Série B penúltima rodada: playoffs and relegation decided as Botafogo-SP faces Londrina

Brazil's Série B second division reaches its penultimate round this week with significant implications for promotion, playoff qualification, and relegation. The 37th round opens on Thursday, November 5, with Botafogo-SP hosting Londrina at 19:30 (Brasília time) at Arena Nicnet in Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo. The round continues through Sunday, November 8, with matches that will determine the league champion, direct promotion candidates, and the fourth team to be relegated to Série C.

Under the 2026 regulations, only the top two finishers earn direct promotion to Série A, while teams finishing third through sixth compete in playoffs for two additional spots. Novorizontino currently leads with 67 points, followed by Juventude (65), Vila Nova (63), Criciúma (62), and Fortaleza (62). According to calculations by the Federal University of Minas Gerais mathematics department, Juventude has a 67.3% probability of direct access, while Novorizontino has 95.8%. The sixth-place position remains contested, with CRB, Goiás, Sport, and Atlético-GO each holding 55 points.

Botafogo-SP and Londrina enter the match as statistical observers. Botafogo, in 12th place with 48 points, has secured safety from relegation and aims to reach 51 points—the highest total in club history under the points system. Londrina, already relegated to Série C with 32 points in 18th place, was confirmed for demotion two rounds ago. The key confrontation of the round occurs Saturday at 20:00 when Vila Nova and Criciúma face off in Goiânia in a direct duel for second place. The playoff matches are scheduled for November 21 (first leg) and November 28 (second leg), with the higher-seeded team deciding at home and advancing on away goals if aggregate scores are tied. Three clubs—América-MG, Londrina, and Ponte Preta—have already been mathematically relegated.

The round schedule spans four days, with Friday featuring Operário-PR versus Sport, Saturday hosting five simultaneous matches to determine qualifying positions, and Sunday concluding with Athletic versus Atlético-GO, Ceará versus América-MG, and Goiás against Ponte Preta. The final 38th round is scheduled for November 14.