Botafogo had the most glorious year in its history in 2024, with the victories of the Copa Libertadores and the Brazilian Championship.
The festive atmosphere was not greater among fans of the Lone Star team because of the failure in the Intercontinental Cup. The club ended up being eliminated in the quarterfinals — the stage in which they debuted — by Pachuca, from Mexico, which prevented them from advancing in the fight for their first world title.
Even with the disappointment in the competition held in Doha, Qatar, Botafogo was the third highest scoring team in the Folha Ranking of national football since the last edition, published in April 2023.
For winning the continental tournament, there were 35 points. The national cup yielded another 25. Only Fluminense (75) and Palmeiras (65) scored more in the period. Even so, the performance still did not allow the lone star team to make a leap in the historic classification.
Currently, General Severiano’s club occupies 12th place, with 582 points. The difference to the closest rivals is still large, as Atlético-MG, in 11th place, has 743, and Fluminense, in 10th, has 755.
In addition to having a good gap to the Rio de Janeiro team, the Minas Gerais team scored points for two campaigns in which they finished as runner-up, in the Copa do Brasil and the Libertadores, both in 2024. The black and white team from Belo Horizonte also lifted two state trophies since the last edition of the ranking. Therefore, even in its magical year, Botafogo was unable to significantly reduce the difference.
Their distance to Fluminense became even greater. The tricolor club added 75 points with the victories of the Libertadores (35), the Campeonato Carioca (10), the Recopa Sul-Americana (5) and the runner-up in the Club World Cup (25).
Despite being in the top ten, Fluminense is far from the top teams. At the top of the list, the scenario is one of stability, with Flamengo maintaining first position, followed by Palmeiras, in second. As the Rio team added 42 points since the last edition of the list, while the São Paulo team accumulated another 65, there was only a small reduction in the difference, now at 118 points (1,275 to 1,157).
Another 16 clubs scored in the national ranking in the period: São Paulo, Santos, Cruzeiro, Grêmio, Bahia, Sport, Fortaleza, Ceará, Athletico Paranaense, Paysandu, Vitória, Goiás, Náutico, Criciúma, Brasiliense and Juventude.
The Folha Ranking of national football, published almost three decades ago, is a historical classification of the performance of Brazilian teams. It distributes points for titles and runners-up in state, regional, national and international first division competitions.
Since the first edition in 1996, the list has undergone modifications, corrections and revisions. The last major review took place in 2010.
In the national ranking, only teams that scored points — that is, were champions or runners-up — in national or international competitions appear. There are 36 associations that meet these parameters — from Flamengo, first placed, to Paulista and Santo André, which share 35th place.
Questions and answers about the Folha Ranking
Since when was the Folha de Futebol Ranking created?
The first edition of the national ranking was in 1996. Since then, the list has undergone modifications, corrections and revisions. The last major revision took place in 2010. The world ranking began to be published in 2002 and follows the same guidelines as the national list.
Who enters the Folha Ranking?
In the national ranking, only teams that scored points (were champions or runners-up) in national or international competitions appear. In the world rankings, only those who scored in international tournaments.
What tournaments are considered?
To enter the rankings, a tournament must have great representation, official status and sequence. Therefore, championships played only once and with no prospect of new editions, such as the super championships held in some states in 2002, are disregarded. Tournaments such as Copa Rio, Copa Suruga and Florida Cup, among others, do not earn ranking points either.
Why are Rio and São Paulo state schools worth more?
Rio and São Paulo have the two most traditional and strongest state championships in the country, which is why they earn more points in the ranking. Next, there are the states of Minas Gerais and Rio Grande do Sul, which also have highly prominent teams on the national scene. There is also a third level in which there are state championships with teams that are often among the elite of Brazilian football and, finally, championships from states with less tradition in the national football scene.
Why is the 1987 Brazilian Championship counted for both Flamengo and Sport?
The ranking tries to take into account both the official aspect and the technical aspect of the championships considered. From the official aspect, as already decided by the STF, the champion is Sport. However, from a technical aspect, Flamengo’s merit as champion of the Módulo Verde, which brought together the main teams in the country, is undeniable. Therefore, both are considered.
Why don’t tournaments played by just two clubs, like the Recopa Sul-Americana, award points to the runner-up?
Every team that participates in a tournament like this has already received a bonus, as it brings together winners from previous competitions. It wouldn’t be logical to have a team scoring where it only failed.
Why is São Paulo da Floresta’s São Paulo title not counted for São Paulo?
Achievements since the last foundation of the clubs are considered. In the case of mergers, like the one in Paraná, the achievements of the teams that gave rise to the new team are not worth it.
Are second division championships worth points?
No. The ranking has the goal of rewarding excellence, and lower division championships have the main function of distributing places to the elite division.
