Flávio Bolsonaro has adopted a conditional approach to pre-first-round presidential debates in Brazil’s October 4, 2026, election, tying his participation to the presence of frontrunner Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. He skipped the August 23 Band debate—along with Lula and Romeu Zema—after Lula cited dissatisfaction with the invitees, prompting Flávio’s campaign to state it would evaluate remaining events case by case. Upcoming debates include a September 14 consortium event, a September 27 Record broadcast, and an October 1 Globo program. Recent Datafolha polling shows Lula at 39% and Flávio at 33% in the first round, underscoring their status as the main contenders and reinforcing Flávio’s focus on direct confrontation with Lula over multi-candidate formats. Trader consensus reflects uncertainty over whether Lula will join later debates and whether Flávio will deviate from his selective strategy.