Flamengo consolidates leadership in the CBF ranking for the sixth year in a row with Corinthians in second place By Carolina Costa
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Confederação Brasileira of Futebol released this Wednesday, December 24th, the update of Ranking Nacional of Clubes valid for 2026. Essa position reflects the consistency of the Rio club in recent national competitions.
Corinthians, after winning Copa from Brasil by beating Vasco in the final, moved up two positions and took second place, with 14,930 points. Clubes with the biggest fans in the country occupy the first two places. Palmeiras, Brazilian runner-up, is third with 13,860 points.
- Flamengo: 16,314 points (maintains 1st place)
- Corinthians: 14,930 points (up 2 positions)
- Palmeiras: 13,860 points (maintains 3rd)
- Atlético-MG: 13,696 points (up 1)
- There are Paulo: 13,556 points (falls 3)
This configuration at the top demonstrates the direct impact of 2025 titles on the score.
Main rises in the top-30
Cruzeiro recorded the biggest increase among the top-20 clubs, gaining eight positions after third place in Brasileirão and the semi-final in Copa in Brasil. The Minas Gerais team now occupies 11th place, with 11,010 points. Essa performance highlighted the team’s recovery in national competitions.
Mirassol, in its debut in Série A, finished in fourth place and won a place in Libertadores, which resulted in the biggest overall jump among elite participants: nine positions, from 37th to 28th. Outras notable moves include Vasco, runner-up to Copa of Brasil, which moved up five places and returned to the top-10.
- Cruzeiro: rises 8 positions to 11th
- Mirassol: rises 9 positions to 28th
- Vasco: rises 5 positions to 10th
These changes illustrate how surprising campaigns directly influence rankings.
Scoring criteria adopted by the CBF
The ranking considers performance over the last five years in national competitions, such as Série A, B, C, D and Copa do Brasil. More recent seasons receive greater weights, prioritizing current results over past achievements. Essa methodology, in force since 2013, encourages club regularity.
The maximum score for the champion of Brasileirão is 800 points, while that of Copa of Brasil receives 600. The CBF announced that the criteria will be adjusted for 2027, due to the expansion of Copa from Brasil to 126 participants.
This structure ensures that recent titles and campaigns have a greater impact on the overall ranking. Clubes like Flamengo and Corinthians directly benefited from 2025’s achievements.
Complete top-10 and recent movements
The top-10 presents a balance between traditional clubs from Rio, São Paulo and Minas Gerais.
- 1st Flamengo: 16,314 points
- 2nd Corinthians: 14,930 points
- 3rd Palmeiras: 13,860 points
- 4th Atlético-MG: 13,696 points
- 5th São Paulo: 13,556 points
- 6th Fluminense: 13,006 points (goes up by 1)
- 7th Botafogo: 12,834 points (up 1)
- 8th Athletico-PR: 12,656 points (falls 2)
- 9th Bahia: 12,632 points (up 2)
- 10th Vasco: 11,330 points (goes up by 5)
São Paulo lost three positions, while Athletico-PR lost two. Essas variations reflect varied performance in 2025 competitions.
Clubs between 11th and 20th with highlights
From 11th position, Cruzeiro appears just ahead of Grêmio, which fell two places.
- 11th Cruzeiro: 11,010 points (goes up by 8)
- 12th Grêmio: 10,636 points (falls 2)
- 13th Fortaleza: 10,383 points (falls 4)
- 14th Internacional: 10,014 points (falls 2)
- 15th Red Bull Bragantino: 9,802 points (falls 1)
- 16th Santos: 8,852 points (maintains)
- 17th Juventude: 8,426 points (up 1)
- 18th Atlético-GO: 7,476 points (falls 1)
- 19th América-MG: 7,429 points (drops 6)
- 20th Vitória: 7,205 points (up 3)
Fortaleza recorded the biggest drop in this block, losing four positions. Juventude and Vitória advanced slightly.
Positions from 21st to 30th and surprises
Mirassol stands out in 28th place after its unprecedented campaign in Série A.
- 21st Ceará: 7,122 points (up 1)
- 22nd Cuiabá: 6,746 points (falls 2)
- 23rd Goiás: 6,463 points (falls 2)
- 24th Coritiba: 6,381 points (maintains)
- 25th Sport: 6,340 points (maintains)
- 26th CRB: 6,150 points (up 1)
- 27th Criciúma: 6,090 points (falls 1)
- 28th Mirassol: 5,537 points (up 9)
- 29th Vila Nova: 4,750 points (maintains)
- 30th Operário-PR: 4,525 points (up 1)
Clubs like CRB and Operário-PR gained one position each. Criciúma retreated one.
History of leaders in the annual ranking
Flamengo has dominated the list since 2021, consolidating an unprecedented streak in recent years.
The ranking evolved with different leaders over time:
- 2013: Fluminense
- 2014: Grêmio
- 2015: Cruzeiro
- 2016: Corinthians
- 2017: Grêmio
- 2018: Palmeiras and Cruzeiro (tie)
- 2019 and 2020: Palmeiras
- 2021 to 2026: Flamengo
This recent hegemony of Flamengo surpasses previous periods of other clubs. Antes, Palmeiras and Cruzeiro alternated dominance in specific years.
The ranking serves as a reference for pots in competition draws such as Copa and Brasil. Ele directly influences the distribution of places and seeds in national tournaments.
