Brazil - Campeonato Carioca 1

The Campeonato Carioca – its official name is Campeonato Estadual do Rio de Janeiro – is the top-flight competitive championship for the state of Rio de Janeiro in Brazil. This competition was established way back in 1906 and is made popular by the rivalry between Flamengo, Fluminense, Botafogo, and Vasco da Gama who are some of nation’s most popular clubs.

The competition consists of two tournaments: Taça Guanabara and Taça Rio. A total of 12 teams compete in the Campeonato Carioca and are split into two groups of six, with two from the state’s big four -- Botafogo, Flamengo, Fluminense and Vasco da Gama – being placed in each group.

In the Taça Guanabara, each teams faces off against the other five in their group in a single round-robin format, meaning only once. After this round is completed, the top two teams from both groups progress to the semi-finals, with the first-placed side facing the runners-up in the opposing group. Both the penultimate and ultimate stages of this round are one-off matches, with the eventual winners being crowned the Taça Guanabara champions.

As for the Taça Rio, the 12 teams will remain in their respective groups. This time, they lock horns with the six teams in the opposing group instead of the five in their same group. The top two teams from each Group A and B make the semi-finals, with the first-placed sides facing the runners-up from the opposing group. Both the penultimate and ultimate games are one-off matches, with the eventual winners being crowned the Taça Rio champions.

Finally, the Taça Guanabara and Taça Rico winners face off in the ultimate final to decide the Campeonato Carioca champions. If the same team wins both tournaments, the other spot gets awarded to the team with the most overall points over the two group-stage phases. If all are the same team, then the final is not contested.