Brazil Election: Lula Confirms He Will Skip Globo’s Final Debate

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 president now confirmed to stay away and four rivals set to share the stage.

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, and the network has confirmed Romeu Zema of Novo alongside Caiado and Cury, BBC News Brasil reported.

On Thursday morning, Lula informed Globo that he will not attend, as g1 reported. As we reported on 29 September, his campaign had already signalled it would skip 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.

With Lula confirmed out, the evening still matters: Caiado, Cury and Zema are competing for the protest vote, and an empty podium has its own political price. The format, published by Globo on 30 September, runs four blocks — two with themes drawn by lot, two free.

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 9:30 p.m. Brasília time (8:30 p.m. US Eastern, 1:30 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

Whether a substitute will actually take Lula’s place on stage, and the segment-by-segment running order, which Globo had not published.

Frequently Asked Questions

When is the Globo presidential debate?

Thursday, 1 October 2026, at 9:30 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, alongside Ronaldo Caiado, Augusto Cury and Romeu Zema. Lula told Globo on 1 October that he will not take part, opting for podcast appearances instead.

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: g1 (1 October 2026) and BBC News Brasil (Lula’s decision, confirmed lineup); O Globo (date, time, format) and Folha de S.Paulo (invitations, substitute rules); 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 September–1 October 2026.

This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated AI newsroom. Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Publisher and Editor-in-Chief. The Rio Times also runs Ask Rio Times, which answers from 100,000+ of our own articles, the daily Latin America Power Map, and prediction-market odds on elections and markets.. How we use AI · Report an error

Brazil runoff, Sunday, October 25: When is the Brazil runoff election. Latest: Brazil runoff polls, Flávio 51%, Lula 49%.