The 2026 Campeonato Cearense (officially the Campeonato Cearense Superbet 2026 for sponsorship reasons)[1] was the 112th edition of Ceará's top professional football league organized by FCF. The competition began on 6 January and ended on 8 March 2026.[2] Ceará were the defending champions.
| Season | 2026 |
|---|---|
| Dates | 6 January – 8 March |
| Champions | Fortaleza |
| Relegated | Quixadá Tirol |
| Copa do Brasil | Ceará Ferroviário Fortaleza |
| Série D | Ferroviário Horizonte Iguatu |
| Copa do Nordeste | Ceará Fortaleza |
| Matches | 43 |
| Goals | 94 (2.19 per match) |
← 2025 2027 → | |
Format
editIn the first stage, the 10 teams were drawn into two groups of five teams each.
| Group A | Group B |
|---|---|
Each team played each of the other four teams once in a round-robin tournament. The top three teams from Groups A and B advanced to the second stage, forming Groups C and D, respectively. Meanwhile, the bottom two teams from Groups A and B played in the relegation stage. This stage was played in a single round-robin format. The bottom two teams were relegated to the 2027 Campeonato Cearense Série B.
In the second stage, each team participated in a single round-robin tournament against the three clubs from the other group. The winners and runners-up of each group advanced to the semi-finals, while the third-place teams competed for fifth place.[3]
During the first, second and relegation stages, the teams will be ranked according to points (3 points for a win, 1 point for a draw, and 0 points for a loss). If tied on points, the following criteria will be used to determine the ranking: 1. Wins; 2. Goal difference; 3. Goals scored; 4. Fewest red cards; 5. Fewest yellow cards; 6. Draw in the headquarters of the FCF.
The fifth-place and the third-place matches will be played in a single-leg format. The team with the best overall performance will host the match. If tied, the penalty shoot-out will be used to determine the winners.
The semi-finals and the finals will be played on a home-and-away two-legged basis. If tied on aggregate, the penalty shoot-out will be used to determine the winners. For the finals, the team with best overall performance will host the second leg.
The champions, runners-up, and third-place team will qualify for the 2027 Copa do Brasil. The top three teams that are not already qualified for the 2027 Série A, B, or C will qualify for the 2027 Série D.[4]
Teams
edit| Club | Home city | Manager |
|---|---|---|
| Ceará | Fortaleza | Mozart |
| Ferroviário | Fortaleza | Nuno Pereira |
| Floresta | Fortaleza | Leston Júnior |
| Fortaleza | Fortaleza | Thiago Carpini |
| Horizonte | Horizonte | Adriano Albino |
| Iguatu | Iguatu | Washington Luiz |
| Maracanã | Maracanaú | Júnior Cearense |
| Maranguape | Maranguape | João Neto |
| Quixadá | Quixadá | Jazon Vieira |
| Tirol | Fortaleza | Ailton Silva |
First stage
editGroup A
edit| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fortaleza | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 0 | +6 | 10 | Advance to the second stage |
| 2 | Ferroviário | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 3 | +2 | 8 | |
| 3 | Horizonte | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 5 | |
| 4 | Quixadá | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 6 | −4 | 4 | Advance to relegation stage |
| 5 | Maracanã | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 5 | −4 | 0 |
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Wins; 3) Goal difference; 4) Goals scored; 5) Fewest red cards; 6) Fewest yellow cards; 7) Draw.
Group B
edit| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ceará | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 2 | +5 | 10 | Advance to the second stage |
| 2 | Floresta | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 2 | +4 | 7 | |
| 3 | Iguatu | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 2 | +2 | 6 | |
| 4 | Maranguape | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 6 | −5 | 3 | Advance to relegation stage |
| 5 | Tirol | 4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 7 | −6 | 1 |
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Wins; 3) Goal difference; 4) Goals scored; 5) Fewest red cards; 6) Fewest yellow cards; 7) Draw.
Second stage
editGroup C
edit| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fortaleza | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1 | +1 | 5 | Advance to the semi-finals |
| 2 | Ferroviário | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 5 | −2 | 4 | |
| 3 | Horizonte | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 6 | −5 | 1 | Advance to fifth place match |
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Wins; 3) Goal difference; 4) Goals scored; 5) Fewest red cards; 6) Fewest yellow cards; 7) Draw.
