](\"https:\/\/bbscore.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Brasileirao-Serie-B-Explained-Format-Promotion-and-Relegation-1024x576.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\nWhat Is the Brasileir\u00e3o S\u00e9rie B?<\/h2>\n\n\n
The Brasileir\u00e3o S\u00e9rie B is the second tier of Brazilian football, placed below the S\u00e9rie A and above the S\u00e9rie C. The Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) organises it, and under its current sponsorship deal the official name is Brasileir\u00e3o S\u00e9rie B Superbet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Before 2006 the number of promoted and relegated clubs changed often. In 2000 the second tier was played inside the Copa Jo\u00e3o Havelange, and the CBF does not recognise some early group-format winners, such as those of 1986 and 1987, as official S\u00e9rie B champions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Brazilian media often call it the Segundona, and you will also see “Brasileir\u00e3o B” on schedules and in news reports. They all mean the same league.<\/p>\n\n\n
How the S\u00e9rie B Season Works<\/h2>\n\n\n
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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When clubs finish level on points, Flashscore’s guide to the 2026 season<\/a> lists the first three tiebreakers in this order:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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- Most wins.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Best goal difference.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Most goals scored.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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<\/a> when the new format was approved.<\/p>\n\n\n
How Promotion Works in the S\u00e9rie B<\/h2>\n\n\n
Four clubs are promoted to the S\u00e9rie A each year, but since 2026 only two of them go up automatically. The other two come out of a playoff.<\/p>\n\n\n
Direct Promotion for the Top Two<\/h3>\n\n\n
The champion and the runner-up after 38 rounds go straight up to the S\u00e9rie A. They play no extra matches.<\/p>\n\n\n
The Playoff for Third to Sixth Place<\/h3>\n\n\n
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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The better-placed club in each tie hosts the second leg. If the aggregate score is level, that club goes through, as Di\u00e1rio de Pernambuco explained<\/a> after the vote.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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.<\/p>\n\n\n
Why Clubs Backed the Change<\/h3>\n\n\n
Club officials argued that playoffs add tension and widen the race. Juventude’s president, F\u00e1bio Pizzamiglio, said they raise competitiveness and draw more attention from fans, media and television, as Band reported.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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 N\u00e1utico both said they had voted against the proposal.<\/p>\n\n\n
The Old System From 2006 to 2025<\/h3>\n\n\n
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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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.<\/p>\n\n\n
Where Each Finishing Position Leads<\/h3>\n\n\n