2016 Campeonato Carioca

The 2016 Campeonato Carioca was the 113th edition of the top tier of the Campeonato Carioca, organized by FFERJ. The top four teams not otherwise qualified through national and international tournaments qualified for the 2017 Copa do Brasil.^[1] The top two teams not otherwise playing in the Campeonato Brasileiro Série A, Série B or Série C qualified for the 2016 Campeonato Brasileiro Série D.^[2]

Unlike the previous edition, the 16 teams in the 2016 Campeonato Carioca were divided into two groups of 8, whereby each team played every team from the other group once. The top four teams from each group qualified for the Taça Guanabara, while the bottom four teams qualified for the Taça Rio group stage. The Taça Rio group stage was made up of 8 teams and was contested as a single round-robin, with the top two teams going to the Taça Rio semifinals and the bottom two teams relegated to the 2017 Campeonato Carioca Série B1. The Taça Guanabara consisted of another group of 8 teams which was contested as a single round-robin. The top four teams from the Taça Guanabara qualified for the Campeonato Carioca semifinals, and the 5th and 6th placed teams qualified for the Taça Rio semifinals. The Taça Rio semifinals and final were single-legged; the Campeonato Carioca semifinal was single-legged, while the final was two-legged.^[3] Preparations for the 2016 Summer Olympics made Maracanã Stadium and Engenhão Stadium unavailable except for the finals.^[4][5][6] Matches were moved to alternative locations, including out of Rio de Janeiro state.^{[7][8][9][10]}