Campeonato Baiano · History

Bahia have won the Campeonato Baiano more times than any other club, with 52 titles, the latest in 2026. Vitória are second with 30. Further back come Ypiranga with 10, Botafogo of Salvador with 7 and Galícia with 5. The Bahia state football championship has been played every year since 1905 and is the second-oldest state championship in Brazil, behind only the Paulista, which began in 1902. It is organised by the Bahia Football Federation (FBF).

Origins in Salvador

The competition was founded on 15 November 1904 as the Liga Bahiana de Sports Terrestres. Four clubs from the state capital created it: São Paulo Club, Clube Internacional de Cricket, Sport Club Victoria and Sport Club Bahiano. The first edition was played in 1905. Internacional de Cricket won it, with São Salvador as runners-up. In 1908 Vitória won the title with a perfect record, a feat Ypiranga later matched. In the early decades the trophy stayed with clubs from Salvador. Ypiranga won ten titles, seven of them without losing a match.

From Galícia's three in a row to Bahia's dominance

Galícia won three straight titles from 1941 to 1943, the first hat-trick of consecutive championships in the competition. Bahia, founded in 1931, made long runs a habit. They won four in a row from 1947 to 1950, five from 1958 to 1962 and seven in a row from 1973 to 1979, the longest streak in the competition. Another run of four followed from 1981 to 1984. Two titles were shared. In 1938 the crown was split between Bahia and Botafogo. In 1999 Bahia took the championship to the sports courts, and the FBF eventually divided the title between Bahia and Vitória.

Champions from the interior

Few clubs from outside Salvador have won the Baiano. Fluminense de Feira were the first, winning in 1963 and 1969. Colo Colo of Ilhéus won in 2006, and Bahia de Feira, from Feira de Santana, in 2011. Atlético de Alagoinhas won in 2021 and again in 2022. Those titles make Feira de Santana, Ilhéus and Alagoinhas the only three interior cities with at least one state champion.

The Ba-Vi and Vitória's era

Since the middle of the 20th century the championship has revolved around the Ba-Vi, the derby between Bahia and Vitória. Vitória dominated the first decade of the 21st century, winning in 2000, every year from 2002 to 2005 and every year from 2007 to 2010. They won again in 2013, 2016, 2017 and 2024, bringing them to 13 titles since 2000 and 30 overall. Bahia won in 2001, 2012, 2014 and 2015, took three in a row from 2018 to 2020 and won again in 2023.

Scoring records

The scoring record for a single edition is 27 goals. Two players share it: Cláudio Adão, for Bahia in 1986, and Neto Baiano, for Vitória in 2012. Behind them come Beijoca, with 26 goals for Catuense in 1981, and Sena (Vitória, 1979) and Ramon Menezes (Vitória, 1995), with 25 each. The federation itself acknowledges that its records of historical top scorers are incomplete.

Format and recent titles

The tournament combines a league-style qualifying phase with knockout rounds. The champions earn places in the Copa do Nordeste, the Copa do Brasil and Série D of the Brazilian championship, and the bottom clubs drop to the state Série B. In 2025 Bahia beat Vitória in the final to claim their 51st title. On 7 March 2026 they beat them again in a one-off final at the Arena Fonte Nova, coming from behind to win 2-1 with two goals from Jean Lucas. It was their 52nd title and their second in a row. Bahia went through the competition unbeaten, with nine wins and two draws. They had last won the Baiano without losing in 1982.