# 1981 in Brazilian football

The following article presents a summary of the 1981 football (soccer) season in Brazil, which was the 80th season of competitive football in the country.

## Campeonato Brasileiro Série A

Quarterfinals
| Team 1 | Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
| Vasco da Gama | 0-0 | Ponte Preta | 0-0 | 0-0 |
| Grêmio | 3-0 | Operário-MS | 2-0 | 1-0 |
| Internacional | 0-3 | São Paulo | 0-1 | 0-2 |
| Flamengo | 1-3 | Botafogo | 0-0 | 1-3 |
Semifinals
| Team 1 | Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
| Botafogo | 3-3 | São Paulo | 1-0 | 2-3 |
| Ponte Preta | 3-3 | Grêmio | 2-3 | 1-0 |
Final
Grêmio declared as the Campeonato Brasileiro champions by aggregate score of 3-1.

## Campeonato Brasileiro Série B

Semifinals
| Team 1 | Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
| Comercial | 1-5 | Guarani | 1-2 | 1-3 |
| Remo | 5-7 | Anapolina | 2-3 | 3-4 |
Final
Guarani declared as the Campeonato Brasileiro Série B champions by aggregate score of 5-3.

### Promotion

The first placed team in each one of the four groups in the second stage, which were Bahia, Náutico, Palmeiras and Uberaba, were promoted to the same season's first level's second stage.

## Campeonato Brasileiro Série C

Semifinal Group A
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
| 1 | Olaria (A) | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 4 |
| 2 | São Borja | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 3 | +1 | 4 |
| 3 | Dom Bosco | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 4 | −1 | 4 |
Semifinal Group B
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
| 1 | Santo Amaro (A) | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 1 | +3 | 6 |
| 2 | Izabelense | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 5 | −1 | 3 |
| 3 | Guarani-MG | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 5 | −2 | 3 |
Final
Olaria declared as the Campeonato Brasileiro Série C champions by aggregate score of 4-1.

## State championship champions

| State | Champion | State | Champion |
| Acre | Juventus-AC | Paraíba | Treze |
| Alagoas | CSA | Paraná | Londrina |
| Amapá | Macapá | Pernambuco | Sport Recife |
| Amazonas | Nacional | Piauí | River |
| Bahia | Bahia | Rio de Janeiro | Flamengo |
| Ceará | Ceará | Rio Grande do Norte | América-RN |
| Distrito Federal | Taguatinga | Rio Grande do Sul | Internacional |
| Espírito Santo | Desportiva | Rondônia | Moto Clube |
| Goiás | Goiás | Roraima | Atlético Roraima |
| Maranhão | Moto Club | Santa Catarina | Joinville |
| Mato Grosso | Mixto | São Paulo | São Paulo |
| Mato Grosso do Sul | Operário | Sergipe | Itabaiana |
| Minas Gerais | Atlético Mineiro | Tocantins | - |
| Pará | Paysandu | | |

## Youth competition champions

| Competition | Champion |
| Copa São Paulo de Juniores | Ponte Preta |

## Other competition champions

| Competition | Champion |
| Taça Minas Gerais | Democrata-GV |
| Torneio Centro-Oeste | Mixto |
| Torneio de Integração da Amazônia | Juventus |

## Brazilian clubs in international competitions

| Team | Copa Libertadores 1981 | Intercontinental Cup 1981 |
| Atlético Mineiro | Group stage | N/A |
| Flamengo | Champions | Champions |

## Brazil national team

The following table lists all the games played by the Brazil national football team in official competitions and friendly matches during 1981.
| Date | Opposition | Result | Score | Brazil scorers | Competition |
| January 4, 1981 | Argentina | D | 1-1 | Edevaldo | Mundialito |
| January 7, 1981 | West Germany | W | 4-1 | Júnior, Toninho Cerezo, Serginho Chulapa, Zé Sérgio | Mundialito |
| January 10, 1981 | Uruguay | L | 1-2 | Sócrates | Mundialito |
| February 1, 1981 | Colombia | D | 1-1 | Serginho Chulapa | International Friendly |
| February 8, 1981 | Venezuela | W | 1-0 | Zico | World Cup Qualifying |
| February 14, 1981 | Ecuador | W | 6-0 | Reinaldo (2), Sócrates (2), Landeta (own goal), Zico | International Friendly |
| February 22, 1981 | Bolivia | W | 2-1 | Sócrates, Reinaldo | World Cup Qualifying |
| March 14, 1981 | Chile | W | 2-1 | Zico, Reinaldo | International Friendly |
| March 22, 1981 | Bolivia | W | 3-1 | Zico (3) | World Cup Qualifying |
| March 29, 1981 | Venezuela | W | 5-0 | Tita (2), Sócrates, Zico, Júnior | World Cup Qualifying |
| May 12, 1981 | England | W | 1-0 | Zico | International Friendly |
| May 15, 1981 | France | W | 3-1 | Zico, Reinaldo, Sócrates | International Friendly |
| May 19, 1981 | West Germany | W | 2-1 | Toninho Cerezo, Júnior | International Friendly |
| July 8, 1981 | Spain | W | 1-0 | Baltazar | International Friendly |
| July 26, 1981 | Chile | D | 0-0 | - | International Friendly |
| September 23, 1981 | League of Ireland XI | W | 6-0 | Éder, Roberto Cearense, Zico (4) | Exhibition game |
| October 28, 1981 | Bulgaria | W | 3-0 | Roberto Dinamite, Zico, Leandro | International Friendly |