Carioca A2 (Brazil) 2026/27

The **Campeonato Carioca Série A2** acts as the second tier of professional football in the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Operating under the **Federação de Futebol do Estado do Rio de Janeiro (FERJ)**, the competition sits below the top-flight **Série A1** and above the third-tier **Série B1**.

Founded in 1978 as the **Segunda Divisão**, the tournament established a unified second division for the state following the merger of previous federations. It was rebranded as **Série A2** in 2021. The current season features 12 clubs competing in a single round-robin group stage known as the **Taça Santos Dumont**, where each team plays every other side once. The top four teams from this table advance to the knockout stage. The semifinals and final are contested over two legs, home and away.

Only the champion gains promotion to the **Série A1**. Conversely, the two teams finishing at the bottom of the standings are relegated to the **Série B1**. This structure serves as the primary pathway for smaller clubs to reach the elite division. Historically, **Bonsucesso** is the most successful club in the competition's second-division era, having won the title seven times. Recent champions include **Americano**, who claimed the 2026 title, while **Bangu** won in 2025. The competition maintains a straightforward single-table league format followed by direct elimination, distinguishing it from the more complex group stages often used in the top tier.