The Campeonato Carioca, better known as the Campeonato Estadual do Rio de Janeiro, is Rio de Janeiro’s top football league. (Rio de Janeiro is a city and a state in Brazil). There are 16 football clubs from Bahia that participate in the competition and play a total of 30 matches. The current champion and most successful football club remains Flamengo followed by Fluminense, Vasco and Botafogo. The Campeonato Carioca is also widely regarded as one of the most competitive leagues in Brazil. The Campeonato Carioca season runs between January and ends in May.