2021 Copa do Nordeste
The 2021 Copa do Nordeste was the 18th edition of the main football tournament featuring teams from the Brazilian Northeast Region. The competition featured 16 clubs, with Bahia, Ceará and Pernambuco having two seeds each, and Rio Grande do Norte, Sergipe, Alagoas, Paraíba, Maranhão and Piauí with one seed each. Four teams were decided by a qualifying tournament (Pré-Copa do Nordeste). The Copa do Nordeste began on 27 February and ended on 8 May. Tied on aggregate 2–2, Bahia defeated the defending champions Ceará on penalties in the finals to win their fourth title. As champions, Bahia qualified for the third round of the 2022 Copa do Brasil. Format In this season, 12 teams (9 state league champions and best placed teams in the 2020 CBF ranking from Bahia, Ceará and Pernambuco) gained direct entries into the group stage while the other four berths were decided by the Pré-Copa do Nordeste. For the group stage, the 16 teams were drawn into two groups. Each team played once against the eight clubs from the other group. Top four teams qualified for the final stages. Quarter-finals and semi-finals were played on a single-leg basis and finals were played on a home-and-away two-legged basis. Teams 2021 Pré-Copa do Nordeste The 2021 Pré-Copa do Nordeste was the qualifying tournament of 2021 Copa do Nordeste. It was played from 16 December 2020 to 2 February 2021. Eight teams competed to decide four places in the Copa do Nordeste. Teams from Alagoas, Maranhão, Paraíba, Pernambuco, Piauí, Rio Grande do Norte and Sergipe qualified as best placed teams in the 2020 CBF ranking not already qualified, while the team from Bahia qualified through the 2020 Campeonato Baiano (best placed team not already qualified, runners-up Atlético de Alagoinhas). Draw The draw was held on 4 November 2020, 10:00, at the CBF headquarters in Rio de Janeiro. Teams were seeded by their 2020 CBF ranking (shown in parentheses). The eight teams were drawn into four ties, with the Pot A teams hosting the second leg. Each tie was played on a home-and-away two-legged basis. If tied on aggregate, extra time would not be played and a penalty shoot-out would be used to determine the winner. The away goals rule would not be used (Regulations Pré-Copa do Nordeste Article 10). Matches |} Santa Cruz, CSA, Botafogo-PB and Altos qualified for 2021 Copa do Nordeste. Qualified teams Schedule The schedule of the competition was as follows. Draw The draw for the group stage was held on 4 February 2021, 12:00, at the CBF headquarters in Rio de Janeiro. The 16 teams were drawn into two groups of eight containing two teams from each of the four pots with the restriction that teams from the same federation (except Salgueiro) could not be drawn into the same group. Teams were seeded by their 2020 CBF ranking (shown in parentheses). Group stage For the group stage, the 16 teams were drawn into two groups of eight teams each. Each team played on a single