Top Biggest Brazilian Football Clubs You Should Know
Brazilian football clubs: Brazil has established a distinctive position in world football because of its five World Cup victories and numerous innovative players, notably the great Pele. Brazilian football teams, despite their nation’s illustrious history in the sport, lag behind those of other nations, especially those from Europe, in terms of development. But football in Brazil is much more than just a sport. It is a type of religion with particular fervor and pride.
The Brazilian football league is called Campeonato Brasileiro Série A. The Big Twelve is a notable group of 12 elite football teams in the nation. These clubs are the most successful and well-known in Brazil, having won the most national and international competitions and championships.
Find out more about the Big Twelve – famous Brazilian football clubs in the sports world via today’s blog.
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Atlético Mineiro
22 students from Belo Horizonte, in the state of Minas Gerais, established Clube Atlético Mineiro, also known as Atlético, in 1908. The club is also known as Galo Doido since its mascot is a rooster with the name Galo. Their emblem and outfit are both black and white.
Atlético Mineiro is also one of the top 10 football clubs in the world. Between 1917 and 2021, the club won 45 State Championships, 1 Serie B, 2 Copa do Brasil, 2 Brasileiro, 1 Copa Libertadores, and 1 Recopa Sudamericana, among other significant championships.
The MRV Arena, a private stadium being built by Atlético, will have a seating capacity of 47,000 people. And it is expected to open in 2023. The club presently uses the Mineirao and Independencia stadiums for its home games. Around 7 million Brazilians support the team.
Cruzeiro Esporte
Another member of The Big Twelve who wears club colors of blue and white is Clube, also known as Cruzeiro. Sociedade Esportiva Palestra Itália was the name used when it was created in 1921. It was changed to its current name in 1942. Similar to Atlético Mineiro, it was created in the same state and city. Because of its success and achievements since its founding, its admirers have given it the nickname Cabuloso, which means badass.
The fox that serves as the club’s mascot has earned it the moniker Raposa. At the moment, it holds 62,000 spectators at the Mineirao stadium, where it plays its games.
It is also the most successful football club ever in Brazil. Cruzeiro has won 38 state championships, 6 Copa do Brasil, 4 Brasileiro, 2 Libertadores, and 1 Recopa Sudamericana. Ronaldo Fenômeno, a former player for Real Madrid, began his professional playing career in 1993 with Cruzeiro. About 6.2 million Brazilians nationwide support the club.
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Palmeiras
The team that won the 2021 Libertadores, Sociedade Esportiva Palmeiras, also known as Palmeiras, was formed in 1914 and has the colors green and white. It is one of the oldest Brazilian football clubs. Palestra Italia, the name under which it was formed, is sometimes known by the shortened names Verdao and Palestra. A parakeet serves as the club’s mascot (Periquito). It already has a stadium, the 2014-opened Allianz Parque arena, which can accommodate 43,000 people.
It has already won the state championship 23 times, in addition to 1 Serie B title, 4 Copa do Brasil, 10 Brasileiro, and 3 Libertadores. Corinthians are its greatest historical adversary, with Santos and Sao Paulo serving as regional rivals.
Brazilians of Italian heritage at first provided the team with a lot of financial assistance. But as time went on, the drop gradually began to matter less and the following broadened.
There are big concentrations of Palmeiras supporters across Brazil known as “consulados” or the consulates. Palmeiras is also one of the most popular football clubs in the world. Additionally, there are currently 10.6 million fans in Brazil.
Corinthians Sport Club
Paulista Corinthians or Corinthians is symbolized by the colors black and white. Five railroad workers who were influenced by the English Corinthian Football Club created it in 1910. The team is sometimes referred to as Timao, which means the “big team,” and is a play on the low class’s moniker for the team, Time do Povo.
The Musketeer, often called Mosqueteiro, is its mascot. They are the owners of the Sao Paulo, Brazil, Neo Quimica Arena stadium, which opened its doors to fans in 2014. They have won 30 State Championships, 1 Serie B, 3 Copa do Brasil, 7 Brasileiro, 1 Copa Libertadores, 1 Recopa Sudamericana, and 2 FIFA Club World Cups in 2000 and 2012.
Corinthians is one of the biggest Brazilian teams in terms of fan support, with approximately 29 million supporters in Brazil, according to the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics.
