The championship has three stages. On the first stage, all teams except those who are playing in the 2013 Copa do Nordeste play a single round-robin. The best five teams qualifies to the second stage. Also, the best team in this stage qualifies to the 2014 Copa do Nordeste, and the second best qualifies to the 2014 Copa do Brasil. The two worst teams in this stage are relegated.
On the second stage, the teams are joined by the clubs from Bahia who were playing in Copa do Nordeste. The teams are put in two groups. The clubs from each group faces all clubs in the other group. The two best teams in each group qualify to the Final stage. In the final stage, it's a playoff with four teams.