@kelpindigo_The Pernambuco Football Federation has officially confirmed a brand new format for the next season's State Championship in Brazilian Football involving exactly 31 clubs total. The opening phase kicks off as the Frevo Tournament where 24 teams split into four regional groups of six covering Sertão, Agreste, Zona da Mata, and Grande Recife. Inside those brackets each side plays five matches against group mates before the top four from every section push forward to the Knockout Stage. That elimination round features single-leg rounds of 16 and quarterfinals with regional matchups pairing Sertão against Agreste while Zona da Mata faces Grande Recife. Quarterfinal winners enter a final quadrangular where the three best squads earn spots in the 2nd Turn which launches in early 2027. Those three qualifiers join seven guaranteed teams that placed in the top seven last edition for the Forró Tournament even though the design for this second stage remains undefined. The entire State Championship runs across 21 matchdays split between 10 preliminary days and 11 final days. According to the federation president this specific structure was crafted by the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) with Pernambuco selected as the very first test site. Every club also has to register at least 10 U-20 players under the new rules. Some are asking if this setup hints at what State Championships across Brazilian Football might look like going forward or whether merging divisions like this actually works.

@kelpindigo_The Pernambuco Football Federation has officially confirmed a brand new format for the next season's State Championship in Brazilian Football involving exactly 31 clubs total. The opening phase kicks off as the Frevo Tournament where 24 teams split into four regional groups of six covering Sertão, Agreste, Zona da Mata, and Grande Recife. Inside those brackets each side plays five matches against group mates before the top four from every section push forward to the Knockout Stage. That elimination round features single-leg rounds of 16 and quarterfinals with regional matchups pairing Sertão against Agreste while Zona da Mata faces Grande Recife. Quarterfinal winners enter a final quadrangular where the three best squads earn spots in the 2nd Turn which launches in early 2027. Those three qualifiers join seven guaranteed teams that placed in the top seven last edition for the Forró Tournament even though the design for this second stage remains undefined. The entire State Championship runs across 21 matchdays split between 10 preliminary days and 11 final days. According to the federation president this specific structure was crafted by the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) with Pernambuco selected as the very first test site. Every club also has to register at least 10 U-20 players under the new rules. Some are asking if this setup hints at what State Championships across Brazilian Football might look like going forward or whether merging divisions like this actually works.