Brazilian football league system
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Brazilian football league system is a series of interconnected leagues for football clubs in Brazil.
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[edit] Structure
There are two simultaneous and independent pyramids in the Brazilian football, the national pyramid, and the state pyramid. The national and the state pyramids overlap.
While the national competitions are organized by the CBF, the state championships are organized by the respective football federations of each state (for example, the Campeonato Pernambucano is organized by the Pernambucan Football Federation).
The national pyramid competitions starts in April and ends in December. The state pyramid usually starts in January, and ends in April.
Most states have a secondary competition for the smaller clubs not involved in national competitions which takes place during the rest of the year. Smaller states, whose clubs do not take part in national competitions have longer competitions.
[edit] National championships
In the national pyramid, there are three leagues, the Série A, Série B and Série C. The Série A and Série B currently consist of 20 teams, while the Série C is disputed by 64 teams. Each year, the four worst placed clubs in the Série A are relegated to the Série B, the four top placed clubs in the Série B are promoted to Série A, the four worst clubs in the Série B are relegated to the Série C, and the four top placed clubs in the Série C are promoted to Série B.
The clubs disputing the Série C are the best placed state championship clubs of the same season which are not disputing the Série A and the Série B. Clubs that are successful in their state leagues can rise higher in the pyramid, being promoted to the Série C, and then to the Série B and eventually the Série A. Some state federations organize special competitions with the purpose of qualifying teams to the Série C. So, it is possible for a minor state championship club to rise to the Série A, and become champions of the competition.
[edit] State championships
In the state pyramid, which consists of several independent state championships, the participating clubs, which also include Série A and Série B clubs, are limited to their own states (however, there are some minor exceptions, like in the Campeonato Brasiliense, where some clubs from Minas Gerais and Goiás also disputes the competition, due to their proximity to Brasília city). The leagues are usually divided in two, three or four levels. The number of clubs per level, as well as the number of levels, are different in each state. For example, in São Paulo there are 20 clubs in the first level, but in Rio de Janeiro there are 12, and in Rondônia there are just 7 clubs. Also, the number of promoted and relegated clubs are different from one state to the other.
[edit] Copa do Brasil
The Copa do Brasil is disputed between the winners and best placed clubs of the previous season state championships, and by the best placed clubs in the CBF ranking. It is disputed between the months of February and June (or July, in the years when the FIFA World Cup is being disputed). The number of clubs per state range from one to three, excluding the clubs qualified by the CBF ranking.
[edit] Current system
| Level | League/Division |
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| 1 | Campeonato Brasileiro Série A 20 clubs |
| 2 | Campeonato Brasileiro Série B 20 clubs |
| 3 | Campeonato Brasileiro Série C 64 clubs |
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| 4 | State Championships Top Divisions Acre - Alagoas - Amapá - Amazonas - Bahia - Ceará - Distrito Federal - Espírito Santo - Goiás - Maranhão - Mato Grosso - Mato Grosso do Sul - Minas Gerais - Pará - Paraíba - Paraná - Pernambuco - Piauí - Rio de Janeiro - Rio Grande do Norte - Rio Grande do Sul - Rondônia - Roraima - Santa Catarina - São Paulo - Sergipe - Tocantins |
| 5 | State Championships Lower Divisions Acre - Alagoas - Amapá - Amazonas - Bahia - Ceará - Distrito Federal - Espírito Santo - Goiás - Maranhão - Mato Grosso - Mato Grosso do Sul - Minas Gerais - Pará - Paraíba - Paraná - Pernambuco - Piauí - Rio de Janeiro - Rio Grande do Norte - Rio Grande do Sul - Rondônia - Roraima - Santa Catarina - São Paulo - Sergipe - Tocantins |
1The state championships are not officially hierarchically behind the Série C, but they are used by CBF as a way to promote clubs to the competition.
[edit] Example of a state league pyramid
The 2006 Campeonato Paulista table below is an example of a state league pyramid. It is divided in four levels. The first three levels are disputed by 20 teams each, while the fourth level is disputed by 44 clubs. The competitions are organized by the Paulista Football Federation.
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| Level | League/Division |
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| 1 | Série A1 20 clubs |
| 2 | Série A2 20 clubs |
| 3 | Série A3 20 clubs |
| 3 | Segunda Divisão 44 clubs |
[edit] External links
| Football in Brazil |  |
| Brazilian Football Confederation | Men's national team | Women's National team | Football competitions | League system | Clubs | Footballers (list)| Managers | Stadiums | Derbies | Awards |