The word “Fiel,” which means “the faithful,” is used to describe Corinthians supporters. And rightfully so, as it led to the 1976 “Corinthian Invasion,” during which more than 70,000 Corinthians supporters came from Sao Paulo to Rio de Janeiro to see the match between Fluminense and Corinthians at Maracana Stadium. Forbes listed the team as one of the most expensive football clubs in the Americas in 2017 with a $576.9 million valuation.
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Santos FC
One of the biggest Brazilian football clubs is Santos Futebol Clube, or simply Santos. They are in charge of developing outstanding athletes like Neymar and Robinho. And they also functioned as a club for icons like Pele. The colors of this club are black and white, and it competes against its largest adversary. Due to the colors of both sides, Corinthians is frequently referred to as “Clássico Alvi-negro” (the Black and White Derby). It was established in 1912 and is referred to as Peixe due to its beachside beginnings (Fish), hence also having a whale as its mascot.
The Estádio Urbano Caldeira Stadium, popularly known as Vila Belmiro, can hold up to 16,000 spectators. Santos was ranked as the fifth-largest football club in the 20th century by FIFA in 2000. Santos FC is widely regarded as one of the biggest football clubs in the sports world. They have won 22 state titles, 1 Copa do Brasil, 8 Brasileiro, 3 Libertadores, 1 Recopa Sudamericana, and 2 Intercontinental Cups. Corinthians, So Paulo, and Palmeiras have consistently been their main competitors.
Santos has supporters from all around the world, not just in Brazil. There are over 5 million Santos fans in Brazil. And they are dispersed across Africa, Europe, North America, and Latin American nations.
São Paulo
The football club known as Sao Paulo Futebol Clube was established in 1930. Because of its three colors – red, black, and white – fans refer to it as the Tricolour. In connection to the name of a club, Santo Paulo or Saint Paul is its mascot. It is also one of the best football clubs in the world.
It is the owner of the Morumbi stadium, one of the top stadiums in Brazil with a capacity for 66,000 spectators. Although this club is very new, Sao Paulo football teams have already won a number of significant competitions, including 22 state championships, 6 Brasileiro, 3 Libertadores, 2 Recopa Sudamericana, 2 Intercontinental Cups, and 1 FIFA Club World Cup.
The Kings’ Clash is another name for the match between Sao Paulo and Palmeiras. It is recognized as the third-best derby in the city of So Paulo at the moment. It is one of the most famous rivalries in Brazil and has been violence between the two teams.
Additionally, it competes against Santos and Corinthians. Statistics show that the club has a fan base of roughly 16 million people.
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Internacional
Porto Alegre is home to Sports Club Internacional, also known as Inter de Porto Alegre or simply Inter. The Poppe brothers formed it in 1909 in Rio Grande do Sul using the colors red and white as symbols. Since red is the most common hue there, it is also commonly referred to as Colorado.
Its mascot is SACI, a well-known figure from Brazilian folklore. And its stadium is Beira Rio, which debuted in 1969 and underwent another round of modernization in 2014. It can hold 50,000 spectators. 45 State Champion titles, 1 Copa do Brasil, 3 Brasileiro, 2 Libertadores, and 2 Recopa Sudamericana are their most notable victories. Additionally, they had a FIFA Club World Championship, with Grêmio serving as their primary regional rival.
Internacional is also the most famous football club in Brazil. They won the state championship eight times in a row during the 1970s and the national title in 1979 without dropping a game. As a result, their fan base refers to this time period as “the golden decade.”
Grêmio
Grêmio Foot-Ball Porto Alegrense, also called Grêmio because of its distinctive blue, black, and white coloring was established in 1903. The club was given the moniker “immortal” by supporters for never giving up and battling valiantly until the bitter end. It is one of the biggest Brazilian football clubs.
The musketeer is Gremio’s official mascot, much like it is for the Corinthians. It moved to the Arena do Gremio stadium in 2013 after playing at Estádio Olímpico Monumental since 1954. The stadium is owned by the organization. The stadium can hold 55,000 people.
40 state titles, 1 Serie B championship, 5 Copa do Brasil, 2 Brasileiro, 3 Libertadores, 2 Recopa Sudamericana, and 1 Intercontinental Cup were won by Grêmio.
