| Organising body | FPF |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1902 |
| Country | Brazil |
| State | São Paulo |
| Number of clubs | 16 |
| Level on pyramid | 1 |
| Relegation to | Série A2 |
| Domestic cup | Copa Paulista |
| Current champions | Corinthians (31st title) (2025) |
| Most championships | Corinthians (31 titles) |
| Top scorer | Pelé (466) |
| Broadcaster(s) | RecordTV TNT Sports Paulistão Play YouTube Premiere |
| Website | FPF Official website |
| Current:2025 Campeonato Paulista | |
TheCampeonato Paulista Série A1, commonly known asCampeonato Paulista, nicknamedPaulistão, is the top-flight professionalstate football league in the Brazilianstate ofSão Paulo. Run by theSão Paulo State Football Federation (FPF), the league is contested by 16 clubs and typically lasts from January to April. Rivalries amongst four of the best-known Brazilian teams (Corinthians,Palmeiras,Santos andSão Paulo) have marked the history of the competition. The Campeonato Paulista is the oldest established league in Brazil, being held since 1902 andprofessionally since 1933.
Campeonato Paulista is held annually by theFederação Paulista de Futebol (São Paulo State Football Federation), or FPF, amongst teams residing within the state of São Paulo. After 2016, 16 clubs compete at the highest championship level (Série A1). In a new format started in 2015, the 16 teams are divided into four groups of four, however, teams of the same group don't play against each other, totaling 12 rounds. After this, the top two of each group advance to the final stages followed by an eight-team playoff with a single-legged tie in the Quarterfinals, with a tie of the teams of the same group and Semi-finals, only the Final happens in a two-leg format. The two lowest-placed teams in the overall table are relegated to the lower competition (Série A2) for the following year.
Also, in the Série A1, the six best clubs reaching the latter stages qualify for theCopa do Brasil, and the best three qualify for theSérie D.
Série A2 is contested by 16 teams in two separate phases. In Phase One, the teams play against each other once in around-robin format. After 15 rounds, the knockout round happens in an eight-team playoff with a home-and-away series. The two finalists of the Série A2 will advance to the Série A1 of the following year. Also, the bottom two are demoted to the Série A3.
Série A3 consists of 16 teams competing in a two-phase format similar to Série A2. Promotion and relegation rules are the same as the 2nd level of São Paulo's football system.
Formerly called Segunda Divisão, in 2024, the FPF renamed the 4th tier of the São Paulo State Championship toSérie A4. It has the same system as the Série A2 and Série A3. However, the teams must field only five players over 23 years old.
From 2024, theSegunda Divisão or Paulistão Sub-23 stands as the 5th tier, originally planned to be reintroduced in 2021, the plans were aborted due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In this year, 17 clubs played in matches that occurred after the conclusion of the four tiers above this division. The number of teams varies, and they must field only Under-23 players. The two best teams are promoted to the Série A4.
Charles Miller was responsible for the creation of the first São Paulo state tournament. Miller introduced thefootball association rules to Brazil upon his return from England, where he attended college and discovered the sport. On December 14, 1901, the Liga Paulista de Foot-Ball (Paulista Football League), or LPF was founded, comprising five initial teams:São Paulo Athletic Club,Internacional,Mackenzie, Germânia, andPaulistano. Between April and October 1902, those teams competed in the first edition of the tournament, with São Paulo AC winning the title and Miller himself as the leading goalscorer. Unlike in Argentina and Uruguay, football was restricted to elitist clubs in its early days in Brazil.
Football popularity grew in following years. Paulistano, a club composed of the children of the richest families of São Paulo, became the strongest team. However, the popularity base of the sport started to change after a brilliant exhibition tour bythe Corinthians, a London amateur team, inSão Paulo andRio de Janeiro. They easily defeated the best Brazilian teams of the time and made a very favorable impression amongst the younger fans. Shortly thereafter, a group of workers were inspired to found the city's first popular team,Sport Club Corinthians Paulista.
Growth of football popularity amongst lower classes generated a rift in the LPF. Their directors had defended that football should remain an elitist sport. This difference in opinion led to creation of another competing league, the Associação Paulista de Esportes Atléticos (Paulista Association of Athletic Sports), APEA, which promoted the sport among all social classes. Corinthians andPalestra Itália (a new club founded by Italian immigrants), and Paulistano helped to comprise the new league.[citation needed]
The LPF ceased operation in 1917. Until 1926, the APEA remained the only league in São Paulo. Stronger teams, larger crowds and players suchNeco (Corinthians) andArthur Friedenreich (Paulistano) contributed to thefootballmania that converted football from "foreigner's fun" to Brazil's most popular sport. Debates surrounded the issue of whether football should professionalize or remain a purely amateur endeavor. Paulistano, the most trophied team at the time, refused to become professional and departed in 1925 to create the Liga de Amadores de Futebol (League of Football Amateurs) [LAF]. Competition between the two leagues fueled expansion of the teams, as clubs from upstate began to join.
