The Copa do Brasil (, ) is a knockout football competition played by 126 clubs, representing all 26 Brazilian states and the Federal District. It is the Brazilian domestic cup and it is the Brazilian equivalent of the FA Cup, Taça de Portugal, Copa del Rey, Scottish Cup and Copa Argentina, even though it has much more prestige and is considered almost as important as the Campeonato Brasileiro, as the prize money is higher than the Brasileirão's. The winner of the cup automatically qualifies for the following edition of the Copa Libertadores, the most prestigious continental football tournament contested by top clubs in South America, organized by CONMEBOL.
Initially, the Copa do Brasil was contested by 32 clubs. The field increased to 40 in 1996, increased to 69 by the year of 2000, and stabilized at 64 after 2001, until 2012. Clubs from all 26 Brazilian states and the Federal District participate. From 2001 to 2012, the Copa do Brasil was played in the first half of the year and in those seasons, due to busy scheduling, teams playing in the Copa Libertadores did not participate in the Copa do Brasil during the same year. Thus, the Copa do Brasil champion never defended their title in the next edition, since they would be qualified for the Copa Libertadores that year. From 2013 to 2015, 87 clubs participate in the cup and the teams that compete in the Copa Libertadores join the Copa do Brasil directly in the Round of 16. Also, the best 8 from the previous year's Campeonato Brasileiro Série A eliminated up to the third round qualify for Copa Sudamericana.
Since the 2023 edition, the tournament has been sponsored by Betano and is thus known as the Copa Betano do Brasil. Cruzeiro is the most successful club, having won the competition six times, followed by Flamengo and Grêmio with 5 titles, Corinthians and Palmeiras with 4, and Atlético Mineiro with 2. Another 11 clubs have won one edition of the competition, resulting in a total of 17 champions. The state with the highest number of titles is São Paulo, with 11. Only two states have champions from more than one city: São Paulo (Jundiaí, Santo André, Santos and São Paulo) and Rio Grande do Sul (Caxias do Sul and Porto Alegre). Rio de Janeiro (Flamengo, Fluminense and Vasco da Gama) and São Paulo (Palmeiras, Corinthians and São Paulo) are the only cities with more than two champion clubs.
Format The competition is a single elimination knockout tournament featuring two-legged ties (in the third round onwards). In the first two rounds, the winner is known after a single leg. The first round is played in the lowest ranked club's stadium, with the away club having a draw advantage to qualify.
Since the tournament's creation in 1989, the winner qualifies for the next year's Copa Libertadores de América.
Clubs Round Clubs remaining Clubs involved From previous round Entries in this round Clubs entering at this round First round 80 80 80 none * 70 best-placed state championships, cups and qualifiers teams (if not qualified for third round) 10 best-placed teams on the CBF ranking Second round 40 40 40 Third round 32 32 20 12Non-random slots Defending champions Last year Série A champions Last year Série A runners-up Last year Série A 3rd place Last year Série A 4th place Last year Série A 5th place Last year Série A 6th place Last year Série B champions Last year Copa do Nordeste champions Last year Copa Verde champions Random slots Last year Brazilian Copa Libertadores champions Last year Brazilian Copa Sudamericana champions Last year Série A 7th place Last year Série A 8th place Last year Série A 9th place Round of 16 1616 16 none Quarter-finals 8 8 8 Semi-finals 4 4 4 Final 2 2 2
State championships, cups and qualifiers State Clubs qualified Clubs entering Acre 2 Last year Campeonato Acreano champions Last year Campeonato Acreano runners-up Alagoas 3 Last year Campeonato Alagoano champions Last year Campeonato Alagoano runners-up Last year Campeonato Alagoano 3rd place Amapá 2 Last year Campeonato Amapaense champions Last year Campeonato Amapaense runners-up Amazonas2 Last year Campeonato Amazonense champions Last year Campeonato Amazonense runners-up Bahia 3 Last year Campeonato Baiano champions Last year Campeonato Baiano runners-up Last year Campeonato Baiano 3rd place Ceará 3 Last year Campeonato Cearense champions Last year Campeonato Cearense runners-up Last year Copa Fares Lopes champions Distrito Federal2 Last year Campeonato Brasiliense champions Last year Campeonato Brasiliense runners-up Espírito Santo2 Last year Campeonato Capixaba champions Last year Copa Espírito Santo champions Goiás 3 Last year Campeonato Goiano champions Last year Campeonato Goiano runners-up Last year Campeonato Goiano 3rd place Maranhão 3 Last year Campeonato Maranhense champions Last year Campeonato Maranhense runners-up Last year Campeonato Maranhense 3rd place Mato Grosso 3 Last year Campeonato Mato-Grossense champions Last year Campeonato Mato-Grossense runners-up Last year Copa FMF champions Mato Grosso do Sul 2 Last year Campeonato Sul-Mato-Grossense champions Last year Campeonato Sul-Mato-Grossense runners-up Minas Gerais 5 Last year Campeonato Mineiro champions Last year Campeonato Mineiro runners-up Last year Campeonato Mineiro 3rd place Last year Campeonato Mineiro 4th place Last year Troféu Inconfidência champions Pará 3 Last year Campeonato Paraense champions Last year Campeonato Paraense runners-up Last year Campeonato Paraense 3rd place Paraíba 2 Last year Campeonato Paraibano champions Last year Campeonato Paraibano runners-up Paraná 5 Last year Campeonato Paranaense champions Last year Campeonato Paranaense runners-up Last year Campeonato Paranaense 3rd place Last year Campeonato Paranaense 4th place Last year Campeonato Paranaense 5th place Pernambuco 