Royal Court 2026: defined the finalists who will dispute a place in the royalty of the Carnaval Carioca

It's time for the big finals! On Friday (17) was held the second day of the semifinals, dedicated to the dispute of the kings and queens, on a day marked by much agitation, full house and celebration. With a contest of 20 Queen candidates and 10 King, only half of each was selected for the end of the 24th. Among the postulants of the day, the candidates for King were classified as Anderson Matheus (7), Danilo Vieira (2), Djeferson Mendes (6), Jonata dos Santos (12) and Pablo Jales (3). The candidates for the Queen were Ana Carolina Antunes (28), Ana Luiza Carneiro (8), Caroline Xavier (29), Gabriela Carvalho (42), Ingrid Ferreira (34), Jessica Almeida (9), Luana Fernandes (2), Rhunda Monteiro (23), Samara Trinity (13) and Thays Busson (22).

Wilson Neto, King Momo of 2022, and Bianca Monteiro, drums queen of Portela, performed the evening performance with much energy and emotion. Whoever was there witnessed a real night of love dedications to samba.

The juror stand, formed every edition by representatives, lovers and scholars of our samba and our culture, had distinguished presences as Aunt Surica, legendary and matriarch figure of Portela; Lucinha Nobre, Multi-champion flag and Golden Banner; Mari Mola, Ambassador and Queen of Carnaval in 2023; Barbara Ferreira, journalist and writer; Nilce Fran, Vice President of Portela and Celia Fernandes, president of the Association of Women Entrepreneurs of Brazil. The president of Riotur was also on the table, Bernardo Fellows, the Vice-President Luís Monsores and the Director of Operations Flavius Teixeira.

Rosa Magellan: the honored of the night

Since I could not miss a day of celebration of the carnaval, samba was strong on stage. The Prosa Girl group, formed by women who participated in a women's percussion workshop at Pedra do Sal, opened the work with excellence, receiving all who arrived with great animation. After the time dedicated to the tribute to Rosa Magalhães, the Willow, his former school, entered the stage to do justice to his memory. With strong colors and sambas even more, the red and white enchanted the public by presenting their samba-entredo of 2026, which is dedicated to the great carnivalesca.

With the conduct of the Rio Samba Show, the dispute was taken by several very strong candidates, who left their life stories, positions and dedication on stage. The show was closed with the presentation of the Terreiro de Creoulo, samba wheel that travels several cities of Brazil, but has its root rooted in the Southwest of Rio, and is an absolute success among the events of the city.

The day was dedicated to the legendary Rosa Magellan, one of the greatest names in the history of the carnaval. Formed in the “Salgueirense Revolution” of the 1960s, Rosa holds the record for more titles won in the Sambódromo, five by the Empress (1994, 95, 99, 2000 and 2001), one by Vila Isabel (2013) and, before the avenue, won the last title of the Serrano Empire in 1982. Magellan died in 2024 and will be the storyline of the Willow in the 2026 parade.

“ I'm very excited to be here, because it records that somehow going through this stage, besides crowning us in the year we won, makes us a milestone in the history of our Carnaval, and this is very important. It is increasingly important that girls who are children of community and samba school, be marked in the history of the carnaval. ", said Maria Mola, Queen of the carnaval of 2023.

Every day of the Court is broadcast live on Youtube, via the official channel of Riotur and Fitamarel.

Check out the final calendar of the Royal Cut Contest Carnaval:

Day 23/10 – Final LGBT+ (Museum, Muse and Non-Binary Person)
Day 24/10 – Final (King and Queen)

Check out the awards and full performances of the finals:

Day 23/10 (Black Gil) – Samba That They Want, Empress, Maime of Brightness, Karina Karão and Sambay
Day 24/10 (Arlindo Cruz, Bira Presidente, Gilsinho da Portela and previous honorees) – Quintal da Magia, Beija-Flor and Arlindinho
Service:

Carnaval Royal Cut Competition 2026Dates: 23 and 24/10
Timetable: 19 h
Location: R. Rivadavia Corrêa, 60 – Holy Christ (Cidade do Samba)
Best way to get there: VLT – Line 1 (Santos Dumont x Terminal Gentleza). Just land at station Cidade do Samba/Tia Ciata
Ticket: Free entry

Check it out: Defined the LGBT+ finalists of the Royal Court 2026 on night of celebration of diversity