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Football in Brazil

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Football is the most popular sport in Brazil and a prominent part of the country's national identity. The Brazil national football team has won the FIFA World Cup five times, the most of any team, in 1958, 1962, 1970, 1994 and 2002.[5] Brazil and Germany are the only teams to succeed in qualifying for all the World Cups for which they entered the qualifiers; Brazil is the only team to participate in every World Cup competition ever held. Brazil has also won an Olympic gold medal, at the 2016 Summer Olympics held in Rio de Janeiro[6] and at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.

Football in Brazil
Night view of Maracanã Stadium, June 2013.
CountryBrazil
Governing bodyCBF
National team(s)Brazil
First played1894[1]
Registered players2.1 million[2]
Clubs29,208[2]
National competitions
Club competitions
International competitions
Audience records
Single match199,854
(Brazil 1-2 Uruguay at Maracanã Stadium in 1950 FIFA World Cup)[4]

Pelé won three World Cups (he was injured during most of the 1962 World Cup). Some of the most prominent players in football come from Brazil, including Garrincha, Ronaldo, Roberto Carlos, Romário, Ronaldinho, Nilton Santos, Djalma Santos, Taffarel, Falcão, Rivaldo, Zico, Kaká and Neymar in men's game and Marta in the women's game.

The governing body of football in Brazil is the Brazilian Football Confederation.

History

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Main article: History of football in Brazil

Football was introduced to Brazil by Scottish immigrant Thomas Donohoe.[1] The first football match played in Brazil was in April 1894, played on a pitch marked out by Donohoe next to his workplace in Bangu.[1]

In the 1870s, like many other British workers, a Scottish expatriate named John Miller worked on the railroad construction project in São Paulo with other European immigrants.[7][8][9] In 1884, Miller sent his ten-year-old son Charles William Miller to Bannister School in Southampton, England, to be educated. Charles was a skilled athlete who quickly picked up the game of football at the time when the Football League was still being formed, and as an accomplished winger and striker Charles held school honors that gained him entry into the Southampton F.C. team, and later into the county team of Hampshire.

In 1888, the first sports club was founded in the city, São Paulo Athletic Club. In 1892, while still in England, Charles was invited to play a game for Corinthian F.C., a team formed of players invited from public schools and universities. On his return to Brazil, Charles brought some football equipment and a rule book with him. He then taught the rules of the game to players in São Paulo. On December 14, 1901, the "Liga Paulista de Foot-Ball" was founded, organising its own championship, "Campeonato Paulista", first held in 1902. Therefore, Campeonato Paulista became the oldest official competition in Brazilian football.[10] Another important club, called Società Sportiva Palestra Itália club, that was founded in 1914 played a big role in helping Italian immigrants get accustomed to Brazilian society.[11] The club's goal was to promote "Italian identity and allegiance, helping the immigrant community to cultivate a sense of discrete ethnicity".[11]

São Paulo Athletic Club won the first three years' Paulista championships. Miller's skills were far above his colleagues at this stage. He was given the honor of contributing his name to a move involving a deft flick of the ball with the heel "Chaleira" (the "tea-pot"). The first match played by one of Miller's teams was six months after Donohoe's.[1]

Another competition, Campeonato Carioca, was first held in 1906 as the Rio de Janeiro State football championship, being contested up to present days.

Charles Miller kept a strong bond with English football throughout his life. After a tour of English team Corinthian F.C. to Brazil in 1910, Corinthians was established on September 1, taking on the name of the British side after a suggestion from Miller. In 1913 there were two different editions of the Campeonato Paulista. One was organized by the Associação Paulista de Esportes Atléticos (APEA) while the other one was organized by the Liga Paulista de Foot-Ball (LPF).

The Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) was founded in 1914, but the current format for the Campeonato Brasileiro was only established in 1959.

