Brazil is red and black again. Five years later, Flamengo once again won the country’s main competition. With the victory over Ceara in the Maracanã for the 37th time, no one can reach the Rio team that wins the title for the ninth time in its history and isolates itself as the second most champion.
Before Wednesday’s win in red and black, Flamengo and Santos were joint second in the rankings of Brazil’s greatest champions. Palmeiras, despite frustration in the fight for the 2025 title, remains comfortable at the top. Sao Paulo FC has won 12 cups.
The list of champions includes all versions since the Brazilian championship began bearing this name in 1971. And the competitions that occupied their space before that and whose equivalence was recognized by the Brazilian Federation. Among them, the 1937 Champions League, won by Atlético MG.
Furthermore, the 1987 title was awarded to both Flamengo and Sport. On that occasion, Rio won the Copa União, also called the Green Unity, which was contested and organized by the country’s main clubs after the Brazilian Confederation admitted its inability to manage the competition. However, the entity decided that the first two teams in this tournament should face those from the Yellow Unity, a kind of second division, so that the winner of this cross would be declared champion of Brazil that year.
Flamengo and Internacional, the runner-up of the Copa Uniao, did not agree to participate in this dispute. Thus, the title went to Sport, who defeated Guarani. Since then, the Red Blacks of Rio and Pernambuco began fighting in the courts for recognition as the 1987 Brazilian champions. In 2011, the Brazilian Football Confederation declared them both winners. But Recife Club obtained a positive decision from the court rejecting the Flamengo fans’ appeal in all circumstances.
See the ranking of the greatest Brazilian champions:
- Palmeiras – 12 (1960, 1967, 1967, 1969, 1972, 1973, 1993, 1994, 2016, 2018, 2022 and 2023)
- Flamengo – 9 (1980, 1982, 1983, 1987, 1992, 2009, 2019, 2020 and 2025)
- Santos – 8 (1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1968, 2002 and 2004)
- Corinthians – 7 (1990, 1998, 1999, 2005, 2011, 2015 and 2017)
- Sao Paulo – 6 (1977, 1986, 1991, 2006, 2007 and 2008)
- Cruzeiro – 4 (1966, 2003, 2013, 2014)
- Fluminense – 4 (1970, 1984, 2010 and 2012)
- Vasco – 4 (1974, 1989, 1997 and 2000)
- International – 3 (1975, 1976 and 1979)
- Atletico MG – 3 (1937, 1971 and 2021)
- Botafogo – 3 (1968, 1995 and 2024)
- Bahia – 2 (1959 and 1988)
- Gremio – 2 (1981 and 1996)
- Atletico-PR-1 (2001)
- Sports – 1 (1987)
- Curitiba – 1 (1985)
- Guarani – 1 (1978)
If we take into account only the number of points scored (since 2003), Flamengo is equal to Palmeiras and Corinthians as the greatest champions. Now, the three clubs have achieved four wins.
See a ranking of Brazil’s greatest champions in the points race era:
- Flemish – 4 (2009, 2019, 2020 and 2025)
- Palmeiras – 4 (2016, 2018, 2022 and 2023)
- Corinthians – 4 (2005, 2011, 2015 and 2017)
- Sao Paulo – 3 (2006, 2007 and 2008)
- Cruzeiro – 3 (2003, 2013 and 2014)
- Fluminense – 2 (2010 and 2012)
- Santos – 1 (2004)
- Atletico MG-1 (2021)
- Botafogo – 1 (2024)