Acadêmicos de Niterói, which won Série Ouro, is promoted to the Grupo Especial in 2026 after bringing an off-season festa junina to Rio.

With the storyline ‘Vixe Maria’, the school took us to Maracanaú in Ceará, for a story about one of the biggest São João festivals in the world.

Acadêmicos de Niterói scored to 269.5, keeping it just ahead of Estácio de Sá with 269.3 and Porto da Pedra with 269.1. It will be the first time the school has paraded in the elite Grupo Especial of twelve, becoming the 32nd different school to do so. Like Viradouro it is located in Niterói.

Relegated from Grupo Especial to Série Ouro is Unidos de Padre Miguel.