The Brasileirão is a one-of-a-kind league. Not only is it the most competitive one in South America, but it’s also the tournament that offers fans a different type of title race, with a number of teams usually seen as candidates to win the trophy.
While the battle for the Premier League glory is usually reduced to two or three teams (Arsenal are now trying to end Manchester City and Liverpool’s supremacy), it’s been decades since a team other than Barcelona, Real Madrid or Atlético Madrid won LaLiga.
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In Brazil, it’s much harder to predict who will win the championship. Over the last 10 years, there have been five different champions: Cruzeiro, Corinthians, Palmeiras, Flamengo and Atlético Mineiro.
Some of these teams have repeated in the last decade, but they not always finished in the top spots. Cruzeiro even got relegated for the first time ever in 2019, taking three years to return to the top-flight.
Abril chegou! O meu mês… a bola vai rolar! Vai começar o @brasileirao 2024! ⚽️ pic.twitter.com/jCjsEs3Xfs
— Brasileirão (@Brasileirao) April 1, 2024
Since 2013, there have also been nine different runners-up in the Brasileirão, with the aforementioned teams plus Grêmio, São Paulo, Santos, and Internacional finishing in second place at some point in the last 10 seasons.
Palmeiras, a curious case in an evenly-matched league
Palmeiras are the winningest side in Brazilian league with 12 titles, but the difference isn’t that big with the other champions. Santos are second in most leagues won with eight, followed by Flamengo with seven and São Paulo with six.
To be fair, Verdão have been a dominant force as of late, with back-to-back championships in 2022 and 2023 to make it four titles in the last 10 years. That said, we’re talking about a team that was relegated to the second division in 2012.
Many teams in contention for the 2024 Brazilian league title
Heading into 2024, the list of title contenders could be huge: Flamengo, Fluminense (reigning Libertadores champs), Palmeiras (defending league winners), Atlético Mineiro, Grêmio, and Internacional all have reasons to dream with the trophy.
The likes of São Paulo, Corinthians and Botafogo could also be in the mix, but they have to prove their doubters wrong. And of course, there could be always room for a Cinderella story, so let’s not sleep on Fortaleza or Red Bull Bragantino, for instance.
The shocking twist in 2023
2023 proved how wide open the race for the Brasileirão title can be, with Botafogo leading the standings for much of the season, being 13 points clear of the second place at some point.
Eventually, Fogão fell apart and finished fifth, with Palmeiras regaining the title thanks to a strong run in the final stretch of the campaign. Grêmio, Atlético Mineiro and Flamengo also dared to challenge for the title as Botafogo fell in the table, but it was the Alviverde who got the job done.
Predicting Brasileirão
Brasileirão 2024 is about to start and we are thrilled to present to you a new game dedicated to the Brazilian public: Mega Chute do Milhão is for those who dominate the Brazilian league and are able to predict where all 20 clubs will finish the season. Champion, qualified to Libertadores, middle of the pack and those which will be relegated.
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