# 2018 Campeonato Brasileiro Série A

The 2018 Campeonato Brasileiro Série A (officially the Brasileirão Assaí 2018 for sponsorship reasons) was the 62nd season of the Campeonato Brasileiro Série A, the top level of professional football in Brazil, and the 15th edition in a double round-robin since its establishment in 2003. The season began on 14 April 2018 and ended on 2 December 2018. The top six teams as well as the 2018 Copa do Brasil champions qualified to the Copa Libertadores. The next six best-placed teams not qualified for Copa Libertadores qualified for the Copa Sudamericana and the last four were relegated to Série B in 2019.
Palmeiras won their 10th title, which is the most titles in the tournament.

## Teams

Twenty teams competed in the league – the top sixteen teams from the previous season, as well as four teams promoted from the Série B.
América Mineiro became the first club to be promoted after a 1–2 win against Figueirense on 11 November 2017. Internacional was promoted on 14 November 2017, and Paraná and Ceará were promoted on 18 November 2017.
| Pos. | Relegated from 2017 Série A |
| 17º | Coritiba |
| 18º | Avaí |
| 19º | Ponte Preta |
| 20º | Atlético Goianiense |
| Pos. | Promoted from 2017 Série B |
| 1º | América Mineiro |
| 2º | Internacional |
| 3° | Ceará |
| 4º | Paraná |

### Number of teams by state

| Number of teams | State | Team(s) |
| 4 | Rio de Janeiro | Botafogo, Flamengo, Fluminense and Vasco da Gama |
| 4 | São Paulo | Corinthians, Palmeiras, Santos and São Paulo |
| 3 | Minas Gerais | América Mineiro, Atlético Mineiro and Cruzeiro |
| 2 | Bahia | Bahia and Vitória |
| 2 | Paraná | Atlético Paranaense and Paraná |
| 2 | Rio Grande do Sul | Grêmio and Internacional |
| 1 | Ceará | Ceará |
| 1 | Pernambuco | Sport |
| 1 | Santa Catarina | Chapecoense |

### Stadiums and locations

| Team | Location | State | Stadium | Capacity |
| América Mineiro | Belo Horizonte | Minas Gerais | Independência | 23,018 |
| Atlético Mineiro | Belo Horizonte | Minas Gerais | Independência | 23,018 |
| Atlético Paranaense | Curitiba | Paraná | Arena da Baixada | 42,370 |
| Bahia | Salvador | Bahia | Arena Fonte Nova | 47,907 |
| Botafogo | Rio de Janeiro | Rio de Janeiro | Olímpico Nilton Santos | 44,661 |
| Ceará | Fortaleza | Ceará | Arena Castelão (6 matches) Presidente Vargas (4 matches) | 63,903 20,268 |
| Chapecoense | Chapecó | Santa Catarina | Arena Condá | 20,089 |
| Corinthians | São Paulo | São Paulo | Arena Corinthians | 47,605 |
| Cruzeiro | Belo Horizonte | Minas Gerais | Mineirão | 61,846 |
| Flamengo | Rio de Janeiro | Rio de Janeiro | Maracanã | 78,838 |
| Fluminense | Rio de Janeiro | Rio de Janeiro | Maracanã Mané Garrincha (one match) | 78,838 72,788 |
| Grêmio | Porto Alegre | Rio Grande do Sul | Arena do Grêmio | 55,662 |
| Internacional | Porto Alegre | Rio Grande do Sul | Beira-Rio | 50,128 |
| Palmeiras | São Paulo | São Paulo | Allianz Parque Pacaembu (one match) | 43,713 37,730 |
| Paraná | Curitiba | Paraná | Vila Capanema | 17,140 |
| Santos | Santos | São Paulo | Vila Belmiro Pacaembu (3 matches) | 16,068 37,730 |
| São Paulo | São Paulo | São Paulo | Morumbi | 72,039 |
| Sport | Recife | Pernambuco | Ilha do Retiro Arena Pernambuco (one match) | 32,983 44,300 |
| Vasco da Gama | Rio de Janeiro | Rio de Janeiro | São Januário Mané Garrincha (one match) | 24,584 72,788 |
| Vitória | Salvador | Bahia | Barradão | 34,535 |

