Campeonato Paulista Serie B

The Campeonato Paulista Segunda Divisao is the fifth soccer division in Sao Paulo’s professional system. It was created in 1978 under the name Campeonato Paulista Terceira Divisao, but it only lasted two years. It was then brought back for two more seasons, this time as Campeonato Paulista Serie B2. The league was rebranded to Campeonato Paulista Serie B1-B from 1996 to 1999, and then once again changed its name to Campeonato Paulista Serie B2 from 2000 to 2004. After these attempts, the league went into a 20-year pause, until it was brought back by the Sao Paulo Football Federation as an U-23 category.

Although it is considered as a development league, the winner of this championship is promoted to the Campeonato Paulista – Serie A4, the equivalent to the fourth tier of Sao Paulo’s soccer system. The first edition under its new name was played by 17 teams, which were divided into three regional groups, two of which had six teams, leaving five for the other group. The second stage is played by 12 teams, drawn into three groups of four. There, the top two teams and the two best third-placed teams make the playoffs.

The playoffs are played on a two-leg format, with the better-ranked teams getting home-field advantage for the return leg. If needed, penalties are used to determine the winner if the aggregate is level after both matches.