The tournament would be divided in four stages: •
Taça Guanabara: The twelve teams all played in a single round-robin format against each other. The champions qualified to the Final phase. •
Taça Ney Cidade Pinheiro: The twelve teams all played in a single round-robin format against each other. The champions qualified to the Final phase. •
Taça Sylvio Corrêa Pacheco: The twelve teams all played in a single round-robin format against each other. The champions qualified to the Final phase. •
Final phase: The champions of the two stages, plus the team with the best overall record would play that phase. In case one team won two rounds, an up-to-three match series against the other stage winner would be played: a tie favoured the team with the most stages won; in case of a loss, another match would be held under the same rules; if another loss occurred, another match would be held, and in case of another loss, the title would go to the team that had won only one stage. ==Championship==