## Personnel and kits

| Team | Manager | Captain | Kit manufacturer | Shirt main sponsor |
| América Mineiro | Givanildo Oliveira | Rafael Lima | Lupo | Caixa |
| Atlético Mineiro | Levir Culpi | Léo Silva | Topper | Caixa |
| Atlético Paranaense | Tiago Nunes | Thiago Heleno | Umbro | Caixa |
| Bahia | Enderson Moreira | Tiago | Esquadrão | Caixa |
| Botafogo | Zé Ricardo | Rodrigo Lindoso | Topper | Caixa |
| Ceará | Lisca | Rafael Pereira | Topper | Caixa |
| Chapecoense | Claudinei Oliveira | Wellington Paulista | Umbro | Aurora |
| Corinthians | Jair Ventura | Various | Nike | Vacant |
| Cruzeiro | Mano Menezes | Henrique | Umbro | Caixa |
| Flamengo | Dorival Júnior | Réver | Adidas | Caixa |
| Fluminense | Fábio Moreno | Gum | Under Armour | Valle Express |
| Grêmio | Renato Gaúcho | Maicon | Umbro | Banrisul |
| Internacional | Odair Hellmann | Andrés D'Alessandro | Nike | Banrisul |
| Palmeiras | Luiz Felipe Scolari | Bruno Henrique | Adidas | Crefisa |
| Paraná | Dado Cavalcanti | Leandro Vilela | Topper | Caixa |
| Santos | Cuca | Renato | Umbro | Caixa |
| São Paulo | André Jardine | Hudson | Adidas | Banco Inter |
| Sport | Milton Mendes | Durval | Under Armour | Caixa |
| Vasco da Gama | Alberto Valentim | Martín Silva | Diadora | Vacant |
| Vitória | Joao Burse (caretaker) | Willian Farias | Topper | Caixa |

### Managerial changes

| Team | Outgoing manager | Manner of departure | Date of vacancy | Position in table | Incoming manager | Date of appointment |
| Sport | Nelsinho Baptista | Resigned | 24 April | 17th | Claudinei Oliveira | 25 April |
| Ceará | Marcelo Chamusca | Sacked | 20 May | 19th | Jorginho | 21 May |
| Corinthians | Fábio Carille | Signed by Al-Wehda | 22 May | 4th | Osmar Loss | 23 May |
| Vasco da Gama | Zé Ricardo | Resigned | 2 June | 12th | Valdir Bigode (caretaker) | 2 June |
| Bahia | Guto Ferreira | Sacked | 3 June | 18th | Cláudio Prates (caretaker) | 4 June |
| Ceará | Jorginho | Resigned | 4 June | 20th | Lisca | 4 June |
| Vasco da Gama | Valdir Bigode | End of caretaker tenure | 6 June | 13th | Jorginho | 7 June |
| Fluminense | Abel Braga | Resigned | 16 June | 12th | Marcelo Oliveira | 22 June |
| América Mineiro | Enderson Moreira | Signed by Bahia | 16 June | 13th | Ricardo Drubscky | 19 June |
| Bahia | Cláudio Prates | End of caretaker tenure | 16 June | 17th | Enderson Moreira | 16 June |
| Botafogo | Alberto Valentim | Resigned | 19 June | 9th | Marcos Paquetá | 26 June |
| Atlético Paranaense | Fernando Diniz | Sacked | 25 June | 18th | Tiago Nunes | 27 June |
| América Mineiro | Ricardo Drubscky | Sacked | 24 July | 17th | Adílson Batista | 24 July |
| Santos | Jair Ventura | Sacked | 26 July | 15th | Cuca | 29 July |
| Palmeiras | Roger Machado | Sacked | 26 July | 6th | Luiz Felipe Scolari | 26 July |
| Vitória | Vágner Mancini | Sacked | 28 July | 16th | Paulo César Carpegiani | 14 August |
| Botafogo | Marcos Paquetá | Sacked | 1 August | 11th | Zé Ricardo | 3 August |
| Chapecoense | Gilson Kleina | Sacked | 6 August | 16th | Guto Ferreira | 6 August |
| Sport | Claudinei Oliveira | Resigned | 12 August | 14th | Eduardo Baptista | 15 August |
| Vasco da Gama | Jorginho | Sacked | 13 August | 15th | Alberto Valentim | 27 August |
| Paraná | Rogério Micale | Sacked | 14 August | 20th | Claudinei Oliveira | 15 August |
| Corinthians | Osmar Loss | Resigned | 5 September | 8th | Jair Ventura | 6 September |
| Sport | Eduardo Baptista | Sacked | 24 September | 14th | Milton Mendes | 26 September |
| Flamengo | Mauricio Barbieri | Sacked | 28 September | 4th | Dorival Júnior | 28 September |
| Chapecoense | Guto Ferreira | Sacked | 15 October | 17th | Claudinei Oliveira | 16 October |
| Paraná | Claudinei Oliveira | Signed by Chapecoense | 16 October | 20th | Dado Cavalcanti | 17 October |
| Atlético Mineiro | Thiago Larghi | Sacked | 17 October | 6th | Levir Culpi | 17 October |
| América Mineiro | Adílson Batista | Sacked | 10 November | 18th | Givanildo Oliveira | 11 November |
| Fluminense | Marcelo Oliveira | Sacked | 29 November | 14th | Fábio Moreno | 29 November |

