 | |
| Founded | 1989 |
|---|---|
| Region | Brazil |
| Teams | 126 |
| Qualifier for | Copa Libertadores Supercopa do Brasil |
| Current champions | Flamengo (5th title) |
| Most championships | Cruzeiro (6 titles) |
| Broadcaster(s) | Domestic Rede Globo SporTV Premiere Amazon Prime Video International OneFootball |
| Motto | A Competição mais Democrática |
| Website | cbf.com.br |
 2025 Copa do Brasil | |
TheCopa do Brasil (English:Brazil Cup) is a knockoutfootball competition played by 126 teams, representing all26 Brazilian states plus theFederal District. It is the Brazilian domestic cup and it is the Brazilian equivalent of theFA Cup,Taça de Portugal,Copa del Rey,Scottish Cup andCopa Argentina, even though it has much more prestige and is considered almost as important as theBrazilian League, as the prize money is higher than theBrasileirão's.[1] The Copa do Brasil is an opportunity for teams from smaller states to play against the big teams. The winner of the cup automatically qualifies for the following edition of theCopa Libertadores de América, the most prestigious continental football tournament contested by top clubs inSouth America organized byCONMEBOL.
Initially the Copa do Brasil was contested by 32 clubs. The field increased to 40 in 1996, increased to 69 by the year of 2000, and stabilized at 64 after 2001 which it remained at until 2012. Clubs from all26 Brazilian states and theFederal District participate.
From 2001 to 2012, the Copa do Brasil was played in the first half of the year and in those seasons, due to busyscheduling, teams playing in the Copa Libertadores did not participate in the Copa do Brasil during the same year. Thus, the Copa do Brasil champion never defended their title in the next edition, since they would be qualified for the Copa Libertadores that year.
From 2013 to 2015, 87 teams participate in the cup and the teams that compete in the Copa Libertadores join the Copa do Brasil directly in the Round of 16. Also, the best 8 teams from the previous year'sCampeonato Brasileiro Série A eliminated up to the third round qualify forCopa Sudamericana. In 2016, the competition was played by 86 clubs. From 2017 to 2020 the cup was contested by 91 teams but in 2021 the number of participants was increased to 92.
Since the2023 edition, the tournament has been sponsored by Betano and is thus known as theCopa Betano do Brasil for sponsorship reasons.[2]
Cruzeiro is the most successful club, having won the competition six times, followed byFlamengo andGrêmio with 5 titles,Palmeiras with 4,Corinthians with 3, andAtlético Mineiro with 2. Another 11 clubs have won one edition of the competition, resulting in a total of 17 champions. The state with the highest number of titles isSão Paulo, with 11. Only two states have champions from more than one city: São Paulo (Jundiaí,Santo André,Santos andSão Paulo) and Rio Grande do Sul (Caxias do Sul andPorto Alegre).Rio de Janeiro (Flamengo,Fluminense andVasco da Gama) andSão Paulo (Palmeiras, Corinthians andSão Paulo) are the only cities with more than two champion clubs.
The competition is asingle eliminationknockout tournament featuringtwo-legged ties (in the third round onwards). In the first two rounds, the winner is known after a single leg. The first round is played in the lowest ranked team stadium, with the away team having adraw advantage to qualify.
Since the tournament's creation in 1989, the winner of the tournament qualifies for the next year'sCopa Libertadores de América.
| Round | Clubs remaining | Clubs involved | From previous round | Entries in this round | Teams entering at this round |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First round | 80 | 80 | 80 | none |
|
| Second round | 40 | 40 | 40 | ||
| Third round | 32 | 32 | 20 | 12 | Non-random slots
Random slots
|
| Round of 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | none | |
| Quarter-finals | 8 | 8 | 8 | ||
| Semi-finals | 4 | 4 | 4 | ||
| Final | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| State | Clubs qualified | Teams entering |
|---|---|---|
 Acre | 2 |
|
 Alagoas | 3 |
|
 Amapá | 2 |
|
 Amazonas | 2 |
|
 Bahia | 3 |
|
 Ceará | 3 |
|
 Distrito Federal | 2 |
|
 Espírito Santo | 2 |
|
 Goiás | 3 |
|
 Maranhão | 3 |
|
 Mato Grosso | 3 |
|
 Mato Grosso do Sul | 2 |
|
 Minas Gerais | 5 |
|
 Pará | 3 |
|
 Paraíba | 2 |
|
 Paraná | 5 |
|
 Pernambuco | 3 |
|
 Piauí | 2 |
|
 Rio de Janeiro | 6 | Non-random slots
Random slots The champion can choose to compete in the Copa do Brasil or Série D.The runner-up will take the remaining spot.) |
 Rio Grande do Norte | 2 |
|
 Rio Grande do Sul | 5 |
|
 Rondônia | 2 |
|
 Roraima | 2 |
|
 Santa Catarina | 3 |
|
 São Paulo | 6 | Non-random slots
Random slots
The champion can choose to compete in the Copa do Brasil or Série D.The runner-up will take the remaining spot.) |
 Sergipe | 2 |
|
 Tocantins | 2 |
|
The eligible teams to compete in the Copa do Brasil are the previous year's Copa do Brasil champion, the 70 best-placed clubs in thestate championships (in which the number of spots per state range from one to five clubs), the top six clubs from the previous year'sCampeonato Brasileiro Série A, theCopa do Nordeste (Northeast Cup) champion, theCopa Verde (Green Cup) champion, the ten highest-ranked clubs in CBF's ranking not already qualified, and two of the following: the Brazilian champion of the most recent Copa Libertadores (if there is one), the Brazilian champion of the most recent Copa Sudamericana (if there is one), the 7th place team of Campeonato Brasileiro Série A, or the champion ofCampeonato Brasileiro Série B.[3]
The 7 Brazilians teams in theCopa Libertadores da América, the best placed teams in the previous year'sSérie A andSérie B (or the champion of Copa Libertadores and/or Copa Sudamericana, if it is a Brazilian team) and Copa do Nordeste and Copa Verde's Title Holders will join the Copa do Brasil directly in Round of 16.
