File photo. Inside the Mané Garrincha stadium in Brasília, venue of the 6 December 2026 Copa do Brasil final. Photo: Fábio Rodrigues Pozzebom, Agência Brasil, CC BY 3.0 BR, via Wikimedia Commons.

Grêmio Hold Firm in Belo Horizonte

Grêmio, from Porto Alegre, drew 1-1 with Atlético Mineiro at Arena MRV in Belo Horizonte on Saturday, Nov. 7, and won the semifinal 3-1 on aggregate. They are the first finalist of the 2026 Copa do Brasil, Brazil’s national knockout cup, and our Copa do Brasil semifinals hub tracks every result.

Kickoff was at 4 p.m. ET, and Atlético-MG needed to win by three goals to go through outright, or by two to force a penalty shootout. Renan Lodi, Atlético-MG’s left-back, put the home side ahead in the 25th minute, curling a shot into the top corner from the edge of the box.

Carlos Vinícius equalized late in the first half, about 12 to 15 minutes after Lodi’s goal, by heading in a cross from Noriega, Grêmio’s forward. Atlético-MG’s defender Vitão was then sent off before halftime after a video review for a high boot.

Weverton, Grêmio’s goalkeeper, made several saves, including one against Lodi one-on-one. Coach Renato Portaluppi, known as Renato Gaúcho, made five changes, and his team held on until the final whistle.

File photo, undated. Downtown Belo Horizonte, the city where Grêmio drew 1-1 at Atlético-MG on Saturday. Photo: Benjamin Thompson / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0)

How the Tie Was Built

Grêmio took control of the tie on Nov. 1 with a 2-0 win at the Arena do Grêmio in Porto Alegre. Carlos Vinícius scored in the 10th minute after a quick restart by Weverton, and Noriega added a second one minute into the second half.

Atlético-MG, coached by Eduardo Domínguez, pressed late but could not break through at the Arena do Grêmio. Grêmio’s Gustavo Martins was sent off in stoppage time.

The loss was Atlético-MG’s fourth defeat in a row.

Palmeiras and Vasco Decide the Opponent

Vasco host Palmeiras on Sunday, Nov. 8, at 3 p.m. ET (5 p.m. Brasília time) at São Januário, Vasco’s home ground in Rio de Janeiro. Palmeiras, from São Paulo, won the first leg 1-0, so a draw would be enough to send them through.

The winner of that tie will face Grêmio in the final, which is a single match on Sunday, Dec. 6, at the Mané Garrincha stadium in Brasília.

What a Title Would Mean for Grêmio

The final will be Grêmio’s 10th in the competition, as the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) counts it. The club has won the cup five times, in 1989, 1994, 1997, 2001 and 2016.

A sixth title would make Grêmio the joint most successful side in the cup’s history, alongside Cruzeiro, the Minas Gerais club that also has six. The champion earns a place in the 2027 Copa Libertadores, South America’s top club competition.

What Prediction Markets Say

Polymarket, a crypto-based prediction exchange, priced the 2026 Copa do Brasil title at 49.5% for Palmeiras, 29.0% for Grêmio, 23.0% for Vasco da Gama and 10.8% for Atlético Mineiro on 8 November 2026, with about US$15,000 traded. These prices are bets, not polls, and the four prices add up to more than 100%, which suggests a thin market that has not caught up with Atlético’s exit.

Why we show this: prediction markets turn real-money bets into a live probability that moves within minutes of the news, which is why investors, campaigns and newsrooms in the United States now follow them closely. We show them next to polls and official results, never instead of them.

What It Means for US Readers

The Vasco-Palmeiras second leg kicks off at 3 p.m. ET on Sunday, Nov. 8, and the winner meets Grêmio on Dec. 6 in Brasília. The final’s kickoff time has not yet been published.

The Rio Times Copa do Brasil hub gathers our match guides, including US streaming and ticket information, and every report on the cup. It is updated as each result comes in.

What Is Not Known

The Vasco-Palmeiras second leg had not been played when we published, so Grêmio’s final opponent is unknown. Grêmio are also threatened by relegation in the Brasileirão, the national league, which could shape their season.

Match reports differ by a minute on the timing of the goals, from the 25th and 37th to the 26th and 38th minute. We found no poll by a named institute on the Copa do Brasil.

We also found no quotes from players, coaches or officials, and no kickoff time for the Dec. 6 final.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is in the Copa do Brasil final?

Grêmio are the first finalist after winning their semifinal against Atlético-MG 3-1 on aggregate. Their opponent will be the winner of Vasco-Palmeiras, played on Nov. 8.

When and where is the Copa do Brasil final?

The final is a single match on Sunday, Dec. 6, 2026, at the Mané Garrincha stadium in Brasília. The kickoff time has not yet been announced.

When is Vasco against Palmeiras?

The second leg is on Sunday, Nov. 8, at 3 p.m. ET (5 p.m. Brasília time) at São Januário in Rio de Janeiro. Palmeiras lead 1-0 from the first leg.

Was anyone sent off in the second leg?

Atlético-MG’s Vitão was sent off before halftime after a video review for a high boot on a Grêmio player. Atlético-MG played the rest of the match with ten men.

This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated AI newsroom. Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Publisher and Editor-in-Chief. How we use AI · Report an error

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