### Foreign players

The clubs can have a maximum of five foreign players in their Campeonato Brasileiro squads per match, but there is no limit of foreigners in the clubs' squads.
| Club | Player 1 | Player 2 | Player 3 | Player 4 | Player 5 | Player 6 |
| América Mineiro | | | | | | |
| Atlético Mineiro | Juan Cazares | Tomás Andrade | Yimmi Chará | David Terans | Martín Rea | |
| Atlético Paranaense | Lucho González | Anderson Plata | | | | |
| Bahia | Agustín Allione | | | | | |
| Botafogo | Joel Carli | Junior Fernández | Leonardo Valencia | Rodrigo Aguirre | | |
| Ceará | Javier Reina | Jown Cardona | | | | |
| Chapecoense | Héctor Canteros | Nery Bareiro | Agustín Doffo | Diego Torres | Edgardo Orzuza | |
| Corinthians | Ángel Romero | Emerson Sheik$^1$ | Sergio Díaz | Ángelo Araos | | |
| Cruzeiro | Giorgian De Arrascaeta | Ariel Cabral | Lucas Romero | Federico Mancuello | Hernán Barcos | |
| Flamengo | Gustavo Cuéllar | Miguel Trauco | Orlando Berrío | Marlos Moreno | Fernando Uribe | Robert Piris Da Motta |
| Fluminense | Guillermo de Amores | Junior Sornoza | Bryan Cabezas | | | |
| Grêmio | Walter Kannemann | | | | | |
| Internacional | Andrés D'Alessandro | Nicolás López | Víctor Cuesta | Jonathan Álvez | Martín Sarrafiore | Paolo Guerrero |
| Palmeiras | Miguel Borja | Alejandro Guerra | Nicolás Freire | Gustavo Gómez | | |
| Paraná | Marcelo Báez | Jorge González | | | | |
| Santos | Jonathan Copete | Bryan Ruiz | Carlos Sánchez | Derlis González | | |
| São Paulo | Santiago Tréllez | Robert Arboleda | Gonzalo Carneiro | Joao Rojas | | |
| Sport | | | | | | |
| Vasco da Gama | Martín Silva | Maxi López | Andrés Ríos | Leandro Desábato | Oswaldo Henríquez | |
| Vitória | Marcelo Meli | Marcelo Benítez | Walter Bou | | | |
* $^1$ Players holding Brazilian dual nationality.

