The tournament was divided in four stages: •
Preliminary tournament: The two teams that had been eliminated in the 2000 Taça Guanabara joined the two relegated teams of that year, Itaperuna and Serrano, and two teams from the second level: Portuguesa and São Cristóvão; each team played against each other in a double round-robin format, and the best team would qualify to the main tournament. Each team also received a number of bonus points, the distribution criteria for them remaining unclear. •
Taça Guanabara: The 12 clubs were divided into two groups of six, and the teams in each group played in a single round-robin format against each other, with the best two in each group qualifying to the Semifinals. •
Taça Rio: The 12 clubs all played in single round-robin format against each other. •
Finals: The Finals would happen in two matches, both played at the
Maracanã Stadium, between the champions of the Taças Guanabara and Rio. ==Championship==