The Pré-Copa do Nordeste 2025 starts today with two Maranhão teams, MAC and Moto, eager to advance to the second round and secure spots in the group stage of the competition. The Bode Gregório takes the field at 19:30 against Botafogo/PB in João Pessoa, whereas the Papão faces Retrô/PE at the same time in Recife.
With only Sampaio already classified for the group stage beginning on January 22, both MAC and Moto have their work cut out for them. To progress, they need to win their matches outright or, at minimum, secure draws to take the fight to penalties. It's knockout football: win and advance, lose and go home.
Placing added pressure on the teams is the unpredictable nature of the Sistema de classificação da CBF (CBF ranking system), which will play a significant role when it’s time to determine matchups for the subsequent round. This unpredictability was underlined with the existing pairings set before the latest updates to the rankings.
Interestingly, only Moto has the chance to play at home should they continue forward. Nonetheless, they'll need to rely on the elimination of teams like CSA, ABC, Ferroviário/CE, Botafogo/PB, ASA, and Santa Cruz/PE to do so—no small feat.
Historically, Maranhão teams have struggled to reach the group stage via these eliminations, increasing the stakes for MAC and Moto as they look to rewrite their narratives.
Along with these matches, teams from Alagoas have already guaranteed advancement to the second phase. CSA triumphed over Barcelona de Ilhéus 1-0, and ASA defeated Sergipe 2-0. Each team will now wait for the conclusion of all first-round games to find out who they will face next.
Other matchups include: CSA vs. Barcelona de Ilhéus; ABC vs. Maracanã; Ferroviário vs. Santa Cruz-RN; Botafogo-PB vs. Maranhão; Santa Cruz vs. Treze; Juazeirense vs. Fluminense-PI; Retrô vs. Moto Club; Sergipe vs. ASA.
With the excitement of potential upsets and surprises inherent to knockout football, supporters are undoubtedly eager to see how the Maranhão teams fare this year. The time has come—the pré-Copa do Nordeste 2025 is officially underway!