Campeonato Brasileiro Feminino · History

Run by the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) since 2013, the Campeonato Brasileiro de Futebol Feminino Série A1 is the top national division of women's football in Brazil. Its format has changed several times: it began with 20 teams, dropped to 16 in 2017 and has been contested by 18 clubs since 2026. Promotion and relegation link it to Série A2, and both finalists qualify for the CONMEBOL Copa Libertadores Femenina.

Background

Brazilian women's football had national tournaments long before 2013. The Taça Brasil de Futebol Feminino ran from 1983 to 1989, and Rio de Janeiro club Radar won all six editions. A national championship created in 1997 was discontinued in 2001. In 2007 the CBF launched the Copa do Brasil de Futebol Feminino, which was scrapped in 2017, when the league expanded with a second tier.

Launch and early editions (2013-2016)

The first edition, in 2013, was organised with sponsorship from Caixa Econômica Federal and brought together the 20 best teams in the CBF women's ranking. Until 2016 the 20 sides were split into four groups of five, followed by two groups of four, two-legged semi-finals and a final. The first champions were Centro Olímpico, who drew 2-2 away to São José and won the return leg 2-1. Gabi Zanotti, of the title winners, was top scorer with 12 goals. Ferroviária won in 2014 against Kindermann, Rio Preto beat São José in 2015 and Flamengo took the 2016 title against Rio Preto.

The 2017 overhaul

In 2017 the competition became a single-group league of 16 teams, with the top eight going through to the knockout rounds. Série A2 was created at the same time, also with 16 clubs in two groups of eight, and a 32-team Série A3 followed in 2021. Santos won the 2017 final against Corinthians with 2-0 and 1-0 victories; Argentine forward Sole Jaimes scored 18 goals for Santos. Since 2019, under CONMEBOL licensing rules applied by the CBF, clubs in the men's Série A have been required to run a women's team, which brought several major clubs into the league.

The Corinthians years (2018-2025)

Corinthians won their first title in 2018, against Rio Preto. In 2019 they lost the final to Ferroviária, who claimed a second championship after 1-1 and 0-0 draws and a 4-2 penalty shootout; Millene, of Corinthians, was top scorer with 19 goals. Between 2020 and 2025 the São Paulo club won six titles in a row, beating Kindermann (2020), Palmeiras (2021), Internacional (2022), Ferroviária (2023), São Paulo (2024) and Cruzeiro (2025). The 2024 final drew 44,529 spectators, and in 2025 Corinthians drew 2-2 at Cruzeiro before winning the second leg 1-0. Palmeiras forward Amanda Gutierres finished as top scorer in 2024, with 15 goals, and in 2025, with 17.

Sponsorship, broadcasting and the Libertadores

From 2021 to 2024 the tournament was branded Brasileirão Feminino Neoenergia under a naming-rights deal. Band acquired the television rights in 2019, ESPN Brasil started showing matches in November 2020 and Grupo Globo came in in 2023. Because Brazil tops the CONMEBOL all-time women's ranking, the Brazilian league holds two places in the Libertadores Femenina, one for each finalist.

The 2026 edition

In 2026 Série A1 grew to 18 clubs, each paid 720,000 reais for playing in the first phase. The final was again Corinthians against São Paulo. On 26 September São Paulo came from behind to win 2-1 at the Neo Química Arena, and on 3 October they drew 1-1 at the MorumBIS, where goalkeeper Carlinha saved a penalty. That gave São Paulo their first Série A1 title and ended the Corinthians run, leaving them on seven championships. Cruzeiro's Marília was top scorer with 11 goals. The second leg was watched by 49,405 spectators, the competition's attendance record.