Campeonato Brasileiro Série A

Brazil’s top-tier annual professional men’s football league brings clubs from across the country into a national competition. Its modern format uses a double round-robin schedule, with promotion and relegation linking it to Série B.

Connect

Round-robin tournament: A competition format in which each participant plays every other participant, usually once or more. Série A’s double round-robin gives each club a home and away match against every rival.
Taça Brasil: A Brazilian football tournament held from 1959 to 1968 to determine a national champion. It was one of the competitions later recognized as part of Brazil’s national championship history.
Pelé: Brazilian footballer who starred for Santos and won three FIFA World Cups with Brazil. His Santos side dominated national competitions before the modern Série A era.
Copa Libertadores: South America’s premier annual club football competition, organized by CONMEBOL. Série A positions determine which Brazilian clubs qualify for the continent’s leading tournament.
Association football league system: A structure of football divisions connected by promotion and relegation. Série A sits atop Brazil’s national league pyramid, with movement to and from Série B.
Torneio Roberto Gomes Pedrosa: A Brazilian national football competition held from 1967 to 1970, also known as the Robertão. Its champions were incorporated into the official lineage of the Brazilian national championship.
Zico: Brazilian footballer renowned for his playmaking and goalscoring, especially for Flamengo. His Flamengo teams won national titles and helped define the league’s 1980s peak.
Copa Sudamericana: CONMEBOL’s annual secondary club football competition for South American teams. League placement can send Série A clubs into this continental competition.
Promotion and relegation: A system that moves teams between divisions according to their performance. The lowest-ranked Série A clubs drop to Série B, while top Série B clubs move up.
Campeonato Nacional de Clubes: Brazil’s national club football championship established in 1971. The competition launched the continuous national championship series from which Série A developed.