Brazil Election: Globo’s Final Debate Airs 1 October, Lula Still Unconfirmed

Brazil Elections 2026: The Final Week

Brazil’s last and biggest televised debate before Sunday’s election airs Thursday night on Globo — the country’s largest network — with the challenger confirmed and the president still deciding whether to show up.

Who Is In and Who Is Out

Senator Flávio Bolsonaro confirmed his attendance on 27 September and publicly dared President Lula to join him. Globo invited the four candidates whose parties meet the congressional threshold: Lula, Flávio Bolsonaro, Ronaldo Caiado and Augusto Cury. Under Globo’s rules, reported by Folha de S.Paulo, substitutes may be called for absentees.

Lula had not confirmed as of Wednesday morning. As we reported on 29 September, his campaign is leaning toward skipping the debate in favour of friendlier podcast formats. Flávio’s camp has made his attendance a centrepiece of the final week. A planned Record TV debate on 27 September was cancelled after both front-runners declined.

Why This Debate Matters More Than the Others

Globo is Brazil’s most-watched network, and its election-eve debate is traditionally the single largest shared audience of the campaign. The first debate of this cycle, on 23 August on Bandeirantes, went ahead without either front-runner. Thursday is the last scheduled chance for voters to see the leading candidates side by side before the first round on 4 October.

If Lula stays away, the evening still matters: Caiado and Cury are competing for the protest vote, and an empty podium has its own political price. If he attends, expect questions on the Banco Master investigations, the cost of living and the Supreme Court crisis that dominated September.

The State of the Race, Three Days Out

Three polls frame the final week. Quaest (28 September): Lula 39%, Flávio 34% in the first round; runoff tied 42–42. Datafolha (22–24 September): Lula 40%, Flávio 36%; runoff 47–45 for Lula. AtlasIntel’s final pre-election poll likewise shows Lula ahead in round one and a dead heat in the runoff. All point to the same picture: Lula leads the first round, and a 25 October runoff — if it happens — is open.

Beyond the presidency, Brazilians elect governors, the full 513-seat Chamber of Deputies and two-thirds of the Senate on Sunday. Our Elections 2026 Complete Guide explains the system, and the results hub goes live with the count on Sunday night.

How to Watch From Abroad

The debate airs on TV Globo in Brazil at 9 p.m. Brasília time (8 p.m. US Eastern, 1 a.m. Friday in London). Globo’s digital outlets — g1, GloboNews and Globoplay — carried the network’s candidate interviews live and are expected to carry the debate; check locally on the night. The debate is in Portuguese, without official translation.

What We Could Not Confirm

Lula’s final decision — his campaign had not given a definitive answer by Wednesday morning. Whether substitutes will replace any absentee on stage, and the debate’s detailed format and segment timing, which Globo had not published.

Frequently Asked Questions

When is the Globo presidential debate?

Thursday, 1 October 2026, at 9 p.m. Brasília time, at Globo’s studios in Rio de Janeiro. That is three days before the first round of the election on 4 October.

Is Lula debating Flávio Bolsonaro on Globo?

Flávio Bolsonaro has confirmed. Lula had not confirmed as of the morning of 30 September, and his campaign has indicated he prefers podcast appearances. Globo has said substitutes may replace absent candidates.

Who is moderating the Globo debate?

César Tralli, the journalist who takes over as anchor of Globo’s flagship Jornal Nacional this year, succeeding William Bonner.

What do the final polls say before the debate?

Quaest (28 September) has Lula at 39% and Flávio Bolsonaro at 34% in the first round, with a runoff tied at 42% each. Datafolha (22–24 September) has 40% to 36%, and 47% to 45% for Lula in the runoff. AtlasIntel’s final poll also shows a first-round Lula lead and a tied runoff.

Sources: TV Globo announcements and Folha de S.Paulo’s Painel column (debate date, moderator, invitations); Quaest (28 September 2026), Datafolha (22–24 September 2026) and AtlasIntel (29 September 2026) polls as registered with the electoral court; The Rio Times coverage of 27–29 September 2026.

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