## Standings
### League table

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
| 1 | Palmeiras (C) | 38 | 23 | 11 | 4 | 64 | 26 | +38 | 80 | Qualification for Copa Libertadores group stage |
| 2 | Flamengo | 38 | 21 | 9 | 8 | 59 | 29 | +30 | 72 | Qualification for Copa Libertadores group stage |
| 3 | Internacional | 38 | 19 | 12 | 7 | 51 | 29 | +22 | 69 | Qualification for Copa Libertadores group stage |
| 4 | Grêmio | 38 | 18 | 12 | 8 | 48 | 27 | +21 | 66 | Qualification for Copa Libertadores group stage |
| 5 | São Paulo | 38 | 16 | 15 | 7 | 46 | 34 | +12 | 63 | Qualification for Copa Libertadores second stage |
| 6 | Atlético Mineiro | 38 | 17 | 8 | 13 | 56 | 43 | +13 | 59 | Qualification for Copa Libertadores second stage |
| 7 | Atlético Paranaense | 38 | 16 | 9 | 13 | 54 | 37 | +17 | 57 | Qualification for Copa Libertadores group stage |
| 8 | Cruzeiro | 38 | 14 | 11 | 13 | 34 | 34 | 0 | 53 | Qualification for Copa Libertadores group stage |
| 9 | Botafogo | 38 | 13 | 12 | 13 | 38 | 46 | −8 | 51 | Qualification for Copa Sudamericana first stage |
| 10 | Santos | 38 | 13 | 11 | 14 | 46 | 40 | +6 | 50 | Qualification for Copa Sudamericana first stage |
| 11 | Bahia | 38 | 12 | 12 | 14 | 39 | 41 | −2 | 48 | Qualification for Copa Sudamericana first stage |
| 12 | Fluminense | 38 | 12 | 9 | 17 | 32 | 46 | −14 | 45 | Qualification for Copa Sudamericana first stage |
| 13 | Corinthians | 38 | 11 | 11 | 16 | 34 | 35 | −1 | 44 | Qualification for Copa Sudamericana first stage |
| 14 | Chapecoense | 38 | 11 | 11 | 16 | 34 | 50 | −16 | 44 | Qualification for Copa Sudamericana first stage |
| 15 | Ceará | 38 | 10 | 14 | 14 | 32 | 38 | −6 | 44 | |
| 16 | Vasco da Gama | 38 | 10 | 13 | 15 | 41 | 48 | −7 | 43 | |
| 17 | América Mineiro (R) | 38 | 10 | 10 | 18 | 30 | 47 | −17 | 40 | Relegation to Campeonato Brasileiro Série B |
| 18 | Sport (R) | 38 | 11 | 9 | 18 | 35 | 57 | −22 | 39 | Relegation to Campeonato Brasileiro Série B |
| 19 | Vitória (R) | 38 | 9 | 10 | 19 | 36 | 63 | −27 | 37 | Relegation to Campeonato Brasileiro Série B |
| 20 | Paraná (R) | 38 | 4 | 11 | 23 | 18 | 57 | −39 | 23 | Relegation to Campeonato Brasileiro Série B |
* ↑ Atlético Paranaense qualified for the Copa Libertadores group stage by winning the 2018 Copa Sudamericana.
* ↑ Cruzeiro qualified for the Copa Libertadores group stage by winning the 2018 Copa do Brasil.
* ↑ Sport were deducted three points for the late payment of salary of player Gabriel.

