Copa do Brasil facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Copa do Brasil

Founded	1989
Region	Brazil
Number of teams	92
Qualifier for	Copa Libertadores Supercopa do Brasil
Current champions	Flamengo (5th title)
Most successful club(s)	Cruzeiro (6 titles)
Television broadcasters	Domestic Rede Globo SporTV Premiere Amazon Prime Video International OneFootball

The Copa do Brasil is a big football tournament in Brazil. It's like a national cup competition. Teams from all 26 Brazilian states and the Federal District play in it. In total, 92 teams compete to win this exciting cup.

The Copa do Brasil is very important in Brazil. Many people think it's almost as important as the main Brazilian League. This is because the winning team gets a lot of prize money. It also gives smaller teams a chance to play against famous big clubs. The team that wins the Copa do Brasil gets a special spot. They automatically qualify for the next Copa Libertadores. This is the biggest football tournament for clubs in South America.

The Copa do Brasil started in 1989 with 32 clubs. Over the years, more teams joined the competition. By 2000, 69 teams were playing. From 2001 to 2012, 64 teams usually took part. During these years, teams playing in the Copa Libertadores did not play in the Copa do Brasil. This was to avoid too many games at once.

Since 2013, the rules changed. Teams in the Copa Libertadores now join the Copa do Brasil later in the tournament. The number of teams grew again. In 2017, 91 teams played. Since 2021, 92 teams have been competing. Since 2023, the tournament has been called the Copa Betano do Brasil because of its sponsor.

Cruzeiro is the most successful club in the Copa do Brasil. They have won the cup six times. Flamengo and Grêmio are close behind with five titles each. Palmeiras has won four times. Corinthians has three wins. Atlético Mineiro has won twice. In total, 17 different clubs have won the cup.

The state of São Paulo has the most winning teams, with 11 titles. Only two states have winners from different cities. These are São Paulo and Rio Grande do Sul. The cities of Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo have more than two champion clubs.

How the Tournament Works

The Copa do Brasil is a single elimination tournament. This means if a team loses, they are out. Most matches are played over two games, called "two-legged ties." This happens from the third round onwards. In the first two rounds, the winner is decided after just one game. The first round game is played at the stadium of the lower-ranked team. The away team gets an advantage if the game ends in a draw.

The winner of the Copa do Brasil always gets to play in the next year's Copa Libertadores.

Teams and Rounds

The tournament has several rounds. Teams join at different stages.

Who Can Play

Teams that can play in the Copa do Brasil include:

• The winner of the previous year's Copa do Brasil.
• 70 top teams from various state championships.
• The top six teams from the previous year's Campeonato Brasileiro Série A.
• The champions of the Copa do Nordeste and Copa Verde.
• The ten highest-ranked clubs in Brazil's football ranking that haven't qualified yet.
• Two additional teams, which could be Brazilian champions of the most recent Copa Libertadores or Copa Sudamericana, or other high-ranking teams.

The 7 Brazilian teams in the Copa Libertadores, along with champions of other major tournaments, join the Copa do Brasil directly in the Round of 16.

History of the Cup

Winners
Copa do Brasil

Season	Winners
1989	Grêmio
1990	Flamengo
1991	Criciúma
1992	Internacional
1993	Cruzeiro
1994	Grêmio (2)
1995	Corinthians
1996	Cruzeiro (2)
1997	Grêmio (3)
1998	Palmeiras
1999	Juventude
2000	Cruzeiro (3)
2001	Grêmio (4)
2002	Corinthians (2)
2003	Cruzeiro (4)
2004	Santo André
2005	Paulista
2006	Flamengo (2)
2007	Fluminense
2008	Sport Recife
2009	Corinthians (3)
2010	Santos
2011	Vasco da Gama
2012	Palmeiras (2)
2013	Flamengo (3)
2014	Atlético Mineiro
2015	Palmeiras (3)
2016	Grêmio (5)
2017	Cruzeiro (5)
2018	Cruzeiro (6)
2019	Athletico Paranaense
2020	Palmeiras (4)
2021	Atlético Mineiro (2)
2022	Flamengo (4)
2023	São Paulo
2024	Flamengo (5)

The Copa do Brasil was created in 1989. It was made to help football teams from smaller states. These teams didn't often get to play against the big, famous clubs. The idea came after a problem in 1987. Many big clubs formed their own league because of money issues.

