The football season in Brazil is divided into two main parts. As a rule, from April to December, national league competitions are played. The system has four levels - Serie A, B, C and D. At the beginning of each calendar year, from January to April, leagues are held within each Brazilian state. These too are divided into tiers, between which a certain number of teams are relegated and promoted.
Brazil is made up of 26 states and one federal district of the capital Brasilia. In all these 27 main administrative units of the country, the league title is contested. In the case of a number of states, the local league competitions are packed with big and prestigious clubs.
The homeland of the five-time world champions is the seventh most populous country in the world. Its population exceeds 203 million, concentrated in many large cities. A total of 15 have more than a million people. Of course, Brazil also boasts a large number of strong, successful and popular football teams. A total of 12 clubs are part of the local elite.
That's why they are called the G-12, the 12 giants, or the Big 12. Their strength is evidenced by the number of national titles they have won together. Only on six occasions has someone outside of these dozen giants won the Brazilian title.
A third of the G-12 is made up of big clubs from Sao Paulo, with another strong foursome from Rio de Janeiro. This is followed by two representatives from Belo Horizonte (capital of Minas Gerais state) and two teams from Porto Alegre (capital of Rio Grande do Sul state).
Prestige of the state leagues
The competition for the champion of the whole of Brazil was created in 1971. Until then, due to the vastness of the country, the great distances between cities and the less developed infrastructure, economic level or even the quality of the means of transport, the leagues were played only at the state level.
They often bring together teams that are otherwise at different levels of the league hierarchy. However, at the domestic and national level, they are equal opponents. And most importantly, in many cases, these are regional or city derbies of great rivals. This is also why many fans in Brazil place the state leagues above the all-Brazilian Serie A.
In this week's state league, called the Campeonato Paulista, FC Sao Paulo will first take on Santos on Wednesday. The latter's players will be looking to right the ship not only in the so-called San-Sao derby, but also in the entire state league. That's because in the 2023 edition of the national Serie A, they have been relegated for the first time in their history.
An even bigger contest is the clash between Palmeiras and Corinthians in Sao Paulo. Their match is scheduled for Sunday. Palmeiras are the reigning Brazilian champions and they also won the Campeonato Paulista in 2023. At the state level, however, the rival Corinthians have won more titles overall.
Besides being a strong sporting rivalry between the two most successful teams in the state, the Paulista Derby has another dimension. This is because the two clubs represent different social classes. Palmeiras are a unit with roots and support in high society. Corinthians, on the other hand, were founded by the working class, which gives them a strong fan base, especially in the slums (called favelas in Brazil).
This week's other Brazilian derbies
Wednesday, February 14th
Campeonato Carioca (Rio de Janeiro state)
Classico dos Gigantes
Fluminense and Vasco da Gama are two giant clubs from Rio de Janeiro. The Classico dos Gigantes is a clash of social classes. Fluminense tends towards the wealthier upper middle, Vasco da Gama belongs to the working class. This clasico has been played 393 times.
Saturday, February 17th
Campeonato Cearense (State of Ceara)
Rei do Ceara
Fortaleza is active at national level in the top Brazilian competition, while the Ceara SC team plays in the second league. Within the state of Ceara, these are the two biggest clubs that traditionally fight for the title. Both are based in the capital city of Fortaleza. They have played almost 600 matches against each other.
Campeonato Catarinense (State of Santa Catarina)
Classico de Florianopolis
At the national level, Avai play in Serie B, while Figueirense play in Serie C. In the state of Santa Catarina in the south of Brazil, however, these are the two biggest clubs. Both have won 18 titles in the state league Campeonato Catarinense. They are based in the capital Florianopolis.
Sunday, February 18th
Campeonato Carioca (State of Rio de Janeiro)
Classico da Amizade
Derbies or clasicos are often very tense matches in Brazil. An exception is the match between Vasco da Gama and Botafogo, two clubs from Rio de Janeiro. Although they are sporting rivals, their jousting and the overall relationship between their fans usually does not cause any problems.