By 1930, the LAF and Paulistano had folded, and a new era for São Paulo football began. Players became professionals in 1933 when Bandeirante Football League was created. Corinthians and Palestra Itália assumed their positions as the most powerful and popular teams. A new club emerges to compete for the hearts of supporters. Some dissidents from Paulistano, favorable to professionalization, along with the directors of AA Palmeiras united to formSão Paulo Futebol Clube, the third force of the city.
The APEA had ceased operations in 1938, and after several name changes, the original Bandeirante Football League officially became the Federação Paulista de Futebol (Paulista Football Federation), [FPF] on April 22, 1941. São Paulo signedLeonidas da Silva in the following year and won five of the next eight championships. Palestra Itália change its name to Palmeiras in 1943 due to aWorld War II period law that bannedAxis powers references in sport. Football grows within the state and a second division is created in 1948, allowing upstate teams to take part in major league competition.XV de Novembro fromPiracicaba was the first team promoted to the top flight.
São Paulo, Palmeiras and Corinthians dominated titles in early 1950s.Santos, although having competed consistently, would need to wait a few more years to gain top status. 1957 saw the debut of one of football's greatest players,Pelé. His goals helped Santos to win nine of the next twelve championships. Pelé was the league top scorer in every year between 1957 and 1965 including a record 58 goals in a single season. Santos won numerous competitions at the state, national, regional and international level. Palmeiras's"Academia" teams were the only ones able to break such dominance in the sixties.
Since the 1960s, Brazil began to develop more mature national competitions which competed with the state and regional tournaments for supporter's attention. In 1977, Corinthians' were able to win a title after a 24-year drought, and the early eighties saw the battle between Corinthians (led bySócrates) and São Paulo's (Serginho Chulapa). The "Corinthians Democracy" won in 1982 and 1983 while introducing a new philosophy in club management, where players participate in all decisions with management. São Paulo became the most successful team of the decade, winning the championship in 1980, 1981, 1985, 1987 and 1989. The last years saw the emergence of players such asMüller andSilas (known as the "Menudos do Morumbi") on that team. Internacional fromLimeira accomplished a great upset in 1986 by defeating Palmeiras to win the final.
Bragantino vs.Novorizontino was the final in the 1990 championship in the Paulistão's biggest ever upset. Palmeiras' fans saw their club win the 1993, 1994 and 1996 championships with the greatest Brazilian squad of the decade.Rivaldo,Roberto Carlos,Edmundo,César Sampaio are among the members of the "Green Machine" which scored 100 goals in the 1996 tournament. Corinthians conquered the trophy five times in the 1995–2003 period, thus becoming the most successful team in the first 100 years of the Campeonato Paulista, with 25 titles.
Since 2000, Campeonato Paulista has lost popularity with each year. The main São Paulo state teams treat the tournament as tune-ups for the more lucrativeCopa Libertadores andBrazilian National Championship. However, the Paulistão, as well as the other state tournaments in Brazil, still hold significance by providing developing talent and sustaining grass-roots soccer within the state.
Due to the COVID-19 death toll, the government decided to suspend the championship from March 15, 2021, till March 30, 2021, aiming to stop the spread of the coronavirus.[1]
On September 23, 2021, the São Paulo Football Federation recognizes the São Paulo titles of 1933 and 1934, to Albion and Juventus respectively.[2]
2025 Série A1
In 2002, the FPF organized the Super Championship with the top 3 teams in the 2002Rio-São Paulo Tournament (Corinthians, São Paulo and Palmeiras) and the 2002 Paulista Champions (Ituano). São Paulo won the Championship.[9][10]
Held on May 19 and 22
| Team 1 | Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ituano | 4–3 | Corinthians | 2–0 | 2–3 |
| São Paulo | 4–2 | Palmeiras | 2–0 | 2–2 |
| Ituano | 2–2 | São Paulo |
|---|---|---|
Fernando Gaúcho 39'Basílio 77' | Report[11] | 68'Reinaldo 89'Júlio Baptista |
| City | Championships | Clubs |
|---|---|---|
| São Paulo | 135 | Corinthians (31),Palmeiras (26),São Paulo (22),Paulistano (11),SPAC (4),AA das Palmeiras (3),Portuguesa (3),AA São Bento (2),Germânia (2),SC Americano (2),SC Internacional (2),Albion (1),Juventus (1) |
| Santos | 22 | Santos (22) |
| Itu | 2 | Ituano (2) |
| Bragança Paulista | 1 | Bragantino (1) |
| Limeira | 1 | Inter de Limeira (1) |
| São Caetano do Sul | 1 | São Caetano (1) |
Below is the list of clubs that have more than 40 appearances in the competition.
