Since 2023, Brazil has been experiencing a cycle of infrastructure investments unprecedented in recent history. For 2026, the Brazilian Association of Infrastructure and Basic Industries (Abdib) projects a total of R$ 300 billion in investments in the sector. Although this represents a record level, it remains well below the R$ 500 billion annually considered necessary to address the structural infrastructure deficit accumulated over recent decades.
The second half of the year is expected to be decisive for consolidating this investment cycle, concentrating a substantial portion of the highway and railway auction calendar announced by the Ministry of Transport.
The 2026 concession portfolio presented by the Ministry includes 21 auctions—13 highway projects and 8 railway projects—with the potential to mobilize approximately R$ 288 billion in direct investments. When combined with complementary private-sector contributions throughout the duration of the concession agreements, total investments could reach R$ 804 billion.
The second half of the year includes key milestones in this schedule. The auction for the East-West Corridor, connecting Lucas do Rio Verde to Ilhéus and considered the largest project within Brazil’s expanding railway network, is scheduled for August, followed by the Ferrogrão Railway auction in September. In December, the bidding processes for the Southern Railway Network (Malha Sul) will conclude, covering the Paraná-Santa Catarina, Rio Grande, and Mercosur corridors.
In the highway sector, special attention is given to the 2 de Julho Route (BR‑116/324/BA), whose bidding documents are expected to be published in July, with the auction scheduled for November. This project joins the Integrated Highways of Santa Catarina and the Southern Integration Route, both expected to be auctioned in December.
The Federal Government has also signaled the launch of the National Railway Concessions Policy, an unprecedented regulatory framework that contemplates direct federal participation in reversible assets associated with railway projects. The initiative aims to reduce risks and improve concession cash flows, a measure expected to attract long-term capital to a transportation mode that has historically suffered from underinvestment.
Beyond land transportation infrastructure, the second half of the year will also see important developments in the port and airport sectors. The auction for the Santos-Guarujá Tunnel, structured as a public-private partnership between the Federal Government and the Government of the State of São Paulo, is expected during this period. The project involves an estimated investment of R$ 6 billion and will become Latin America’s first immersed tunnel.
The second phase of port auctions, also expected during the year, forms part of the broader modernization strategy for the Port of Santos, which accounts for approximately one-third of Brazil’s foreign trade volume.
In the airport sector, the Ministry of Ports and Airports projects the delivery of 66 infrastructure projects over the next two years. Notable investments include the expansion of Congonhas Airport, with total sector investments expected to reach R$ 9.7 billion by the end of 2026.
The Ministry is also advancing concessions related to Brazil’s inland waterways, covering approximately 20,000 kilometers of navigable rivers. This initiative expands logistical alternatives for transporting national production and reduces the country’s historical dependence on road transportation.
From a legal perspective, the maturation of this investment cycle has been accompanied by efforts toward contractual standardization and greater regulatory predictability. The more coordinated role of the Federal Court of Accounts (TCU) in contract structuring and renegotiation phases, combined with the adoption of optimization auctions—a mechanism allowing the replacement of underperforming concessionaires, as recently occurred with Autopista Fernão Dias—signals a new stage characterized by greater technical rigor and legal certainty for investors.
Nevertheless, significant structural challenges remain. Industry experts note that public investment still accounts for only 17% of total infrastructure investment, while resources allocated through parliamentary budget amendments—currently estimated at R$ 58 billion—often lack alignment with the sector’s medium- and long-term strategic priorities.
Additionally, analysts have warned of a potential slowdown in 2026, particularly in the energy sector, which is facing pressure from curtailment effects—a phenomenon that reduces the usable generation capacity of renewable energy sources during certain periods.
In this context, the role of lawyers specializing in infrastructure law becomes increasingly important, whether in the legal structuring of public-private partnership (PPP) projects, regulatory due diligence for auctioned projects, or the monitoring of concession renegotiation proceedings before the TCU and sector-specific regulatory agencies.
The second half of 2026, marked by a concentration of high-value and technically complex auctions, is expected to become a period of intense activity for legal professionals operating at the intersection of public law, regulation, and private investment in infrastructure.
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