Brasileirão

Brasileirão Série A

The Campeonato Brasileiro Série A, commonly known as the Brasileirão, is the top-tier football league in Brazil and one of the strongest leagues in the world. Founded in 1959, it features Brazil’s greatest clubs such as Flamengo, Corinthians, São Paulo, Palmeiras, and Santos, and is famous for developing world-class talent.

History and facts

The Brasileirão began in 1959 as the Taça Brasil, evolving over the decades through different formats until adopting the modern league system in 2003.

Today, the league features 20 teams playing home and away for a total of 38 rounds, similar to Europe’s top leagues.

Brazil’s top clubs are known for producing legendary players including Pelé, Zico, Romário, Ronaldo, Ronaldinho, Kaká, and Neymar.

League system

The Brasileirão is the top tier above Série B, Série C, and Série D. Below the national levels are Brazil’s famous state leagues such as Paulista, Carioca, and Mineiro.

Table 1. Brazilian football tiers

League	Tier
Série A	1
Série B	2
Série C	3
Série D	4

Below the fourth level, competition continues in state leagues such as Paulista, Carioca, and Gaucho.

Stats

Teams with most titles

Table 2. Clubs with most Série A titles

Club	Titles
Palmeiras	12
Santos	8
Corinthians	7
Flamengo	7
São Paulo	6
Cruzeiro	4
Vasco da Gama	4
Internacional	3
Fluminense	4

Palmeiras is the most successful club in the history of the Brasileirão.

Teams with most league participation

Table 3. Clubs with most Série A seasons

Club	Seasons
São Paulo	All seasons since 1971
Flamengo	All seasons since 1971
Cruzeiro	Most seasons
Internacional	Most seasons
Corinthians	Most seasons

São Paulo and Flamengo have never been relegated in the modern era.

Audience

Stadium capacities

Table 4. Major stadiums in Brazil

Team	Stadium	Capacity
Flamengo / Fluminense	Maracanã	78,838
São Paulo	Morumbi	66,795
Corinthians	Arena Corinthians	49,205
Palmeiras	Allianz Parque	43,713
Grêmio	Arena do Grêmio	55,225

Players

Top goalscorers

• Roberto Dinamite — all-time top scorer of the league
• Romário — legendary Flamengo striker
• Zico — Flamengo icon
• Fred — one of modern era's top scorers
• Edmundo — Palmeiras legend

Brasileirão timeline

1959 Taça Brasil, the predecessor to Série A, is founded.

1971 Official start of the modern Campeonato Brasileiro.

2003 Série A switches to a European-style round-robin format.

2019 Flamengo achieves a historic season, winning Série A and Libertadores.

2020 Pandemic forces schedule changes but the league continues.

References:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Campeonato_Brasileiro_Série_A
https://www.cbf.com.br
https://www.rsssf.org