Flamengo has the biggest soccer fan base in Brazil in 2024: 21.9% of the public support this team, according to a survey carried out by the AtlasIntel institute.
The organization interviewed 1,600 people from 640 municipalities to find out which is the biggest soccer fan base in Brazil, using the Random Digital Recruitment (RDR) methodology, in which users answer a questionnaire at random.
After collecting the data, the institute used a statistical technique called “extrapolation”, interpreting this small sample of 1,600 interviewees as the entire Brazilian population (around 215 million) – which allowed it to estimate approximately how many fans each team had.
To make this generalization, the researchers used statistical techniques that take into account the representativeness of the sample in relation to the population, addressing variables such as age, gender and location.
Although the random sampling technique is widely used and considered reliable, there is always a margin of error – in the case of this study, it was 2%.
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Who will be the biggest soccer fans in Brazil in 2024?
Based on this AtlasIntel estimate, Flamengo has the biggest fan base in Brazil in 2024: approximately 46.9 million fans (21.9% of the population).
The lead is not unprecedented. Previous surveys had already reinforced the idea of the red-black team as the owner of the biggest soccer fan base in Brazil. In 2023, an analysis carried out by Datafolha with 7,597 respondents came up with a very similar percentage: 21% of people support Flamengo.
The idea gains even more momentum if we go back to a survey carried out by the Ipec Institute in 2022, based on 2,000 interviews: a very similar percentage favors Flamengo: 21.8%, showing that the team has maintained the biggest soccer fan base in Brazil over the years.
If you thought that the biggest soccer fans in Brazil would be the Timon’s, you were wrong: the AtlasIntel study shows that the Corinthians have the second biggest fans in Brazil, with 30.4 million (14.2%);
Although they don’t have the biggest soccer fans in Brazil, Corinthians are still the biggest in São Paulo. São Paulo is in third place, with a projected 21.2 million fans (9.9%).
What are the 5 biggest soccer fans in Brazil in 2024?
- Flamengo: 46.9 million fans (21.9%)
- Corinthians: 30.4 million (14.2%)
- São Paulo: 21.2 million (9.9%)
- Palmeiras: 16.5 million (7.7%)
- Vasco: 13.2 million (6.2%)
The biggest soccer fan base in Brazil in 2024: complete ranking
- Flamengo: 46.9 million fans (21.9%)
- Corinthians: 30.4 million (14.2%)
- São Paulo: 21.2 million (9.9%)
- Palmeiras: 16.5 million (7.7%)
- Vasco: 13.2 million (6.2%)
- Cruzeiro: 13 million (6.1%)
- Grêmio: 9.8 million (4.6%)
- Atlético-MG: 9.2 million (4.3%)
- Bahia: 7.7 million (3.6%)
- Internacional: 7.5 million (3.5%)
- Fluminense: 7.2 million (3.4%)
- Santos: 6.6 million (3.1%)
- Botafogo: 4.2 million (2%)
- Sport: 4 million (1.9%)
- Athletico-PR: 3.2 million (1.5%)
- Fortaleza: 2.5 million (1.2%)
- Vila Nova: 1.9 million (0.9%)
- Botafogo-SP: 1.2 million (0.6%)
- Ceará: 1.2 million (0.6%)
- América-MG: 1 million (0.5%)
Largest soccer fan base in Brazil: regions
In addition to identifying the largest soccer fans in Brazil, the AtlasIntel study also looked at the distribution of teams by region, but showed a curious point: in some cases, the most beloved team in one region actually belongs to another.
An example of this is the Central-West region, where Flamengo (from Rio de Janeiro) is pointed out as the most beloved, even though it is not a local team. We can see a great deal of strength on the part of the São Paulo teams, who dominate even in the other states. Check out the largest soccer fan base in Brazil, by region:
What’s the biggest soccer crowd in the South?
The population of the South mainly supports Grêmio (29.1%). The top 5 is as follows:
- Grêmio (29,1%)
- Internacional (24,1%)
- São Paulo (11,9%)
- Corinthians (7,6%)
- Palmeiras (6%)
What’s the biggest soccer crowd in the Southeast?
In the Southeast, the largest soccer fan base is Corinthians (16.5%), which surpasses Flamengo (14.9%). Check out the region’s top 5:
- Corinthians (16,5%)
- Flamengo (14,9%)
- Cruzeiro (14,3%)
- Palmeiras (12%)
- São Paulo and Vasco (tied with 8%)
What’s the biggest soccer crowd in the Midwest?
The Midwest region mainly supports Flamengo (42.6%). Curiously, there is no local team in the top 5, which is made up solely of teams from the southeast:
- Flamengo (42,6%)
- Corinthians (29,3%)
- Palmeiras (9,2%)
- São Paulo (4,7%)
- Vasco (4,3%)
Which is the biggest soccer crowd in the Northeast?
The team with the largest soccer fan base in Brazil is also the most beloved in the Northeast: Flamengo has a 27.5% preference. The only Northeastern team to make up the region’s top five is Esporte Clube Bahia:
- Flamengo (27,5%)
- São Paulo (13,3%)
- Bahia (12,4%)
- Corinthians (9,3%)
- Vasco (5,9%)
What’s the biggest soccer crowd in the North?
