Brazil · Tier 1 · 20 clubs
Brasileirão Série A
In US-sports termsBrazil's top flight runs on a calendar year — kicking off in spring, wrapping in December — and doubles as European soccer's favorite shopping mall.
What it is
Brazil's top division — 20 clubs including Flamengo, Palmeiras, Corinthians and Santos (Pelé's club). Uniquely among major leagues, the season follows the calendar year, roughly April to December.
How you get in
Survive the drop, or come up from Série B.
What it feeds
Top finishers → Copa Libertadores; the next band → Copa Sudamericana. Bottom 4 — the busiest trapdoor in our atlas — drop to Série B.
Before the league even starts, clubs play their state championships (São Paulo's Paulistão, Rio's Carioca) — century-old regional tournaments that fill January to March. Brazil plays more soccer than anywhere on Earth.