Confiança and Anápolis face each other on Saturday, August 22, 2026, at 7:30 pm, at Batistão, in Aracaju, for the 18th and penultimate round of the first phase of Series C. The current CBF page for the match confirms the date, time, stadium and SportyNet as broadcaster. The sporting weight is even greater: Confiança comes in 20th place, with 13 points, while Anápolis is 19th, with 15.
The permanence account does not depend only on direct confrontation. Itabaiana, 18th with 17 points, and Barra, 17th with 18, also enter the scenarios. The CBF itself already informed during the competition that only the last two placed teams will be relegated to Série D in 2026. Therefore, the game at Batistão could eliminate Confiança immediately, keep them alive for another day or transfer the decision to Sunday's results.
Where to watch Confiança x Anápolis
In the official CBF record, the broadcast appears as SportyNet. The schedule released for the week of the game points to the duel specifically on SportyNet+ 3. SportyNet+ is the package with additional signals used to distribute simultaneous Series C matches; Operators such as Claro and SKY offer these channels on their TV and streaming services.
For this game, the grid consulted does not place it among the open broadcasts on SportyNet's YouTube. As the distribution between signals may be adjusted close to the round, the safest check is to look for Confiança x Anápolis in the operator's programming guide or on the SportyNet+ service on Saturday.
It is also worth paying attention to the date. Older materials showed the match on August 23rd, but the CBF published a table modification information on August 5th and, on the current match and accreditation pages, the game appears on August 22nd, at 7:30 pm. This is the current schedule in the survey carried out on August 18.
Why Confiança’s situation is so tight
The 1-1 draw with Maringá, in the 17th round, took Confiança to 13 points. Anápolis remained with 15 after losing to Floresta. Above the two are Itabaiana, with 17, and Barra, with 18. There are only six points left to compete for each team.
This means that the Dragon does not alone control its own permanence. Even winning the direct confrontation, they can still reach the last round with no mathematical chance, if the two competitors immediately above also win on Sunday. On the other hand, a defeat ends the dispute without the need to wait for any other score.
If Confiança wins
With a victory, Confiança rises from 13 to 16 points and surpasses Anápolis, who remains with 15. The result is the only one that allows the team from Sergipe to leave Saturday having directly improved its position in relation to the Z-2 opponent.
The victory, however, does not guarantee that the Dragon will reach the last round alive. If Itabaiana beats Maranhão and Barra defeats Maringá on Sunday, the two clubs above the zone will have 20 and 21 points, respectively. In this scenario, Confiança would have 16 and could reach a maximum of 19 in the final round; therefore, it would be demoted even after
to beat Anápolis.
If at least one between Itabaiana and Barra does not win, Confiança's victory keeps the dispute open. The final round, on August 29th, has Ferroviária x Confiança, while Anápolis hosts Santa Cruz, Itabaiana faces Botafogo-PB and Barra plays against Volta Redonda, all scheduled for 5pm.
If Confiança and Anápolis draw
The draw takes Confiança to 14 points and Anápolis to 16. For Dragão, the margin is minimal. According to the scenario calculated after the 17th round, any point achieved by Itabaiana against Maranhão on Sunday will result in Confiança's relegation.
If Itabaiana loses, Confiança still remains mathematically alive for the last round. In this case, however, they will need to recover three points and depend on the tiebreaker criteria and other combinations. The draw, therefore, does not automatically eliminate the team on Saturday, but leaves them without autonomy and waiting for the result in São Luís.
For Anápolis, the draw preserves a two-point advantage over Confiança, but it is not enough to take them out of Z-2 at that moment: with 16, they are still behind Itabaiana and Barra in the round's entry score. The definition of your situation remains open for the final round.
If Confiança loses
Defeat is the simplest scenario from a mathematical point of view: Confiança remains with 13 points, reaches the last round being able to reach a maximum of 16 and sees Anápolis rise to 18. As Itabaiana already has 17 and Barra has 18 before they enter the field, Dragão can no longer reach the permanence range. Relegation is declared at the final whistle of Batistão.
For Anápolis, winning means reaching 18 points and opening five over Confiança, eliminating a direct competitor. Even so, the permanence of the team from Goiás is not automatically assured, because Itabaiana and Barra are still involved in the same dispute.
What does an Anápolis defeat change
If Confiança wins, Anápolis will park at 15 and fall behind its rival, who will be at 16. From then on, the Goiás team will also start to depend heavily on Sunday. According to the arithmetic of the table, if Itabaiana and Barra win their games, both reach at least 20 points; with only three points available after that, Anápolis, which could reach a maximum of 18, would also have no chance of staying.
This is the most important effect of direct confrontation: there is no comfortable result for both. A victory for Confiança compresses the bottom zone and could put Anápolis in the bottom spot; a victory for Anápolis ends the Dragon's fight; and the draw keeps both men threatened, but leaves Sergipe's situation much more dependent on Itabaiana.
When the round really ends for Confiança
Confiança x Anápolis will be on Saturday night, while the two decisive external games for the Azulina account are scheduled for Sunday. Maringá x Barra starts at 4pm on
Willie Davids, and Maranhão x Itabaiana at 6:30 pm at Castelão, according to the current CBF schedule.
For this reason, fans can separate the scenarios into two stages. If Confiança loses, the drop is immediate on Saturday. If they draw, they need to wait for Itabaiana and hope for a defeat for their rival from Sergipe. If you win, you still need at least one between Itabaiana and Barra not to win to take the dispute for permanence to the 19th and final round.
The combination turns Confiança x Anápolis into more than a clash between 20th and 19th. It's the game that redistributes the pressure across the bottom of Serie C and determines who will still have scores to settle on the last weekend of August.
