The Unidos do Viradouro samba school was announced as the champion of the 2026 Rio Carnival in a highly emotional moment at the Cidade do Samba, where representatives eagerly awaited the scores. Viradouro excelled in all categories, achieving a perfect score of 270 points on valid scores, with notably high marks such as a 9.9 in Fantasias and another 9.9 in Samba-enredo, both of which were ultimately discarded. It was during the penultimate score in the final category of the evaluation, Samba-enredo, that Viradouro secured its victory.

The euphoria erupted as judge Alfredo Del-Penho announced a perfect score of 10, which set off jubilant celebrations both at the Cidade do Samba and at the school's headquarters in Niterói. The atmosphere was contagious as members of the samba school hugged and danced together, sharing in the pride of their achievement. Among those celebrated was Mestre Ciça, the 69-year-old conductor of the bateria, who received warm embraces from fellow members, including the school's president, Marcelinho Calil, and the reigning queen of the carnival.