Football style

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Garrincha (left), Brazilian winger and 1962 World Cup star, is regarded as one of the greatest dribblers of all time.[12]

Brazil plays a very unfundamental and distinctive style. For example, dribbling is an essential part of their style.[13][14][15][16]

After the third title in the 1970 FIFA World Cup, Brazilian football experienced a drought of World Cup titles, which would only end in 1994. In the meantime, despite playing flashy football that enchanted the world (like the 1982 FIFA World Cup squad), the Seleção started to prioritize results-based football. Thus, since the mid-1990s, Brazilian football began to lose its characteristics. For Tostão, Brazilian football has become outdated: "The most classic example of this is that in the last 20 years Brazil has not had a single great midfield player. And this happened because there was a division in the midfield between the midfielders, who play scoring further back, and two midfielders, who play up front, close to the opponent's area. The game lost exchange of passes in that environment. The Spanish and Germans do this very well. That was the best Brazil had in my time and disappeared. We had Gérson, Rivellino, Clodoaldo, then Falcão, Toninho Cerezo. This is what Iniesta, Rakitic, Modric and Kroos did, for example, and what Xavi and Schweinsteiger did. This characteristic that the Europeans encouraged most, the Brazilians devalued. We created many area dribblers. This is just one example of how Brazilian football has gone down the wrong path."[17][18][19]

The great exodus of players in recent years to European competitions has generated a great debate in the country, especially about the consequences this would have on the style of Brazilian football, as it could "Europeanize" the way players act.[20]

Brazilian team

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The 1970 FIFA World Cup-winning Brazil team, considered by many distinguished commentators as the greatest football team ever

The Brazil national football team is one of the main national football teams in the world. The biggest winner of the FIFA World Cup, with five titles, Brazil is known for its yellow and green shirt, with blue shorts and white socks, the four colors of the national flag. Because the shirt is predominantly yellow, the Brazilian team is also treated as the Canarinho team.[21][22]

Founded on July 21, 1914, the 12th anniversary of Fluminense Football Club, the Seleção played its first game at the Laranjeiras Stadium, against the English team Exeter City. The Brazilian team is widely considered the most relevant team in world football.[23]

The Brazilian national team also won the Copa América on eight occasions, the Confederations Cup on four, and in 2016 and 2020 won the gold medal, awarded to football champions at the Olympic Games, in the edition of the games held in Rio de Janeiro , having won three silver medals for runners-up and two bronze medals for third places.[24]

The Brazilian team's biggest rivals are Argentina and Uruguay on the American continent. In addition to these, the Europeans, England, Italy and the Netherlands, are traditional opponents, due to the clashes held, mainly in World Cups.[25][26][27][28]

Entities

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CBF

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The Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) is the highest sports entity in the country. It organizes all championships in the national territory and represents Brazil in international competitions between countries with the Brazilian team. It is headquartered in the city of Rio de Janeiro.[29]

State federations

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State Federations are responsible for regulating football in each State within its jurisdiction. They are inferior bodies linked to the CBF, having their own autonomy to organize championships, elect president, sign contracts and recognize clubs and associations linked to the sport.[30]

Sports justice

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The Superior Court of Sports Justice (STJD, in Portuguese) is a legal body in the field of sports in Brazil. He is responsible for judging cases involving clubs and athletes. It is common for them to participate in the daily life of Brazilian football through trials of cases of suspension due to red and yellow cards, cases of aggression or even doping. Its lower body is the Sports Justice Court (TJD, in Portuguese), which operates at state level.[31][32]

Main clubs

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Grenal, one of the fiercest football rivalries in the world.

In Brazil, historically 12 clubs are considered "big", although some others are also occasionally identified as big clubs, notably in their states of origin, including Atlético Paranaense. Those named in the lists with 12 clubs are: São Paulo, Palmeiras, Corinthians and Santos, all from the State of São Paulo; Fluminense, Flamengo, Vasco and Botafogo, all from the state of Rio de Janeiro; Internacional and Grêmio, from the state of Rio Grande do Sul, and Atlético Mineiro and Cruzeiro, from the state of Minas Gerais. In addition to these thirteen mentioned, Brazilian champion clubs are Bahia, Coritiba, Guarani and Sport, a total of 17 Brazilian Championship champion clubs, with Atlético Paranaense having had enormous growth in assets and income in the 21st Century, therefore being considered one of the greats of Brazilian football by much of the national press.[33][34]

Calendar and competitions

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A source of great controversy in Brazil, the football calendar has over time been the target of criticism from fans, specialized journalists and even club directors. With the approval of the "Football Fan Statute" by the National Congress, changes began to transform the national calendar. According to the CBF, the intention is to make the Brazilian calendar compatible with those of European countries, to reconcile the interests of national and international football organizations.[35][36]

