Potiguar (Brazil) 2026/27

The Campeonato Potiguar is the premier state football championship of Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil, organized by the Federação Norte-Rio-Grandense de Futebol (FNF). Founded in 1918 by the Liga de Desportos Terrestres do Rio Grande do Norte, it remains one of the oldest competitions in Brazilian football, with the first official season completed in 1919. It sits at the base of the national pyramid as a state-level competition, below the national Série A through D.

The current format involves eight clubs in the First Division (Série A), playing a single round-robin group stage followed by a knockout phase. The top two teams advance directly to the semifinals, while teams ranked third through sixth play a preliminary knockout round. The semifinals and final are played over two legs. The bottom two teams are relegated to the Segunda Divisão. The winner qualifies for the Copa do Brasil, Copa do Nordeste, and Campeonato Brasileiro Série D.

Notably, the competition traditionally features two "turnos" (turns): the Taça Cidade de Natal and the Copa Rio Grande do Norte. The winners of these turns qualify for national cups, and if the same team wins both turns, they are declared the overall champion without a final. If different teams win the turns, the top two in the general classification play a final. ABC Futebol Clube is the most successful club with 57 titles, followed by América-RN with 40 titles. América-RN is the current reigning champion, having won the 2024 and 2025 editions. The competition is defined by the "Clássico Rei" rivalry between ABC and América-RN.