The winner qualified for 2011 Recopa Sul-Brasileira and 2012 Campeonato Brasileiro Série D. Moreover, if the 2012 Campeonato Gaúcho winner and runner-up were Grêmio and Internacional (GRE–NAL), the runner-up of the cup would have been allocated one of the three spots of the state to 2013 Copa do Brasil, otherwise the champion, runner-up and the third place of the league would have been qualified for the cup.
If a berth for 2013 Copa do Brasil was vacant because one of the top three of 2012 Campeonato Gaúcho qualified for 2013 Copa Libertadores, the runner-up would have also qualified.
The clubs were divided into three groups according to their locations (Metropolitan, Border and Mountain), and played a double round-robin in each group.
The best five teams in each group and the best 6th-placed team of group 1 advanced to the knockout stage.
[1] The application to the competition was opened on 20 June[2] and 22 teams applied.