In addition, the team with the largest soccer fan base in Brazil also reigns supreme in the North: Flamengo has a preference of 18.7%. No local team makes the top 5:
- Flamengo (18,7%)
- Corinthians (16,6%)
- Vasco (10,1%)
- São Paulo (9,1%)
- Palmeiras (5,4%)
Curiosities about Brazil’s biggest fans
Now that you know which teams are the most acclaimed by the Brazilian population, we’ve put together some curiosities about the biggest fans in Brazil to keep you up to date:
20. América-MG
One of the oldest clubs in Minas Gerais, América Futebol Clube also goes by “Coelho” (rabbit) because of its mascot, designed by cartoonist and journalist Fernando Pierucetti (Mangabeira). But it wasn’t always like this: the first mascot was Donald Duck, a “legitimate American”, but the fans didn’t like it at the time, which led to the change.
19. Ceará
Ceará Sporting Club has won important titles in its history, including the Cearense Championship and the Northeast Cup. Its mascot is “vovô” (grandfather, also nicknamed “vozão”), in honor of then-president Meton de Alencar Pinto.
18. Botafogo-SP
Known as the “Pantera” (panther), Botafogo-SP is one of the most traditional clubs in the interior of São Paulo. A curiosity is that the team has had famous players in its history, such as Sócrates, who played in 1984.
17. Vila Nova
Vila Nova Futebol Clube is based in Goiânia (Goiás) and goes by the nickname “Tigre” (tiger). They currently play their matches at the Onésio Brasileiro Alvarenga Stadium, also known as OBA.
16. Fortaleza
Also known as the “Steel Tricolor”, Fortaleza Esporte Clube, from Ceará, had its first headquarters near Praça General Tibúrcio (Praça dos Leões). That’s where their mascot came from: Leão do Pici.
15. Athletico-PR
Club Athletico Paranaense emerged from the merger of two traditional clubs from Paraná: América and Internacional. The nickname “Furacão” came about during the 1949 State Championship, in which the team won ten out of 12 games.
14. Sport
Sport Club do Recife (Pernambuco) also has a lion as its mascot – the “Leão do Norte”, which came into force after winning the Leão do Norte Trophy in 1919. Another nickname is the “Lion of the Island”, because the matches take place on Ilha do Retiro.
13. Botafogo
Botafogo de Futebol e Regatas is the “full” name of the RJ team, due to the merger between Club de Regatas Botafogo and Botafogo Football Club. This fusion is also reflected in the shield: the shape has remained the same as the original Botafogo Football Club, but the star came from the Club de Regatas Botafogo symbol, in homage to the planet Venus in the sky.
12. Santos
A curious fact about Santos Futebol Clube, from São Paulo, is that its colors haven’t always been black and white – in the beginning, it was white, blue and gold. Among its titles, there are 22 Paulista Championships, eight Brazilian Championships, three Libertadores and two World Cups.
11. Fluminense
Before it was called Fluminense, one of the names considered was Rio Football Club. It’s worth noting that the RJ team has a patron saint: Nossa Senhora da Glória.
10. Internacional
But Brazilian mascots aren’t just animals and grandpas. Sport Club Internacional (from Rio Grande do Sul) has a Saci Pererê! It’s a tribute to the players’ ability to dribble past their opponents.
9. Bahia
Before receiving the colors of their state flag (blue, red and white), Esporte Clube Bahia was supposed to be black, blue and white. The idea was vetoed by the president at the time, who had a superstition: black on a soccer shirt is bad luck.
8. Atlético-MG
As in the case of América, the mascot of Clube Atlético Mineiro was also designed by Mangabeira for the Folha de Minas newspaper. The famous Rooster was inspired by a black-and-white rooster that used to shine in fights.
7. Grêmio
Grêmio Foot-Ball Porto Alegrense (Rio Grande do Sul) didn’t always have the same colors either. The uniforms used to be blue and reddish-brown, until they were replaced by vertical blue and black stripes. One of Grêmio’s nicknames is “immortal”, because of a line from their anthem: “50 years of glory, you immortal tricolor”.
6. Cruzeiro
Cruzeiro Esporte Clube, from MG, was founded under the name Palestra Itália and was forced by Getúlio Vargas to change its name. At the time, Brazilian teams were not allowed to exalt Germany, Italy or Japan because of the Second World War.
5. Vasco
The emblematic cross and the name of the Club de Regatas Vasco da Gama (Rio de Janeiro) come as a tribute to the maritime expedition led by Vasco da Gama. The cross was present on the sails of the ships.
4. Palmeiras
Like Cruzeiro, Palmeiras (Sociedade Esportiva Palmeiras) was founded as Palestra Itália and had to change its name because of Vargas’ imposition. The idea was to change it to Palestra de São Paulo, but it didn’t convince. It has nicknames like “Verdão”, for its color, and “Porco”, for its mascot;
3. São Paulo
For its part, São Paulo Futebol Clube has a milestone: the first organized fan club in Brazil, under the name Grêmio São-Paulino and later renamed Tusp (Torcida Uniformizada do São Paulo).
2. Corinthians
Sport Club Corinthians Paulista is the silver medalist in the list of the biggest soccer fan base in Brazil, named after an English team called Corinthian FC.
The club’s mascot was created based on a story in the newspaper A Gazeta Esportiva, which compared the team’s players to the Three Musketeers.
1. Flamengo
When the Clube de Regatas do Flamengo (which has the biggest soccer fan base in Brazil) was created, its colors had nothing to do with the red-black of today: they were blue and yellow gold. The urubu, now the team’s mascot, was an insult used by opponents;
You already know the biggest soccer fan base in Brazil, so how about taking your knowledge to another level and discovering the ten biggest fans in the world! Also, feel free to browse our website and get all the information you need about sports.
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