On February 16, 2026, the Independent League of Samba Schools (Liga Independente das Escolas de Samba) conducted a draw to determine the order of evaluation criteria for the Carnival 2026 in São Paulo. The announcement revealed that 'costume' ('Fantasia') will be the tiebreaker, ensuring that in the case of a tie, the costumes will play a critical role in deciding the winners of the samba schools' competition. The first criterion to be evaluated will be 'Evolution', setting the stage for the rest of the assessment process.

The competition's evaluation will take place at the Sambódromo do Anhembi on February 17, with various criteria being scored. The nine evaluation aspects include 'Evolution', 'Samba-enredo', 'Bateria', 'Enredo', 'Mestre-sala and Porta-bandeira', 'Alegoria', 'Comissão de frente', 'Harmonia', and 'Fantasia'. Each school will receive scores for these criteria, with the lowest score being dropped from the final tally, providing a level of fairness and competitive balance among the samba schools participating.

As part of the tradition, the samba schools in the Special Group will have their scores read and compiled during the evaluation. The two schools with the lowest total scores will be relegated to compete in the Group A (Grupo de Acesso I) for the subsequent year's carnival, underscoring the high stakes and intense competition that characterizes this cultural festival. The inclusion of 'costume' as a tiebreaker adds another layer of complexity and excitement to the Carnival's judging process, highlighting the importance of visual creativity in samba performances.