The Brazilian season traditionally starts in January. Today, the first competition to be played by professional squads is the state championships. Previously, between the mid-1990s and 2002, regional competitions, such as the Rio-São Paulo Tournament, the Copa Sul-Minas and the Copa Nordeste, for example, were held at the beginning of the year. They involved teams from different states. However, they were extinguished, as they overwhelmed the big teams in the first half. The Copa do Brasil, played in the first half of the year, grew and gained importance. This is the only national competition that involves clubs from all states in Brazil, classified based on state tournaments from the previous year. By decision of the CBF, the Copa do Brasil now also includes the participation of teams qualified for the Libertadores da América, also played in the first half of each year. Bahia team was the first Brazilian champion, in 1959.[37][38][39]

The Brazilian Football Championship, also popularly known as Brasileirão, has been held between May and December normally, since 2003. As it starts before the middle of each year, the championship suffers with the opening of the foreign market between July and August, causing many players move to other countries. Furthermore, its beginning takes place during the decisive phase of the Copa Libertadores and its completion is in competition with the Copa Sudamericana.[40]

In total, a Brazilian club can end up playing around 70 matches throughout the year. There are 20 more compared to the representatives of the main European leagues, or 22 compared to their South American neighbors. First division games in the country usually take place in rounds on Wednesday and Thursday, in the evening, and Saturday and Sunday, in the afternoon.[41]

In the past, the state and national championships, since they were created, divided the Brazilian football calendar. One competition for each semester. Furthermore, in parallel to the state competitions, there were municipal and regional competitions and, in some places, the Home Tournament, which had all its matches in just one day.

Football culture

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2014 FIFA World Cup
 
Spectators watching Brazil national football team

Football is a significant part of the Brazilian identity. It is considered the country's most significant socio-cultural activity. In this way, football is not only a sport, but also an essential part of Brazil's cultural identity. It is the most popular sport in Brazil, and Brazilians passion for the sport makes them often refer to their country as "o País do Futebol" ("the country of football").[42]

The integration of the sport in different segments of society marked the beginning of the Brazilian football identity. The sport became part of Brazilians daily life, and with time, it also became part of the popular culture.[43]

The biggest evidence of the importance that football has on Brazilian culture is the World Cup. Every four years, Brazilians dominate the streets, cheering and celebrating their country. The sport brings people together.[44][45][46]

However, in recent years, with the rise of the internet, which makes it easier to follow any sport, and with Brazil's evolution in Olympic sports (the country became one of the 15 strongest in the world at the Olympic Games), the Brazilian population has been changing their tastes, and begins to become more interested in sports such as surfing, skateboarding, tennis, swimming, judo, volleyball and others, reducing the importance of football.[47][48][49][50][51][52][53]

Women's football

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Women's football, unlike men's, has noticeably less popularity in the country.

The Brazilian women's national team managed to finish as runners-up at the Olympics in 2004, 2008 and 2024, and at the Women's World Cup in 2007.

Brazilian football in television

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Football is broadcast in television in the following channels:

Free television

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League system

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Brazilian football clubs are affiliate to their state federations and state federations are themselves federate to Brazilian Football Confederation. As such, each state has its own league pyramid (see State Championships), Campeonato Paulista (the oldest and most traditional), Campeonato Carioca, Campeonato Mineiro, Campeonato Gaúcho being the most prominent.

There's a parallel federal pyramid. That means each club plays its state championships and only some biggest clubs play on the federal championships. Those two systems run in parallel there's no direct rank or relegation-promotion from one to the other besides state federations being responsible for appointing one to four clubs each to form each year Campeonato Brasileiro Série D. Each state set its own rule for those appointments but it's usually done through best position of the clubs on the top state tier that does not play any federal league or by a qualifying tournament, e.g. Copa Paulista is a tournament to select the fourth qualified from São Paulo (state) to Série D.

Main article: Brazilian football league system

The federal system is composed of four tiers:

State top tiers run from January to April and federal leagues from May to December, so clubs on federal leagues can handle their state schedule without conflict. Lower state tiers run from February to November.

