Brazilian state championships 2026

[rdluffy]

At the suggestion of user @criptoevangelista I created this thread 

I am creating this thread so we can discuss and comment on our bets for the early-year championships in Brazil
For those who don't know, they are quite popular and long-standing. As Brazil is a very large country, with around 800 professional teams currently  , these championships have three major attractions:

1 - The opportunity for smaller teams to play against the big teams in each state, bringing experience and money to their coffers
2 - The chance to reveal players who will be bought by big teams to compete in the national championship
3 - The opportunity for smaller cities with smaller teams to watch the big clubs in their cities

The most popular are the Paulista (São Paulo), Carioca (Rio de Janeiro), Mineiro (Minas Gerais), and Gauchão (Rio Grande do Sul) championships

Do you know about or bet on these championships?
I'll say right now that it's not easy. Surprises happen, and average teams can give the big teams a lot of trouble, especially at the beginning of the season

[rdluffy]

reserved to post more info about these championships, and possibly some updates to keep more organized

[Slow death]

I haven't been betting on these games because in the Brazilian league it was already very difficult to predict the results, even with more information about all the teams. Now, in this competition, it would be even harder to get information about many teams, and the results will be more unpredictable.

Only people from Brazil who constantly follow the games of all the teams will be prepared to bet on these games, and stake.com has markets for all the games in this competition. They have:

- Bahia Championship

- Rio Championship

- Santa Catarina Championship

- Paraíba Championship

- Sergipe Championship

They have all the ones you mentioned.

[criptoevangelista]

great topic @rdluffy 

And Flamengo, huh? Are you following it? They are playing the Campeonato Carioca with the under-20 team and are running a serious risk of being relegated, which I find very unlikely. But anyway, it is fuel for rivals to keep talking about it endlessly.

[Pumared]

I think the only surprise so far is the intro for the Ceará state championship, which was entirely AI-generated by a local TV station. I found it quite interesting; it tells the story of the team and incorporates traditional aspects of the stadiums and local culture. It serves as a reference for other championships, I thought it was interesting. I haven't seen others from this championship or other state championships.

source: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DTtH0KTgvUh/

[criptoevangelista]

I think the only surprise so far is the intro for the Ceará state championship, which was entirely AI-generated by a local TV station. I found it quite interesting; it tells the story of the team and incorporates traditional aspects of the stadiums and local culture. It serves as a reference for other championships, I thought it was interesting. I haven't seen others from this championship or other state championships.

source: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DTtH0KTgvUh/

I didn't think it was that bad, I've seen worse hahaha, anyway, it's a movement that seems irreversible, audiovisual productions made with AI, images made with AI, montages, and it's going to get much worse. This year in Brazil we have presidential elections, so you can already get an idea of ​​what's coming... AI is going to work hard this year to generate content on social media hahaha

[rdluffy]

I haven't been betting on these games because in the Brazilian league it was already very difficult to predict the results, even with more information about all the teams. Now, in this competition, it would be even harder to get information about many teams, and the results will be more unpredictable.
...

Good to see you here, always following Brazilian soccer.
I would say that the state championships can be even more unpredictable and surprising than the national championship, hehehe

great topic @rdluffy 

And Flamengo, huh? Are you following it? They are playing the Campeonato Carioca with the under-20 team and are running a serious risk of being relegated, which I find very unlikely. But anyway, it is fuel for rivals to keep talking about it endlessly.

Thanks 
Flamengo is in last place in its group
It seems like it's not a good idea to rest so many players 

[criptoevangelista]

I haven't been betting on these games because in the Brazilian league it was already very difficult to predict the results, even with more information about all the teams. Now, in this competition, it would be even harder to get information about many teams, and the results will be more unpredictable.
...

Good to see you here, always following Brazilian soccer.
I would say that the state championships can be even more unpredictable and surprising than the national championship, hehehe

great topic @rdluffy 

And Flamengo, huh? Are you following it? They are playing the Campeonato Carioca with the under-20 team and are running a serious risk of being relegated, which I find very unlikely. But anyway, it is fuel for rivals to keep talking about it endlessly.

Thanks 
Flamengo is in last place in its group
It seems like it's not a good idea to rest so many players 

Yeah, the crisis has arrived lol… I just think they should use their main squads in these state championships. The Carioca and the Paulista, for example, are tournaments with great prestige in Brazilian football. Teams playing with mixed lineups or very young players completely ruin the essence of the tournament, basically devaluing the competition.

[Pumared]

I don't know if you saw, but Palmeiras suffered the biggest defeat in its history. 4-0 against Novo Horizontino. This is the worst defeat since coach Abel Ferreira arrived at the club. The second worst was in a Libertadores semi-final against LDU, which was 3-0. This generated protests from the fans.

source: https://ge.globo.com/futebol/times/palmeiras/noticia/2026/01/20/palmeiras-sofre-pior-derrota-da-era-abel-ferreira-em-goleada-para-o-novorizontino.ghtml

[rdluffy]

I don't know if you saw, but Palmeiras suffered the biggest defeat in its history. 4-0 against Novo Horizontino. This is the worst defeat since coach Abel Ferreira arrived at the club. The second worst was in a Libertadores semi-final against LDU, which was 3-0. This generated protests from the fans.

source: https://ge.globo.com/futebol/times/palmeiras/noticia/2026/01/20/palmeiras-sofre-pior-derrota-da-era-abel-ferreira-em-goleada-para-o-novorizontino.ghtml

State championships in Brazil are not easy 
Not for the big teams, and not for us bettors either

Can you imagine anyone betting on Palmeiras losing, let alone conceding four goals?
What Novorizontino achieved was impressive
The team is in second place in the championship, and probably only those who live in the state of São Paulo and are really into soccer know the team

[criptoevangelista]

I don't know if you saw, but Palmeiras suffered the biggest defeat in its history. 4-0 against Novo Horizontino. This is the worst defeat since coach Abel Ferreira arrived at the club. The second worst was in a Libertadores semi-final against LDU, which was 3-0. This generated protests from the fans.

source: https://ge.globo.com/futebol/times/palmeiras/noticia/2026/01/20/palmeiras-sofre-pior-derrota-da-era-abel-ferreira-em-goleada-para-o-novorizontino.ghtml

State championships in Brazil are not easy 
Not for the big teams, and not for us bettors either

Can you imagine anyone betting on Palmeiras losing, let alone conceding four goals?
What Novorizontino achieved was impressive
The team is in second place in the championship, and probably only those who live in the state of São Paulo and are really into soccer know the team

Exactly, I agree with you, it’s very unpredictable. In the same way that we fans see the big teams as favorites, these smaller teams, almost completely off the radar, come along and win. Maybe it’s because the players want some kind of visibility to secure good contracts with bigger clubs, and when they get the chance to play against the big teams, they play like someone starving fighting for a plate of food. I think that’s the only explanation I have.