Internacional Secures Série A Survival as Fortaleza and Ceará Are Relegated in 2025 Season Finale
Internacional stays up in the 2025 Série A season finale while Fortaleza and Ceará face relegation after critical final matches.
- • Internacional secured Série A survival with a 3-1 win over Bragantino.
- • Fortaleza relegated after 4-2 loss to Botafogo, ending 19 years in top division.
- • Lucas Sasha and CEO Marcelo Paz announce deep restructuring plans at Fortaleza.
- • Ceará relegated following 3-1 defeat to Palmeiras despite early lead.
- • Santos and Vitória also secured their stays in Série A with key wins.
Key details
In the nail-biting final round of the 2025 Campeonato Brasileiro Série A, Internacional confirmed their top-flight survival with a commanding 3-1 victory over Red Bull Bragantino at Estádio Beira-Rio. Goals by Gabriel Mercado, Johan Carbonero, and Alan Patrick sealed the win, ensuring Internacional finished 16th with 44 points, narrowly escaping relegation. This positive result came amid crucial defeats for Fortaleza and Ceará, who both faced the drop to Série B after disappointing campaigns.
Fortaleza's relegation ended their 19-year stay in Brazil's top football division since their last relegation in 2006. Despite a strong start, Fortaleza succumbed 4-2 to Botafogo, closing the season in 18th place with 43 points. Midfielder Lucas Sasha expressed profound disappointment, highlighting the club's financial struggles common in Brazilian football, including unpaid salaries and mounting debts. CEO Marcelo Paz announced plans for comprehensive restructuring, emphasizing the need for "deep changes" to chart a return to Série A by 2027. Paz acknowledged the shared pain of fans and the team, yet remained optimistic about accelerating the club's recovery thanks to Fortaleza's solid organizational assets.
Ceará's relegation was confirmed following a 3-1 home loss to Palmeiras, which featured goals from Facundo Torres, Ramón Sosa, and Flaco López. Ceará had initially led 1-0 at halftime through Pedro Raul but ultimately could not sustain their advantage. Palmeiras concluded the season impressively as the best vice-champion in the history of the league format with 76 points.
Other survival stories included Santos, who secured their place in Série A by thrashing Cruzeiro 3-0 with two goals from Thaciano, and Vitória, who overcame São Paulo 1-0 thanks to Gabriel Baralhas' decisive goal in front of their home fans. As the dust settles, Internacional breathes a sigh of relief while Fortaleza and Ceará confront the challenge of rebuilding in Série B ahead of 2026.
This article was synthesized and translated from native language sources to provide English-speaking readers with local perspectives.