Although uncommon it's possible for a 'big' club to be relegated to its state second-tier league while still playing a federal league. It happened for instance to Criciúma who was relegated to 2022 Campeonato Catarinense Série B, the second-tier league on Santa Catarina pyramid, while still playing Campeonato Brasileiro Série B. They resolved the problem of schedule conflict fielding a junior team in 2022 Campeonasto Catarinense Série B. Many of the states championships have their own promotion/relegation system.

Largest Brazilian football stadiums

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Stadiums with a capacity of 40,000 or higher are included.

# Stadium Capacity City State Tenants Image
1 Maracanã 73,193[54] Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro Flamengo, Fluminense  
2 Mané Garrincha 69,910[54] Brasília Federal District Brasília FC  
3 Mineirão 66,658[54] Belo Horizonte Minas Gerais Cruzeiro  
4 Morumbi[55] 66,435 São Paulo São Paulo São Paulo FC  
5 Arruda 60,044 Recife Pernambuco Santa Cruz  
6 Arena Castelão 57,876[54] Fortaleza Ceará Ceará, Fortaleza EC  
7 Parque do Sabiá 56,450 Uberlândia Minas Gerais Uberlândia EC  
8 Arena do Grêmio 55,662 Porto Alegre Rio Grande do Sul Grêmio  
9 Mangueirão 53,635 Belém Pará Paysandu, Clube do Remo
10 Beira-Rio 49,055[54] Porto Alegre Rio Grande do Sul Internacional  
11 Arena Fonte Nova 47,915[54][56] Salvador Bahia EC Bahia  
12 Arena Corinthians 47,252[54] São Paulo São Paulo Corinthians  
13 Prudentão 45,954 Presidente Prudente São Paulo Grêmio Prudente  
14 Arena Pernambuco 45,440[54] São Lourenço da Mata Pernambuco Retrô  
15 Nilton Santos 45,000 Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro Botafogo  
16 Albertão 44,200 Teresina Piauí Flamengo-PI, River Atlético Clube  
17 Allianz Parque 43,713 São Paulo São Paulo Palmeiras  
18 Arena da Amazônia 42,924[54] Manaus Amazonas Amazonas, Manaus FC, Nacional  
19 Arena Pantanal 42,788[54] Cuiabá Mato Grosso Cuiabá EC, Dom Bosco  
20 Arena da Baixada 42,372 Curitiba Paraná Athletico Paranaense  
21 Serra Dourada 42,000 Goiânia Goiás
22 Couto Pereira 40,502 Curitiba Paraná Coritiba FC  
23 Pacaembu 40,199 São Paulo São Paulo  
24 Castelão 40,149 São Luís Maranhão Sampaio Corrêa  

