Carioca 1 (Brazil)

Carioca 1 (Campeonato Carioca) - the top tier of the Rio de Janeiro state championship, organized by the Rio de Janeiro State Football Federation. Regulations: 12 clubs are split into two groups of six and play a single round against teams from the opposite group, with points awarded 3 for a win, 1 for a draw and 0 for a loss, and group ties on points are broken by wins, goal difference, goals scored, disciplinary record and, if needed, a draw of lots. The Taça Guanabara title goes to the club with the best record among the two group winners, with ties broken by wins, goal difference, goals scored, head-to-head, disciplinary record and then lots. The top four teams in each group qualify for the knockout stage, quarterfinals are single-leg matches within each group in the pairings 1 v 4 and 2 v 3, and any draw is decided by a penalty shootout. Semifinals are played over two legs with no advantage for a draw, and if aggregate is level the winner is decided on penalties, while the final is a single match decided on penalties if tied. Quarterfinal losers contest the Taça Rio as a playoff. The teams finishing 5th and 6th in each group enter “Group X” in a double round-robin, the bottom team is relegated to Serie A2 and the next-to-last team plays a relegation playoff for a place next season.