Paulista A1 (Brazil)

Paulista A1 (Brazil) (Campeonato Paulista) - the top tier of the São Paulo state championship organized by the São Paulo Football Federation (FPF). Regulations: 16 clubs participate. The competition has 4 phases. In the first phase each club plays 8 single round matches against opponents defined by the draw. Points are 3 for a win, 1 for a draw and 0 for a loss. The top 8 on points advance to the quarterfinals. The bottom 2 are relegated to Paulista A2. Ties on points are broken by wins, goal difference, goals scored, fewer red cards, fewer yellow cards and then a draw. Quarterfinals and semifinals are single match knockouts. The host is determined by first phase ranking or overall best record. If level after 90 minutes the winner is decided by penalties. The final is played either as a single match or over two legs as agreed. Any tie in the final is also decided by penalties. There is no extra time. National berths are allocated by the final classification. This includes five Copa do Brasil places for the best ranked clubs excluding those in the national Serie A of the current season. It also includes three Campeonato Brasileiro Serie D places for the best ranked clubs not already placed in the national series A-D of the current season. Any remaining vacancies may be filled from Paulista A2.