The 2019 Copa do Nordeste was the 16th edition of the main football tournament featuring teams from the Brazilian Northeast Region.
In the finals, Fortaleza defeated Botafogo-PB 2–0 on aggregate to win their first Copa do Nordeste title.
In this season, 12 teams (9 state league champions and best placed teams in the 2018 CBF ranking from Bahia, Ceará and Pernambuco) gained direct entries into the group stage while the other four berths were decided by the Pré-Copa do Nordeste.
[4] Best placed team in the 2018 CBF ranking not already qualified from Alagoas, Bahia, Maranhão, Paraíba, Pernambuco, Piauí, Rio Grande do Norte and Sergipe competed to decide four places in the Copa do Nordeste.
If tied on aggregate, the away goals rule would not be used, extra time would not be played, and the penalty shoot-out would be used to determine the winner (Regulations Pré-Copa do Nordeste Article 9).
[6] Sampaio Corrêa, Confiança, Salgueiro and CRB qualified for 2019 Copa do Nordeste.
[8] The draw for the group stage was held on 4 October 2018, 20:00, at Teatro Gustavo Leite in Maceió.
A second draw to determine the home-and-away teams for matches between same-state clubs was held on 15 October 2018 at CBF headquarters in Rio de Janeiro.
[3] Source:CBF[11] The 2019 Copa do Nordeste team was a squad consisting of the eleven most impressive players at the tournament.