For the sixth consecutive year, Flamengo ended the season at the top of the National Club Ranking (RNC) of the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF). The list was released by the entity this Wednesday (24).
Rubro-Negro took the lead in 2021, overtaking Palmeiras, who had been at the top for three seasons (the first in 2018, tied with Cruzeiro). Raposa also occupied first place in 2015. Grêmio (2014 and 2017), Corinthians (2016) and Fluminense (2013, the ranking’s debut year) were the others who topped the list.
The RNC takes into account results in national competitions (Series A, B, C and D of the Brazilian Championship and Copa do Brasil) over the last five years. The score varies depending on the position or stage reached in each tournament. Performance in the current season has a weight of five, that of the previous one is multiplied by four and so on until the last year of the count, which is 2021, in the case of the current ranking.
Flamengo tops the list with 16,314 points. Despite winning the Brasileirão, the Rio team lost 682 points compared to 2024. Last year, Rubro-Negro won the Copa do Brasil – a tournament in which they were eliminated in the round of 16 this season – and came third in Série A.
This year’s Copa do Brasil champion, Corinthians jumped from fourth to second place, with 14,930 points, surpassing rival Palmeiras (13,860 points, 676 less than in 2024). São Paulo, runner-up last season, fell to fifth place (13,556). Atlético-MG (13,696) gained one position and appears in fourth, completing the G5 ranking.
The list of the top ten had two changes, with the entries of Bahia (rose from 11th to ninth, with 12,632 points) and Vasco (15th to tenth, with 11,330 points) and departures of Fortaleza (dropped from ninth to 13th, with 10,382 points) and Grêmio (tenth to 12th, with 10,636 points). Gigante da Colina grew on the list thanks to finishing second in the Copa do Brasil.
Among the clubs in Series A, the biggest increase was from Mirassol, fourth in the club’s first year in the Brasileirão. The Lion from the interior of São Paulo gained nine positions, moving from 37th to 28th place (5,537 points). Cruzeiro also stood out, rising eight places, from 19th to 11th (11,010).
In the National Ranking of Federations (RNF), also released this Wednesday by the CBF, the state of São Paulo leads with 93,528 points, followed by Rio de Janeiro, with 61,308 points, maintaining its positions from 2024. In third, Minas Gerais (41,451 points) took the place of Rio Grande do Sul (39,283), which fell to fourth. The G5 still has Paraná, with 31,792 points.
The club ranking is a reference for occupying places in Series D and the Copa do Nordeste and entry phases into the Copa do Brasil. The RNF defines the number of classifieds, per federation, for national and regional competitions.
