Football is the most popular sport, both in terms of participants and spectators, in Rio de Janeiro. Rio de Janeiro has several of Brazil's significant football clubs, and the city is home to many football clubs.
Rio de Janeiro has a long football history
Maracanã Stadium, It was the main home venue of the Brazil national football team.
There are many successful football clubs in Rio de Janeiro:
| Club | League | Venue | Established (team) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Botafogo | Campeonato Brasileiro Série A | Estádio Nilton Santos 46,931 (43,810 record) | 1894 |
| Flamengo | Campeonato Brasileiro Série A | Maracanã 78,838 (173,850 record) | 1895 |
| Fluminense | Campeonato Brasileiro Série A | Maracanã 78,838 (173,850 record) | 1902 |
| Vasco da Gama | Campeonato Brasileiro Série A | São Januário 19,717 (40,209 record) | 1898 |
| Madureira | Campeonato Brasileiro Série D | Estádio Aniceto Moscoso 5,400 (10,762 record) | 1914 |
| Bangu | Campeonato Brasileiro Série D | Estádio Moça Bonita 9,564 (17,000 record) | 1904 |
| Portuguesa | Campeonato Brasileiro Série D | Estádio Luso Brasileiro 15,000 (18,725 record) | 1924 |
| Bonsucesso | Campeonato Carioca Série A | Estádio Leônidas da Silva 13,000 (13,571 record) | 1913 |
| America | Campeonato Carioca Série B | Estádio Giulite Coutinho 13,544 (9,861 record) | 1904 |
There are also other clubs in Rio de Janeiro state
There were some other club, which are now extinct, in Rio de Janeiro:
Botafogo de Futebol e Regatas is a Brazilian sports club based in the neighborhood of Botafogo, in the city of Rio de Janeiro. Although they compete in a number of different sports, Botafogo is mostly known for its association football team. It plays in the Campeonato Brasileiro Série A, the top tier of the Brazilian football league system, and in the state of Rio de Janeiro's premier state league. In 2000, Botafogo finished 12th in a vote by subscribers of FIFA Magazine for the FIFA Club of the Century. They have won the Brazilian championship three times, in 1968, 1995 and 2024. Botafogo won the Copa Libertadores for the first time in 2024.
Clube de Regatas do Flamengo, more commonly referred to as simply Flamengo, is a Brazilian multi sports club based in Rio de Janeiro, in the neighborhood of Gávea, best known for their professional football team. They are one of two clubs to have never been relegated from the top division, along with São Paulo. Flamengo is the most popular team in Brazil with more than 46.9 million fans, equivalent to 21.9% of the population that supports a team in Brazil.
Fluminense Football Club is a Brazilian sports club based in neighbourhood of Laranjeiras, in Rio de Janeiro, being the oldest football club in the state since its foundation in 1902. Competes in the Campeonato Brasileiro Série A, the first tier of Brazilian football, and the Campeonato Carioca, the state league of Rio de Janeiro. The word "fluminense" is the gentilic given to people born in the state of Rio de Janeiro, in Brazil.
Club de Regatas Vasco da Gama, commonly referred to as Vasco da Gama or simply Vasco, is a sports club based in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Although originally a rowing club and then a multi-sport club, Vasco is mostly known for its men's football team, which currently competes in the Campeonato Brasileiro Série A, the top tier of the Brazilian football league system, and in the Campeonato Carioca, the state of Rio de Janeiro's premier state league.
The Campeonato Carioca, officially known as Campeonato Estadual do Rio de Janeiro, also commonly known as the Cariocão, is the state football league of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It is under the authority of the FERJ or FFERJ. It is an annual tournament, started in 1906.
The Taça Brasil was the Brazilian national football championship contested from 1959 to 1968.
Bangu Atlético Clube, commonly known as Bangu, is a Brazilian professional association football club based in Rio de Janeiro, in the western neighbourhood of Bangu. The team plays in Série D, the fourth tier of the Brazilian football league system, as well as in the Campeonato Carioca, the top tier of the Rio de Janeiro state football league.
Volta Redonda Futebol Clube, commonly referred to as Volta Redonda, is a Brazilian professional club based in Volta Redonda, Rio de Janeiro founded on 9 February 1976. It will compete in the Campeonato Brasileiro Série B, the second tier of Brazilian football, in 2025. As well, it also compete in the Campeonato Carioca, the top flight of the Rio de Janeiro state football league.
The Brazilian states football championships are the professional adult male football competitions in Brazil that take place between January and April for the Northeast, Central-West, Southeast and South regions. In some states from the North Region, however, it takes place in May or June. One such league, the Campeonato Paulista, which started in 1902, is the oldest football competition in Brazil. All professional football clubs in Brazil play in a state championship, but not all qualify for the national league.
Estádio Luso Brasileiro, formerly known as Ilha do Urubu, Arena Petrobras, Arena Botafogo and Estádio da Ilha do Governador is a football stadium inaugurated on 2 October 1965 in Ilha do Governador neighborhood, Rio de Janeiro. The maximum capacity of the stadium was 6,437 spectators, expanded to 17,250 due to renovations made by Botafogo for the 2016 Brazilian Série A. It was once again expanded to 20,113 by Flamengo in 2017. The stadium is owned by Portuguesa. Nowadays, the stadium has returned to its original capacity after the end of the partnership with Flamengo in the middle of 2018.
Goytacaz Futebol Clube, or Goytacaz as they are usually called, is a Brazilian football team from Campos dos Goytacazes in Rio de Janeiro, founded on August 20, 1912.
Campos dos Goytacazes is a municipality located in the northern region of Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil, with a population of 483,540 inhabitants.
Abel Carlos da Silva Braga, known as Abel Braga, is a Brazilian former football coach and player.
Clássico dos Milhões is the association football derby between CR Flamengo and CR Vasco da Gama, both from the city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Considered one of the most fiercely contested derbies in Brazilian football, both in historic rivalry and in popularity. It has been named that way since its beginnings in the 1920s, as Flamengo and Vasco have the two largest fan bases in the state of Rio de Janeiro.
Amarildo Tavares da Silveira, also known as Amarildo, is a retired Brazilian footballer who played as a striker. He is the last surviving player who participated in the 1962 World Cup final.
Moisés Matias de Andrade, usually known simply as Moisés, was a professional footballer who played for several Campeonato Brasileiro Série A clubs.
Antônio Lopes dos Santos Júnior, known as Júnior Lopes, is a Brazilian football coach.
The Clássico Vovô is the name given to Botafogo and Fluminense association football derby, both teams from the city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It is the oldest rivalry among the major clubs in Brazil, and the third oldest in the Americas.
The Rio de Janeiro–São Paulo football rivalry is the rivalry between football clubs, fans and media in the states of Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo, as well as their capitals. The rivalry occurs because they are the two most economically developed Brazilian states and most successful states in Brazilian football. Together, the two states have 51 of the 68 national league titles and 17 of the 35 Copa do Brasil titles, in addition to 15 of the 23 Brazilian trophies in the Copa Libertadores.