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d "New research reveals the Scottish dye worker who brought football to Brazil, 117 years ago exclusive". Herald Scotland. March 24, 2011. Retrieved February 21, 2014.
  2. ^ a b Brazilian Soccer: A Country of "Soccerists"
  3. ^ State football leagues in Brazil
  4. ^ Largest Sporting Crowds at Top End Sports
  5. ^ "Brazilian Football". Brazilian Football. Retrieved February 21, 2014.
  6. ^ "2016 Summer Olympics: The U.S. dominates Rio Games with 121 medals - Los Angeles Times". Los Angeles Times.
  7. ^ Jones, Jeremy V. (April 27, 2010). Toward the Goal: The Kaka Story - Jeremy V. Jones - Google Books. ISBN 9780310590033. Retrieved February 21, 2014.
  8. ^ Bellos, Alex (2003), Futebol: The Brazilian Way of Life, Bloomsbury Publishing, p. 27, ISBN 978-0-7475-6179-8
  9. ^ "The 'Labour Question' in Nineteenth Century Brazil: railways, export agriculture and labour scarcity" (PDF). p. 35. Retrieved February 21, 2014.
  10. ^ IFFHS HISTORY AND STATISTICS - CAMPEONATO PAULISTA DE FUTBOL (1902 - 1924) part 1 on the IFFHS, May 18, 2020
  11. ^ a b Bocketti, Gregg P (2008). Italian Immigrants, Brazilian Football, and the Dilemma of National Identity (2 ed.). Journal of Latin American studies. p. 285.
  12. ^ "Hall of Fame: Garrincha". ifhof.com. Retrieved July 7, 2015.
  13. ^ Langbein, Francis (February 28, 2013). "The secret behind the mystique of beautiful Brazilian soccer 02/28/2013". SoccerAmerica. Retrieved February 21, 2014.
  14. ^ Homewood, Brian (March 1, 2012). "Menezes sets Brazil quest for old style - World Cup 2014 - Football". The Independent. Retrieved February 21, 2014.
  15. ^ "Carlos backs Brazilian style | Football News". Sky Sports. Retrieved February 21, 2014.
  16. ^ "The famous Brazilian football". Chinadaily.com.cn. Retrieved February 21, 2014.
  17. ^ Seleção brasileira encanta o mundo em 1982, mesmo sem ganhar
  18. ^ A cara de Dunga
  19. ^ Tostão: “Esse oba-oba em torno do Tite é perigoso”
  20. ^ Estamos praticando, aqui no Brasil, um futebol europeizado?
  21. ^ Há 21 anos o Brasil conquistava o penta mundial
  22. ^ Saiba por que a Seleção Brasileira é chamada de Canarinha
  23. ^ 100 anos da Seleção: 1º rival do Brasil, Exeter se orgulha de lugar na história
  24. ^ Brasil e Argentina no topo: veja as seleções com mais títulos na história
  25. ^ Saiba como surgiu a rivalidade entre Brasil e Argentina no futebol
  26. ^ Tabus e duelos históricos marcam rivalidade entre Brasil e Uruguai
  27. ^ Brasil x Holanda: Tudo sobre uma das maiores rivalidades em Mundiais!
  28. ^ Brasil e Itália: rivalidade histórica no futebol
  29. ^ CBF site
  30. ^ Condeferações estaduais de futebol
  31. ^ STJD site
  32. ^ TJD do Rio de Janeiro
  33. ^ Botafogo agora é o único entre os 12 grandes clubes do Brasil sem título de Libertadores
  34. ^ Athletico-PR já é mais relevante que quais clubes do grupo dos '12 grandes'? Veja opinião dos comentaristas dos canais Disney
  35. ^ CBF diz que mudança no calendário depende dos clubes
  36. ^ Clubes aprovam mudanças no calendário
  37. ^ Estaduais pelo Brasil: veja a data de estreia do seu time em 2024
  38. ^ Copa do Brasil 2024: CBF divulga tabela básica do torneio; início está previsto para fevereiro
  39. ^ CBF divulga calendário do futebol brasileiro para 2023
  40. ^ CBF divulga calendário do futebol brasileiro para 2023
  41. ^ Times brasileiros jogam 20 partidas a mais por ano que europeus
  42. ^ Futebol: esporte mais popular no Brasil tem data nacional no mês de julho
  43. ^ A paixão dos jovens brasileiros pelo futebol e o impacto dos serviços online
  44. ^ Brasileiros pintam e enfeitam ruas para a Copa do Mundo: veja imagens pelo país
  45. ^ Decoração de rua no Brasil é tradição nas Copas
  46. ^ Torcedores comemoram vitória da Seleção Brasileira em diversos pontos de Belo Horizonte
  47. ^ Surfe e skate impulsionam audiência da Olimpíada, principalmente no Brasil
  48. ^ A Olimpíada da TV é sucesso em audiência
  49. ^ Ibope do Brasileirão cai 14% e tem pior índice de 'era exclusiva' da Globo
  50. ^ Fator Messi? Champions League tem pior audiência da história na TV aberta
  51. ^ Tensão na Globo. Futebol feminino despenca a audiência em 43%. Patrocinadores da Copa do Mundo estão com medo. Não é 'canalhice'
  52. ^ Com jogo do Brasil no Pré-Olímpico, vôlei tem melhor audiência do último ano
  53. ^ Pesquisa aponta crescimento de interesse por vôlei entre adultos brasileiros
  54. ^ a b c d e f g h i j The Brazilian Bid for the FIFA Women's World Cup 2027 (PDF). FIFA. December 8, 2023. Retrieved January 2, 2024.
  55. ^ "Sobre o Morumbi". São Paulo FC (in Portuguese). Retrieved May 28, 2023.
  56. ^ "Brazilian Woman Power: The Brazilian bid for FIFA Women's World Cup 2023™" (PDF). Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF). Retrieved January 28, 2020.
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