3 Last year Campeonato Pernambucano champions Last year Campeonato Pernambucano runners-up Last year Campeonato Pernambucano 3rd place Piauí 2 Last year Campeonato Piauiense champions Last year Campeonato Piauiense runners-up Rio de Janeiro 6Non-random slots Last year Campeonato Carioca champions Last year Campeonato Carioca runners-up Last year Campeonato Carioca 3rd place Last year Campeonato Carioca 4th place Last year Taça Rio champions Random slots Last year Copa Rio champions Last year Copa Rio runners-up Rio Grande do Norte 2 Last year Campeonato Potiguar champions Last year Campeonato Potiguar runners-up Rio Grande do Sul 5 Last year Campeonato Gaúcho champions Last year Campeonato Gaúcho runners-up Last year Campeonato Gaúcho 3rd place Last year Campeonato Gaúcho 4th place Last year Copa FGF champions Rondônia 2 Last year Campeonato Rondoniense champions Last year Campeonato Rondoniense runners-up Roraima 2 Last year Campeonato Roraimense champions Last year Campeonato Roraimense runners-up Santa Catarina 3 Last year Campeonato Catarinense champions Last year Campeonato Catarinense runners-up Last year Copa Santa Catarina champions São Paulo 6Non-random slots Last year Campeonato Paulista champions Last year Campeonato Paulista runners-up Last year Campeonato Paulista 3rd place Last year Campeonato Paulista 4th place Last year Taça Independência champions Random slots Last year Copa Paulista champions Last year Copa Paulista runners-up Sergipe 2 Last year Campeonato Sergipano champions Last year Campeonato Sergipano runners-up Tocantins 2 Last year Campeonato Tocantinense champions Last year Campeonato Tocantinense runners-up
Eligible clubs The eligible teams to compete in the Copa do Brasil are the previous year's Copa do Brasil champion, the 70 best-placed clubs in the state championships (in which the number of spots per state range from one to five clubs), the top six clubs from the previous year's Campeonato Brasileiro Série A, the Copa do Nordeste (Northeast Cup) champion, the Copa Verde (Green Cup) champion, the ten highest-ranked clubs in CBF's ranking not already qualified, and two of the following: the Brazilian champion of the most recent Copa Libertadores (if there is one), the Brazilian champion of the most recent Copa Sudamericana (if there is one), the 7th place club of Campeonato Brasileiro Série A, or the champion of Campeonato Brasileiro Série B.
The 7 Brazilians clubs in the Copa Libertadores da América, the best placed teams in the previous year's Série A and Série B (or the champion of Copa Libertadores and/or Copa Sudamericana, if it is a Brazilian team) and Copa do Nordeste and Copa Verde's Title Holders will join the Copa do Brasil directly in Round of 16.
History
+ WinnersCopa do Brasil Season Winners 1989 Grêmio 1990 Flamengo 1991 Criciúma 1992 Internacional 1993 Cruzeiro 1994 Grêmio 1995 Corinthians 1996 Cruzeiro 1997 Grêmio 1998 Palmeiras 1999 Juventude 2000 Cruzeiro 2001 Grêmio 2002 Corinthians 2003 Cruzeiro 2004 Santo André 2005 Paulista 2006 Flamengo 2007 Fluminense 2008 Sport Recife 2009 Corinthians 2010 Santos 2011 Vasco da Gama 2012 Palmeiras 2013 Flamengo 2014 Atlético Mineiro 2015 Palmeiras 2016 Grêmio 2017 Cruzeiro 2018 Cruzeiro 2019 Athletico Paranaense 2020 Palmeiras 2021 Atlético Mineiro 2022 Flamengo 2023 São Paulo 2024 Flamengo 2025 Corinthians The Copa do Brasil was created in 1989 to appease the state soccer federations with fewer large and traditional clubs on the national stage, whose representatives would hardly have the opportunity to face big clubs during the year. This concern arose after a decrease in the number of participants in the 1987 Campeonato Brasileiro, when 13 of the biggest clubs in Brazil broke away to form the Copa União (Union Cup) in response to the CBF's financial difficulties.
The creation of this competition was designed to promote the state championships in states with weaker teams, as a compensation for the reduction in the number of teams in the Campeonato Brasileiro Série A and the Campeonato Brasileiro Série B. The Copa do Brasil is of high importance for the medium and small clubs in these regions who now, at least theoretically, have a path to qualify for the Copa Libertadores.
The first edition of the Copa do Brasil took place in 1989. The first goal in the cup's history was scored by Alcindo Sartori in a 2–0 victory by Flamengo over Paysandu. Gremio were the first champion, qualifying to compete in the 1990 Copa Libertadores.
From 1989 to 1993, the champion of that year took home the trophy. In 1994 it was determined that the club that won the Copa do Brasil three times would have final possession of the cup. This happened in 2001 with Grêmio (after winning in 1994, 1997 and 2001).
Thus, for the 2002 Copa do Brasil a new trophy was contested, which remained until 2007 with no club earning its final possession.
By winning the 2003 Copa do Brasil and the 2003 Campeonato Brasileiro, Cruzeiro won both the domestic cup and domestic league in the same year, a feat that was matched only once in Brazilian football by Atlético Mineiro in 2021. Atlético has also won the 2021 Campeonato Mineiro, their state championship, as Cruzeiro did in 2003, completing the domestic treble (State league, national league and cup).
In 2008, a new trophy was instituted for the Copa do Brasil. In that same year Sport Recife became the first and so far only club from outside the Southeast Region or the South Region to win the competition. The North Region and Center-West regions have had no representative win the cup so far.
Grêmio's victory over Atletico Mineiro in the first leg of the 2016 Copa do Brasil final was the first time ever that a visiting club won the first leg of the Copa do Brasil final, in the 28 editions of the competition.