Brazil
|
|
State football championships in Brazil are football competitions organised in each of the individual states of the country. The state championships are not hierarchically below the national league, however, they are used for the purposes of promoting clubs to the National Leagues. Details of the 27 Brazilian state championships (including one federal district) are provided below:
Historically, because of economical and geographical issues, in particular the long distances between important cities of the country, there has as a consequence been the development of a strong internal competitive culture within the states. This has manifested itself with each Brazilian state having its own state championship. Due to their long tradition the state championships are highly regarded, and are almost as important as the Campeonato Brasileiro Série A. Most state competitions have a much longer history than the national competition, the oldest football championship in Brazil being the Campeonato Paulista which started in 1902. Since 2009 most of the state championships start in January and conclude in early May. The state champions (andin some states the runners-up) automatically qualify to play in the following season's Copa do Brasil. In addition the best placed clubs of each state which are not competing the Campeonato Brasileiro Série A, Série B or Série C are able to qualify for Série D. |
|
|