League Overview

The Brazilian Serie A is a 20 team league that is the uppermost echelon of Brazilian football, and what many consider to be the strongest league on the continent. The Campeonato Brasileiro runs from May to December, and runs simultaneously with the various state championships also organised by the Brazilian Football Federation (CBF). Considering the rich history of Brazilian football, this league is fairly new (having started in 1971). A great feature of the Campeonato Brasileiro is that it is a very even and open championship. Despite the fact that there are a few big powerhouse teams, there is no entirely dominant team, and the level of competitiveness is very high. Quite a few teams have a chance in the championship each year, and there are always upsets. However this is partly due to the constant movement of players, particularly the steady flow of top stars from Brazil to the major leagues in Europe, thus allowing very few but the biggest teams to maintain consistently competitive sides.

The following teams currently compete in the Campeonato Brasileiro: Atlético Mineiro, Atlético Paranaense, Botafogo, Coritiba, Cruzeiro, Figuierense, Flamengo, Fluminense, Goiás, Grêmio, Internacional, Ipatinga, Náutico, Palmeiras, Portuguesa, Santos, São Paulo, Sport, Vasco da Gama, Vitória.

At one time or another, some of the world’s best and most famous players have played in this league. These include: Romario, Ronaldinho, Ronaldo, Kaka, Cafu, Zico, Pele, Rivaldo and Roberto Carlos.

League Ranking

History

Unlike many other leagues around the world, the Campeonato Brasileiro Serie A was not an offshoot or re-structuring of an existing league. It was founded fairly recently, in 1971, and was an entirely new league that was designed to replace the existing championships in the country – Taça Brasil and Torneio Roberto Gomes Pedrosa.

It was somewhat controversial, since both the previous tournaments had been important, although different. Their formats varied, and although they both featured numerous teams from around the country, neither was definitive. There was also a political tinge to the birth of the Brasileiro, because it was supported heavily by the military regime in power at the time, and was a way of “imposing structure”. The CBF have also reinforced the Campeonato Brasileiro’s status as the only real league by refusing to recognise records and statistics from the previous tournaments.

Another problem that had faced teams at the time was the sheer size of the Brazil, and the geographical problems involved for teams competing in a single league. However changes made by the military regime and improvements in aviation and transport, the league became possible.

The format of the league has had few changes since 1971, although it changed significantly and permanently in 2003. Prior to that, unlike European leagues, Serie A was decided on the basis of a playoff system between the top 8 teams from the regular season. Following 2003, they adopted a typical home and away round robin format, with first-placed team at the end of the regular season winning the title.

As mentioned earlier, a pleasing statistic from the Campeonato Brasileiro is the absence of particularly dominant teams. In the 37 years of the championship’s existence, Sao Paulo have won the most titles, with just 5. They are followed by four other teams with 4 titles each, and in total 17 teams have won titles. However there has been an understandable regional dominance – teams from Sao Paulo have won 16 titles, teams from Rio de Janeiro have won 10, and 5 other states share the other 11 titles.

The Brazilian Championship has reached a stable state following years of economic problems, corruption allegations and instability, although most clubs are still run in debt and rely on the movements of players to Europe. Unlike in Europe, football is still a game of the common people here, and tickets and television costs are still reasonable. However, as the Brazilian economy continues to grow, the league might well start to be able to hold on to its top players, at least for a little longer than they do now.

League Format

The number of teams in the Brazilian Serie A was changed from 22 to 20 in 2005. As a result, teams play 38 games a season, with a double round-robin system – home and away. The winner at the end of the season is declared champion, and the bottom 4 teams in the league are relegated. Since 2003, this has been termed as the “definitive format” for the Campeonato Brasileiro by the CBF. Prior to 2003, the league ended in a playoff system involving the top 8 teams. The new format has its fair share of critics, because it lacks the drama and excitement of the previous system, although the competitive nature of the league has meant that the title races in the new format have not been short of excitement.

League Trophies

Campeonato Brasileiro titles have been fairly well shared out, with Sao Paulo having the most with 5, and Corinthians, Palmeiras, Vasco and Flamengo winning 4 each, and Porto Alegre sides Internacional and Gremio on 3 each. In total, teams from Sao Paulo have won 16 of the 37 Campeonato Brasileiro Serie A titles, with Rio de Janeiro sides capturing 10, and the Rio Grande do Sul team a bit further behing on 5. However, Sao Paulo teams have won 7 of the last 10 Brazilian Championship titles.

Recognition and Awards

Most League Goals of All Time

Most League Appearances

League Management

CBF: Ricardo Teixeira
Serie A: Ronald De Almeida Silva

Sponsors

Brahma

Media Coverage

TV Globo Esporte

Important Links

Serie A

References