Campeonato Baiano (State of Bahia)
Ba-Vi
Both Vitoria and Bahia are based in Salvador, the capital of the state of Bahia on the east coast of Brazil. Vitoria has just won Serie B and advanced to the top national league, where they will also meet their rivals. Bahia is defending its state league title, which will also see the first derby of 2024.
Campeonato Paranaense (State of Parana)
Coritiba FC - Athletico Paranaense
Atletiba (Clasico Atletico-Coritiba)
Both Coritiba FC and Athletico Paranaense are based in Curitiba, the capital of the state of Parana. Coritiba was relegated from the national Serie A. Paranaense qualified from eighth place for the Copa Sudamericana, the second most prestigious continental cup competition after the Liberators Cup.
This week's other derbies
Wednesday, February 14th
Italy - Serie A
Derby dell'Appennino
Bologna lies at the northern foot of the Apennines. Just 100 kilometres to the south, at the other end of the Apennine Mountains, is Florence. The 2024 Apennine derby has already been played once - in the Coppa d'Italia quarter-finals. Fiorentina won on penalties.
Saturday, February 17th
Australia - A-League
Melbourne City - Melbourne Victory
Melbourne derby
Melbourne is the second largest city in Australia after Sydney. It is home to five million people and two major clubs. They have a very even record together - both have won 15 derbies with 12 matches ending in a draw. City and Victory have each won three championship titles.
Finland - Liiga Cup
Pirkanmaan derby
In the derby of the Pirkanmaa region in southern Finland, FC Ilves from Tampere and FC Haka based 35km south in Valkeakoski face each other. Both teams were in the 2023 league season and both managed to save themselves in the group. They will now compete in the League Cup. The last derby ended 2-2.
Netherlands - Eredivisie
Sparta Rotterdam - Excelsior Rotterdam
Rotterdamse derby
Sparta's players had a game against city rivals Feyenoord last weekend (Feyenoord won 2-0), and now they have another Rotterdam derby against Excelsior. All three Rotterdam clubs and their matches against each other were covered by Derby Week last week.
Paraguay - Primera Division
Olimpia Asuncion - Cerro Porteno
Clasico del futbol Paraguayo
Club Olimpia and Cerro Porteno are the two most successful clubs in Paraguay. They are based in the capital Asuncion, but have a fan base spread throughout Paraguay. Since 1913, they have played 452 matches against each other. The last four matches have ended in a draw.
Sunday, February 18th
Belgium - Jupiler Pro League
Brugse stadsderby
Cercle Brugge and Club Brugge share the Jan Breydel stadium. They first clashed in 1900. Club Brugge has been much more successful in the long run, both in the derby and overall. It has won 18 titles. Cercle has also managed to win the Belgian league in the past - three times in total, but most recently in 1930.
Poland - Ekstraklasa
Derby Lodz
Lodz in central Poland is the third largest Polish city after Warsaw and Kraków. It has about 670,000 inhabitants and is home to two major football clubs. In the current season, the Lodz derby has returned to the schedule of the top Polish competition after more than 10 years. The first derby of the season was won by Widzew 1-0.
Luxembourg - National Division
Derby d'Esch
Both teams from Esch are among the most successful clubs in Luxembourg. Jeunesse has the most supporters, while Fola is a club that doesn't have a large fan base, but has strong financial backing from its owners. However, both are currently at the bottom of the table.
Israel - Ligat ha'Al
Haifa derby
As in other Israeli cities, the clash between football clubs with the names Hapoel and Maccabi is a great rivalry. In Haifa, the two clubs represent different social classes and values. Both share a stadium for more than 30,000 spectators.
Monday, February 19th
Denmark - Superligaen
Det Jyske derby
Vejle and Aarhus are cities separated by 70 kilometres on the Jutland peninsula. The two clubs will kick off the spring season in the Danish league with a derby. Aarhus went into winter in fourth place (they even finished third last season). Vejle is second to last and will be fighting to avoid relegation after just one year.