The Copa do Brasil was created in 1989 to appease the state soccer federations with fewer large and traditional clubs on the national stage, whose representatives would hardly have the opportunity to face big clubs during the year. This concern arose after a decrease in the number of participants in the 1987 Campeonato Brasileiro, when 13 of the biggest clubs in Brazil broke away to form theCopa União (Union Cup) in response to theCBF's financial difficulties.
The creation of this competition was designed to promote the state championships in the North, Northeast and Central West regions of Brazil, which were no longer represented in the Brazilian Championship. Copa do Brasil is of high importance for the medium and small clubs in these regions who now, at least theoretically, have a path to qualify for the Copa Libertadores.
The first edition of the Copa do Brasil took place in 1989. The first goal in the cup's history was scored byAlcindo Sartori in a 2–0 victory byFlamengo overPaysandu.Gremio were the first champion, qualifying to compete in the 1990 Copa Libertadores.
From 1989 to 1993, the champion of that year took home the trophy. In 1994 it was determined that the club that won the Copa do Brasil three times would have final possession of the cup. This happened in 2001 withGrêmio (after winning in 1994, 1997 and 2001).
Thus, for the2002 Copa do Brasil a new trophy was contested, which remained until 2007 with no club earning its final possession.
By winning the2003 Copa do Brasil and the2003 Campeonato Brasileiro,Cruzeiro won both the domestic cup and domestic league in the same year, a feat that was matched only once in Brazilian football byAtlético Mineiro in 2021. Atlético has also won the 2021Campeonato Mineiro, their state championship, as Cruzeiro did in 2003, completing the domestic treble (State league, national league and cup).
In 2008, a new trophy was instituted for the Copa do Brasil. In that same yearSport Recife became the first and so far only club from outside the Southeast Region or the South Region to win the competition. The North Region and Center-West regions have had no representative win the cup so far.
Grêmio's victory overAtletico Mineiro in the first leg of the2016 Copa do Brasil final was the first time ever that a visiting club won the first leg of the Copa do Brasil final, in the 28 editions of the competition.
The number of participating teams has varied during the competition's history, based on the number of teams that qualify through their state federation's league tournament. From 1989 to 1994, 32 teams participated. That number was increased in 1995 to 36 teams, in 1996 to 40 teams, and in 1997 to 45 teams. 42 teams participated in 1998, 65 in 1999 and 69 in 2000.
From 2001 to 2012, the format was consolidated to 64 teams, without teams that participated in the Copa Libertadores that year due to conflict of dates.
In 2013, CBF presented a new cup trophy to replace the trophy in dispute since 2008. The champion gets permanent possession of the trophy and an identical trophy will be produced for the following year. Also in 2013, the tournament format was expanded again to 87 teams, which remained through 2014 and 2015. Under the new format, teams participating in Copa Libertadores again competed in the Copa do Brasil, entering the tournament directly into the Round of 16. In 2016 the number of participants was increased to 86, in 2017 to 91 and in 2021 to 92.
| Years | Official Sponsor | Name |
|---|---|---|
| 2009–2012 | Kia Motors | Copa Kia do Brasil |
| 2013 | Perdigão | Copa Perdigão do Brasil |
| 2014–2015 | Sadia | Copa Sadia do Brasil |
| 2016–2020 | Continental | Copa Continental do Brasil |
| 2021–2022 | Intelbras | Copa Intelbras do Brasil |
| 2023– | Betano | Copa Betano do Brasil |
| 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 |
| 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 |
 Argentina (AFA) | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Bolivia (FBF) | |||||||
 Brazil (CBF) | |||||||
 Chile (FFC) | |||||||
 Colombia (FCF) | |||||||
 Ecuador (FEF) | |||||||
 Paraguay (APF) | |||||||
 Peru (FPF) | |||||||
 Uruguay (AUF) | |||||||
 Venezuela (FVF) | |||||||
| National team competitions |
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| Club competitions |
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| Related topics | |||||||
| International | |
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| National | |
