About Brazilian Serie A
League History
Due to historical peculiarities and its large territorial size, Brazil has a relatively short history of nationwide football competitions. The main and most prestigious tournaments were state championships held in each Brazilian state, with occasional interstate competitions such as the Torneio Rio-São Paulo. In 1959, advancements in civil aviation and air transport, coupled with the need to appoint a Brazilian representative for the first Copa Libertadores, led to the creation of the regular nationwide tournament Taça Brasil, a knockout competition. In 1967, the Torneio Rio-São Paulo expanded to include teams from other states, becoming the Torneio Roberto Gomes Pedrosa. The first nationwide championship and league explicitly organized by the CBF took place in 1971, with Atlético Mineiro winning the title, though it was only referred to as the "Brasileirão" starting from 1989.
Competition Format
A defining feature of the Campeonato Brasileiro’s history is the lack of standardization in its competition format, rules, and number of participants, with changes occurring almost every season. As a result, in several seasons, there was no promotion and relegation system for the second tier, and sometimes no distinct divisions at all. The number of clubs also fluctuated, peaking at 92 participants in 1979. Various formats have been adopted, including knockout stages (1959–1968) and hybrid systems with group stages followed by playoffs (1967–2002). The tournament’s format was only standardized in 2006, when a round-robin system with 20 clubs was adopted, where all teams face each other in home and away matches.
In 2010, the CBF declared the champions of nationwide tournaments from 1959 to 1970—Taça Brasil and Torneio Roberto Gomes Pedrosa—as official Brazilian champions (not as champions of the Brasileirão or Serie A). In August 2023, the CBF retroactively declared the 1937 Torneio dos Campeões as part of the Campeonato Brasileiro. Titles from older tournaments referenced in the Campeonato Brasileiro’s history are equated to Serie A titles, though these tournaments are cataloged in statistics under their original names (despite being distinct competitions, they are awarded the same status).
Championship History
The Campeonato Brasileiro Série A is one of the world’s strongest leagues; it boasts the second-highest number of FIFA Club World Cup titles, with 6 clubs winning 10 championships, and the second-highest number of Copa Libertadores titles, with 12 clubs claiming 24 victories. The IFFHS ranked the league fourth in strength for the 2001–2012 period, behind England’s Premier League, Spain’s La Liga, and Italy’s Serie A. The Brazilian football league is the most-watched football league in the Americas and one of the most exposed globally, broadcast in 155 countries. It is also one of the world’s richest tournaments, ranking sixth with a value exceeding US$1.43 billion and a turnover of over US$1.17 billion in 2012.
Since 1959, a total of 156 clubs have participated in the Campeonato Brasileiro Série A. Seventeen clubs have been crowned Brazilian football champions, with 13 winning the title more than once. Palmeiras is the most successful club in Brazilian league history, with 12 titles, followed by Santos with 8, and Corinthians and Flamengo with 7 each. Santos’ "Santásticos" team won five consecutive titles from 1961 to 1965, a feat yet to be matched. The state of São Paulo is the most successful, amassing 34 titles across five clubs.