26 Aug 2026
How the Copa do Brasil knockout stages work
The Copa do Brasil uses knockout ties, with single matches in the first two rounds and two-legged ties from the third round onwards. If the aggregate score is level, the winner is decided on penalties.
What does knockout football mean?
In a knockout tie, one team is eliminated. There is no accumulated points total as in the Brazilian league: the club that progresses stays in the tournament, while the loser is eliminated. The Copa do Brasil brings together clubs from different divisions and uses draws to determine the ties.
How the first two rounds work
The first two rounds are played over a single match. In the first round, the club ranked higher in the CBF National Club Ranking plays away, but a draw sends the home team through. In the second round, home advantage is decided by draw, and a draw takes the tie straight to a penalty shoot-out.
What changes in the third round
From the third round onwards, ties are played over two legs, one at each stadium. Qualification is decided by the aggregate score. For example, if a team wins 2–0 in the first leg and loses 1–0 in the second, it goes through 2–1 on aggregate. If the aggregate score is level, the winner is decided on penalties. The away-goals rule does not apply.
The route to the final
After the third round, the tournament continues with the round of 16, quarter-finals, semi-finals and final. These ties are played over two legs. The draw determines the match-ups and, depending on that edition’s regulations, may also determine home advantage. The team with the higher aggregate score progresses.
Who enters at each stage
Not all clubs start in the same round. The number of participants and entry criteria are set by the CBF for each edition. In general, teams qualified for continental competitions, winners of national tournaments and highly placed clubs in state competitions enter at a later stage. As a result, clubs in the earlier rounds may have to play more matches to reach the final.
How the penalty shoot-out works
When the regulations require a winner and the score is level, each team takes five alternating penalties. If the scores remain level, the shoot-out continues in a sudden-death format until one team scores and the other misses in the same round. A penalty shoot-out does not count as a win in the match score, but it determines who progresses.
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Analysis: PK Sport · our methodology
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