| Club | App | First | Last |
|---|---|---|---|
| Corinthians | 113 | 1913 | 2025 |
| Palmeiras | 110 | 1916 | 2025 |
| Santos | 110 | 1913 | 2025 |
| Portuguesa | 95 | 1920 | 2025 |
| São Paulo | 95 | 1930 | 2025 |
| Juventus | 73 | 1928 | 2008 |
| Guarani | 72 | 1927 | 2025 |
| Ponte Preta | 62 | 1928 | 2025 |
| Botafogo | 60 | 1957 | 2025 |
| Portuguesa Santista | 50 | 1929 | 2006 |
| Ferroviária | 48 | 1956 | 2023 |
| Ypiranga | 46 | 1910 | 1958 |
| XV de Piracicaba | 46 | 1949 | 2016 |
| América | 44 | 1958 | 2007 |
Following is the list with the top 10 topscorers of all-time in the Campeonato Paulista:[15]
| # | Player | Years | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pelé | 1956–1974 | 466 |
| 2 | Arthur Friedenreich | 1909–1933 | 338 |
| 3 | Serginho | 1973–1991 | 206 |
| 4 | Feitiço | 1921–1939 | 197 |
| 5 | Heitor | 1916–1931 | 195 |
| 6 | Toninho Guerreiro | 1960–1975 | 189 |
| 7 | Cláudio | 1942–1960 | 183 |
| 8 | Pepe | 1954–1969 | 176 |
| 9 | Neco | 1913–1930 | 167 |
| 10 | Baltazar | 1944–1959 | 156 |
The awards started in 1993 byFolha de S.Paulo newspaper and then the São Paulo Football Federation took over.
The competition, held since 2007, is played in two-legged semi-finals and final by the four best placed countryside São Paulo state clubs that did not reach the semi-final stage of the Campeonato Paulista in the season. Which in turn, is the 5th to 8th place of the first stage of Campeonato Paulista, except the teams from thecity of São Paulo and also includingSantos.
| Season | Winner | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Guaratinguetá | Noroeste |
| 2008 | Grêmio Barueri | Noroeste |
| 2009 | Ponte Preta | Grêmio Barueri |
| 2010 | Botafogo | São Caetano |
| 2011 | Oeste | Ponte Preta |
| 2012 | Mogi Mirim | Bragantino |
| 2013 | Ponte Preta | Penapolense |
| 2014 | Penapolense | Botafogo |
| 2015 | Ponte Preta | Red Bull Brasil |
| 2016 | Not held | |
| 2017 | Ituano | Santo André |
| 2018 | Ponte Preta | Mirassol |
| 2019 | Red Bull Brasil | Ponte Preta |
| 2020 | Red Bull Bragantino | Guarani |
| 2021 | Novorizontino | Ponte Preta |
| 2022 | Ituano | Botafogo |
| 2023 | São Bernardo | Mirassol |
| Club | Winners | Runners-up | Winning years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ponte Preta | 4 | 2 | 2009, 2013, 2015, 2018 |
| Ituano | 2 | 0 | 2017, 2022 |
| Botafogo | 1 | 2 | 2010 |
| Grêmio Barueri | 1 | 1 | 2008 |
| Penapolense | 1 | 1 | 2014 |
| Red Bull Brasil | 1 | 1 | 2019 |
| Red Bull Bragantino | 1 | 1 | 2020 |
| Guaratinguetá | 1 | 0 | 2007 |
| Oeste | 1 | 0 | 2011 |
| Mogi Mirim | 1 | 0 | 2012 |
| Novorizontino | 1 | 0 | 2021 |
| São Bernardo | 1 | 0 | 2023 |
| Mirassol | 0 | 2 | |
| Noroeste | 0 | 2 | |
| Santo André | 0 | 1 | |
| São Caetano | 0 | 1 | |
| Guarani | 0 | 1 |
 Football inSão Paulo | |
|---|---|
| League system | |
| Cup competitions | |
| Youth competitions | |
| Women's competitions | |
| FPF Amateur competitions | |
| Defunct |
|
| State team | |
