Brasileirão (Campeonato Brasileiro Série A)

What is the Brasileirão?

The Campeonato Brasileiro Série A — the Brasileirão — is the top division of Brazilian men’s football. Unlike most of the leagues on this site it has no separate league company: the Confederação Brasileira de Futebol organises it directly. Since 2024 it has carried the name Brasileirão Betano under a naming-rights deal, reported at R$70–80m a year and a record for the competition, that replaced Assaí and runs through 2026.^[1] [4]

How does it work?

Twenty clubs play a double round-robin of 38 rounds — pontos corridos — and the club with most points is champion; there is no playoff. The leading finishers take Brazil’s places in the Copa Libertadores and Copa Sudamericana, and the bottom of the table drops to Série B. The 2026 season ran from 28 January to 2 December, pausing from 1 June to 22 July for the World Cup.^[1] [2]

Since when does it exist?

A national championship has existed since the Taça Brasil of 1959, and the modern Campeonato Brasileiro dates from 1971. Palmeiras hold the record with twelve titles, ahead of Flamengo and Santos with eight and Corinthians with seven; Palmeiras and Flamengo shared seven of the ten championships to 2025, and Flamengo clinched the 2025 title in the penultimate round with a 1–0 win over Ceará.^[1]

Champions of the last ten seasons.

Why does it matter?

CONMEBOL’s 2026 club ranking has Palmeiras first and Flamengo second, with twelve Brazilian clubs in the top 30. The FA’s Governing Body Endorsement criteria list the Brasileirão in Band 3 with MLS, Liga MX and the Argentine Primera.^{[1] [3] [5]}