BRAZILIAN FOOTBALL
Calendar overhaul promises rest for the elite, opportunities for small clubs
Lower-league football clubs in Brazil, such as Barra and Santa Cruz, have long complained about a lack of matches in their annual calendars. That could be about to change. Photo: Fabio Souza/CBF
Like trying to make an elephant fit into a doghouse. That’s how the competitions director of the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF), Julio Avellar, described the current calendar of Brazilian football. It is an issue that we at Brazil Sports have addressed several times, noting how fixture congestion throughout the year leads to player exhaustion and harms the quality of the final spectacle.
According to CBF data, Brazil’s elite clubs played an average of 67.4 matches in 2024, far exceeding the mean of 57.2 for global top-level sides. But that, it seems, could be about to change…
🔒 This was a free preview; the rest is behind our paywall
Don’t miss out! Upgrade to unlock full access. The process takes only seconds with Apple Pay or Stripe. Become a member.
Why you should subscribe
We’re here for readers who want to truly understand Brazil and Latin America — a region too often ignored or misrepresented by the international media.
Since 2017, our reporting has been powered by paid subscribers. They’re the reason we can keep a full-time team of 10 journalists across Brazil and Argentina, delivering sharp, independent coverage every day.
If you value our work, subscribing is the best way to keep it going — and growing.
Interested in advertising with us? Get in touch.
Need a special report? We can do it.
Have an idea for an article or column? Pitch us.
