Fortaleza defeated Vila Nova 1 to 0 on Saturday at the Arena Castelão in Fortaleza during the final 38th round of the Campeonato Brasileiro Série B.
Fortaleza Sets Attendance Record
A crowd of 43,004 spectators attended the match in Fortaleza, marking the largest attendance of the 2026 Série B competition. The game served as the re-debut for Juan Pablo Vojvoda on the club’s bench. The fixture generated a gross revenue of R$ 1.154.042,00.
The decisive moment arrived late in the first half. Right-back Maílton received a pass from Gazal and unleashed a long-range strike into the top corner, beating goalkeeper Helton Leite at the 45th minute. In the second half, Fortaleza had an apparent second goal disallowed by the VAR.
Prior to the match, 38,567 tickets had been sold, surpassing the previous record of 38,472 set during the second-turn Clássico-Rei.
Fortaleza’s lineup featured João Ricardo; Maílton, Lucas Gazal, Bastos, and Mucuri; Jailson, Lucas Sasha, and Lucca Prior; with Paulo Baya, Chico da Costa, and Pedro Henrique. Guto Ferreira deployed Vila Nova com Helton Leite; Igor Cariús, Jonathan Costa, Douglas Mendes, e Higor; Dudu, Dodô, e Marquinhos Gabriel; com Everton Galdino, Janderson, e Lincoln.
Janderson spoke before the encounter about his milestone of 10 goals in what he described as the greatest season of his career, while supporters such as Mara Almeida, Henrique Fidelis, and Laylla Leão traveled from Goiânia to the capital of Ceará to follow the colorado delegation.
Playoff Matchups Set
Novorizontino captured the Série B title with 73 points, while Juventude finished second with 71 points to claim the two direct promotion spots. Vila Nova finished the campaign in third place with 66 points, missing out on direct promotion.
Fortaleza closed the regular season with 65 points in fourth place. The results established the two playoff pairings for the remaining Série A promotion berths.
Fortaleza will face Criciúma, which finished fifth with 62 points. Vila Nova will contest a regional derby against sixth-placed Atlético-GO, which finished with 61 points. Opening playoff legs are scheduled for November 21, with return matches set for November 28.