The new competition helped promote state championships. Especially in the North, Northeast, and Central West regions of Brazil. Now, smaller clubs had a way to qualify for the Copa Libertadores. This made the tournament very important for them.

The first Copa do Brasil was in 1989. The first goal was scored by Alcindo Sartori for Flamengo. Gremio won the first cup. They then qualified for the 1990 Copa Libertadores.

From 1989 to 1993, the winner kept the trophy for that year. In 1994, a new rule started. A club that won the Copa do Brasil three times would get to keep the trophy forever. Grêmio was the first to do this in 2001. They won in 1994, 1997, and 2001.

So, a new trophy was made for the 2002 Copa do Brasil. This trophy was used until 2007. No club won it three times during that period.

In 2003, Cruzeiro won both the Copa do Brasil and the Brazilian League. This was a rare achievement. Only one other team has done this. Atlético Mineiro matched this in 2021. Atlético also won their state championship that year. This meant they won three major titles in one year.

In 2008, another new trophy was introduced. That year, Sport Recife made history. They became the first club from outside the Southeast or South regions to win the cup. No team from the North or Center-West regions has won it yet.

In 2016, Grêmio won the first game of the final against Atletico Mineiro. This was special because it was the first time an away team won the first leg of a Copa do Brasil final.

The number of teams in the competition has changed over time. It started with 32 teams. It grew to 69 teams by 2000. From 2001 to 2012, 64 teams usually played. Teams in the Copa Libertadores did not play in the Copa do Brasil during these years.

In 2013, a new cup trophy was presented. The champion now gets to keep the trophy permanently. A new one is made for the next year. Also in 2013, the tournament expanded to 87 teams. Teams in the Copa Libertadores started joining the Copa do Brasil again. They entered directly in the Round of 16. The number of teams increased to 91 in 2017 and 92 in 2021.

Sponsorship

The Copa do Brasil has had different sponsors over the years. The sponsor's name is often added to the tournament's name.

Records and Statistics

Top Winners

This table shows which clubs have won the Copa do Brasil the most times. It also shows how many times they were runners-up (finished second).

Club	Winners	Runners-up	Years won	Years runner-up
Cruzeiro	6	2	1993, 1996, 2000, 2003, 2017, 2018	1998, 2014
Flamengo	5	5	1990, 2006, 2013, 2022, 2024	1997, 2003, 2004, 2017, 2023
Grêmio	5	4	1989, 1994, 1997, 2001, 2016	1991, 1993, 1995, 2020
Palmeiras	4	1	1998, 2012, 2015, 2020	1996
Corinthians	3	4	1995, 2002, 2009	2001, 2008, 2018, 2022
Atlético Mineiro	2	2	2014, 2021	2016, 2024
Internacional	1	2	1992	2009, 2019
Fluminense	1	2	2007	1992, 2005
Athletico Paranaense	1	2	2019	2013, 2021
Sport	1	1	2008	1989
Santos	1	1	2010	2015
Vasco da Gama	1	1	2011	2006
São Paulo	1	1	2023	2000
Criciúma	1	0	1991	—
Juventude	1	0	1999	—
Santo André	1	0	2004	—
Paulista	1	0	2005	—
Coritiba	0	2	—	2011, 2012
Goiás	0	1	—	1990
Ceará	0	1	—	1994
Botafogo	0	1	—	1999
Brasiliense	0	1	—	2002
Figueirense	0	1	—	2007
Vitória	0	1	—	2010

Performance by State

This table shows how many times clubs from each Brazilian state have won or been runners-up in the Copa do Brasil.

State	Won	Runner-up
São Paulo	11	7
Minas Gerais	8	4
Rio de Janeiro	7	9
Rio Grande do Sul	7	6
Paraná	1	4
Pernambuco	1	1
Santa Catarina	1	1
Bahia	0	1
Ceará	0	1
Distrito Federal	0	1
Goiás	0	1

See also

In Spanish: Copa de Brasil para niños

• Copa do Brasil de Futebol Feminino, the women's version of Copa do Brasil.
• History of football in Brazil