Group D
edit| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ceará | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 1 | +8 | 7 | Advance to the semi-finals |
| 2 | Floresta | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| 3 | Iguatu | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 4 | −2 | 2 | Advance to fifth place match |
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Wins; 3) Goal difference; 4) Goals scored; 5) Fewest red cards; 6) Fewest yellow cards; 7) Draw.
Relegation stage
editSemi-finals
edit| Team 1 | Agg. | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ferroviário | 0–4 | Fortaleza | 0–2 | 0–2 |
| Floresta | 0–7 | Ceará | 0–3 | 0–4 |
Group E
edit| Ferroviário | 0–2 | Fortaleza |
|---|---|---|
Bareiro  12'Vitinho 57' |
| Fortaleza | 2–0 | Ferroviário |
|---|---|---|
| Lucas Sasha 7' Pochettino 56' |
Group F
edit| Floresta | 0–3 | Ceará |
|---|---|---|
| Rafael Ramos 16' Vina 39', 77' |
| Ceará | 4–0 | Floresta |
|---|---|---|
| Matheusinho 5' Wendel Silva 42', 78'Luiz Otávio 60' |
Fifth place match
edit| Iguatu | 3–1 | Horizonte |
|---|---|---|
| Cássio 5' Alison Araçoiaba 57'Piauí 66' |
Willian Anicete 15' (pen.) |
Third place match
edit| Ferroviário | 1–0 | Floresta |
|---|---|---|
| Kiuan 87' |
Finals
edit| Team 1 | Agg. | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fortaleza | 2–2 (5–4 p) | Ceará | 1–1 | 1–1 |
Group G
edit| Fortaleza | 1–1 | Ceará |
|---|---|---|
| Lucas Emanoel 85' |
Lucca 90+1' |
          Fortaleza
|
   Ceará
|
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Assistant referees:
|
| Ceará | 1–1 | Fortaleza |
|---|---|---|
| Luiz Otávio 29' |
Luiz Fernando 55' |
|
| Penalties | ||
Vinicius Zanocelo  Fernando Juan Alano  Luiz Otávio Rafael Ramos |
4–5 | Lucas Gazal Lucas Crispim Lucas Sasha Maílton Pochettino |
Ceará
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Fortaleza
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Assistant referees:
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Overall table
edit| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fortaleza | 11 | 6 | 5 | 0 | 14 | 3 | +11 | 23 | Champions and 2027 Copa do Brasil |
| 2 | Ceará | 11 | 7 | 4 | 0 | 25 | 5 | +20 | 25 | Runners-up and 2027 Copa do Brasil |
| 3 | Ferroviário | 10 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 9 | 12 | −3 | 15 | 2027 Copa do Brasil and 2027 Série D |
| 4 | Floresta | 10 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 11 | −4 | 11 | |
| 5 | Iguatu | 8 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 9 | 7 | +2 | 11 | 2027 Série D |
| 6 | Horizonte | 8 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 6 | 13 | −7 | 6 | |
| 7 | Maranguape | 7 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 8 | 10 | −2 | 10 | |
| 8 | Maracanã | 7 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 9 | −3 | 4 | |
| 9 | Quixadá | 7 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 6 | 12 | −6 | 7 | Relegation to the 2027 Campeonato Cearense Série B |
| 10 | Tirol | 7 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 4 | 12 | −8 | 4 |
References
edit- ↑ "Pelo terceiro ano consecutivo, a Superbet é a patrocinadora master do Campeonato Cearense" (in Portuguese). FCF. 4 January 2026.
- ↑ "CAMPEONATO CEARENSE SÉRIE A TABELA DETALHADA / EDIÇÃO 2026" (PDF) (in Portuguese). FCF. 7 November 2025.
- ↑ "Guia do Cearense 2026: saiba tudo sobre campeonato e times" (in Portuguese). Globo. 6 January 2026.
- ↑ "Cearense 2026 – Regulamento Específico da Competição" (PDF) (in Portuguese). FCF. 14 November 2025.