Gremio’s greatest hero is Renato Gacho, the team’s current coach. He was a member of the team from 1982 until 1987. Over 6 million people in Brazil are fans of Gremio.
Flamengo
Flamengo, also known as Clube de Regatas do Flamengo, is one of Brazil’s most popular and prosperous clubs. It is also one of the top 10 most successful football clubs in the world. Initially established in 1895 as a rowing club, it changed its name to become a football team in 1912 and adopted the colors red and black to symbolize them.
The “Urubu,” a vulture, has been Flamengo’s most recognizable mascot since 1969. Fans also frequently refer to the team as Mengao. It holds its games in Brazil’s Maracana Stadium, which can hold 78,000 spectators. They have won 36 state championships, 3 Copa do Brasil, 7 Brasileiro, 2 Libertadores, 1 Recopa Sudamericana, and 1 Intercontinental Cup.
Vasco, Fluminense, Botafogo, and Atlético Mineiro are their main competitors. Zico, a former football player for Udinese, played for Flamengo and is currently the club’s head coach. With over 44 million supporters nationwide, Flamengo is the most popular football team in Brazil.
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Fluminense
The oldest football club in Brazil was established in 1902. It plays in the Laranjeiras neighborhood of Rio de Janeiro and has the colors garnet, green, and white.
Because it uses three colors, it is often referred to as Flu by fans and is frequently dubbed Tricolor, just like Sao Paulo. Guerreiro, a warrior, is its mascot. This team plays its home games at the Maracana stadium, which comfortably seats 78,000 spectators.
Fluminense has won 31 state championships, 1 Copa do Brasil in 2017, and 4 Brasileiros in 1970, 1984, 2010, and 2012. The biggest rivalry games in Rio de Janeiro are between Fluminense and Flamengo. Their games are known as Fla-Flu. Additionally, these matches consistently attract large numbers of viewers. In Brazil, Fluminense has 3.6 million supporters.
Vasco CR
In the state of Rio de Janeiro, Vasco de Gama, or simply Vasco, was first established in 1898 as a rowing club before adding a football department in 1915. It is one of the most well-known Brazilian football clubs in the world, particularly in the club’s early years.
It is one of the top 10 most supported football clubs in the world. According to numerous studies, Vasco is the fifth-most supported team in Brazil with more than 8 million supporters. Over 23 million people in the country are still fans of the team. Vasco continues to enjoy a sizable following among the Portuguese population in Rio de Janeiro.
Cruzmaltino is the moniker given to it in honor of the Cross pattée. This club chose the white and black color scheme, and the Almirante, or admiral, serves as its mascot. Sao Januario, its stadium, can hold 21,000 spectators. 24 state championships, 1 Copa do Brasil, 4 Brasileiro, 1 Libertadores, and 1 Serie B are among its notable victories.
As the two teams reunite the Rio de Janeiro crowds, the meetings between Vasco and Flamengo are exciting in the sense that they become the most viewed matches in Brazil. Thus, the matchups between these two clubs are frequently referred to as the Millions Derby.
Botafogo
Brazilian football hero Garrincha calls Botafogo de Futebol e Regatas, often known as Botafogo, home. He was a member of the team from 1953 to 1965.
The club, one of the oldest clubs, began as a rowing club in 1894 before establishing a football squad in 1904. It is frequently referred to as the “lonely star” due to its logo, which has a star in the center. And it is known by the nickname Glorioso for its former glory. Flamengo, Fluminense, Vasco, and Botafogo are 4 big major Rio de Janeiro football teams.
The club’s colors are black and white, and a young child named “Manequinho” serves as their mascot. Its games are held in the 46,000-capacity Enhengao stadium. This club has won significant accolades like 21 state championships, 2 Brasileiros, and 2 Serie B titles.
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Sum up
Football has an impact on social, political, cultural, and economic issues. As a result, there are more elite Brazilian football clubs than in any other nation on the globe. Each team has a rich history, unique customs, notable accomplishments, inter-team rivalry, and a sizable following of ardent supporters.
Hope that with this article, you will have more information about famous football teams in Brazil. To stay up to speed on the most recent information regarding the best football clubs in the world, follow our website, Different Sports.
Thanks for reading!