## Results

| Home \ Away | AMG | CAM | CAP | BAH | BOT | CEA | CHA | COR | CRU | FLA | FLU | GRE | INT | PAL | PAR | SAN | SPA | SPT | VAS | VIT |
| América Mineiro | — | 1–3 | 3–1 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 1–2 | 2–2 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 0–0 | 0–1 | 2–1 | 1–3 | 3–0 | 2–1 | 2–1 |
| Atlético Mineiro | 0–0 | — | 3–1 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 3–3 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 0–1 | 5–2 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 3–1 | 1–0 | 5–2 | 0–0 | 2–1 |
| Atlético Paranaense | 4–0 | 1–2 | — | 2–0 | 2–1 | 2–2 | 5–1 | 1–0 | 2–0 | 3–0 | 3–1 | 2–1 | 2–2 | 1–3 | 3–0 | 2–0 | 0–1 | 4–0 | 1–0 | 4–0 |
| Bahia | 1–0 | 2–2 | 0–0 | — | 3–3 | 2–1 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 2–0 | 0–2 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 1–0 | 2–2 | 2–0 | 3–0 | 4–1 |
| Botafogo | 1–0 | 0–3 | 2–0 | 0–1 | — | 0–0 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 2–1 | 2–1 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 0–0 | 2–2 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 |
| Ceará | 2–2 | 2–1 | 0–0 | 0–2 | 0–0 | — | 3–1 | 2–1 | 0–1 | 0–3 | 1–0 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 1–0 | 0–0 | 2–0 |
| Chapecoense | 1–0 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 2–0 | — | 2–1 | 2–0 | 3–2 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 0–1 |
| Corinthians | 1–0 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 2–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 0–0 | — | 2–0 | 0–3 | 2–1 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 1–0 | 0–0 |
| Cruzeiro | 3–1 | 0–0 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 0–2 | 3–0 | 1–0 | — | 0–2 | 2–1 | 0–1 | 0–0 | 1–0 | 3–1 | 2–1 | 0–2 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 3–0 |
| Flamengo | 2–0 | 2–1 | 1–2 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 0–1 | 2–0 | 1–0 | 1–0 | — | 3–0 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 1–0 | 0–1 | 4–1 | 1–1 | 1–0 |
| Fluminense | 1–0 | 1–0 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 0–0 | 3–1 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 0–2 | — | 0–1 | 0–3 | 1–0 | 4–0 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 0–1 | 0–0 |
| Grêmio | 1–0 | 2–0 | 0–0 | 2–2 | 4–0 | 3–2 | 2–0 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 0–0 | — | 0–0 | 0–2 | 2–0 | 5–1 | 2–1 | 3–4 | 2–1 | 4–0 |
| Internacional | 2–0 | 1–2 | 2–1 | 2–0 | 3–0 | 1–0 | 3–0 | 2–1 | 0–0 | 2–1 | 2–0 | 1–0 | — | 0–0 | 1–0 | 2–2 | 3–1 | 0–0 | 3–1 | 2–1 |
| Palmeiras | 4–0 | 3–2 | 2–0 | 3–0 | 2–0 | 2–1 | 0–0 | 1–0 | 3–1 | 1–1 | 3–0 | 2–0 | 1–0 | — | 3–0 | 3–2 | 3–1 | 2–3 | 1–0 | 3–2 |
| Paraná | 1–0 | 0–1 | 0–0 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 0–4 | 1–1 | 0–4 | 2–1 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | — | 0–2 | 1–1 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 1–1 |
| Santos | 0–1 | 3–2 | 1–0 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 0–1 | 1–0 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 3–0 | 0–0 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 3–1 | — | 0–0 | 3–0 | 1–1 | 5–2 |
| São Paulo | 1–1 | 2–2 | 0–0 | 1–0 | 3–2 | 1–0 | 2–0 | 3–1 | 1–0 | 2–2 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 0–2 | 1–0 | 1–0 | — | 0–0 | 2–1 | 3–0 |
| Sport | 0–2 | 3–2 | 1–0 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 0–1 | 1–2 | 0–0 | 2–1 | 0–1 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 1–3 | — | 2–1 | 0–0 |
| Vasco da Gama | 4–1 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 3–1 | 1–4 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 1–0 | 0–3 | 2–0 | 3–2 | — | 2–3 |
| Vitória | 1–0 | 1–0 | 1–2 | 2–2 | 3–4 | 2–1 | 1–0 | 2–2 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 1–2 | 0–0 | 2–3 | 0–3 | 1–0 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 1–0 | 1–0 | — |

## Attendance
### Average home attendances

    As of 1 December 2018
Ranked from highest to lowest average attendance.
| Pos. | Team | Stadium | GP | Cumulative | Average |
| 1 | Flamengo | Maracanã | 19 | 895,641 | 47,139 |
| 2 | São Paulo | Morumbi | 19 | 652,080 | 34,320 |
| 3 | Palmeiras | Allianz Parque | 19 | 614,764 | 32,356 |
| 4 | Corinthians | Arena Corinthians | 19 | 595,973 | 31,367 |
| 5 | Ceará | Castelão | 19 | 533,482 | 28,078 |
| 6 | Internacional | Beira-Rio | 19 | 526,319 | 27,701 |
| 7 | Grêmio | Arena do Grêmio | 19 | 423,016 | 22,264 |
| 8 | Bahia | Fonte Nova | 19 | 366,985 | 19,315 |
| 9 | Atletico Mineiro | Independência | 19 | 326,363 | 17,177 |
| 10 | Vasco da Gama | São Januário | 19 | 282,720 | 14,880 |
| 11 | Fluminense | Maracanã | 19 | 274,702 | 14,458 |
| 12 | Cruzeiro | Mineirão | 19 | 257,146 | 13,534 |
| 13 | Botafogo | Nilton Santos | 19 | 219,811 | 11,569 |
| 14 | Sport | Ilha do Retiro | 19 | 217,132 | 11,428 |
| 15 | Santos | Vila Belmiro | 19 | 200,925 | 10,575 |
| 16 | Atletico Paranaense | Arena da Baixada | 19 | 200,830 | 10,570 |
| 17 | Chapecoense | Arena Condá | 19 | 178,429 | 9,391 |
| 18 | Vitória | Barradão | 19 | 174,439 | 9,181 |
| 19 | Paraná | Vila Capanema | 19 | 118,218 | 6,222 |
| 20 | America Mineiro | Independência | 19 | 93,043 | 4,897 |
| – | Total | | 380 | 7,152,235 | 18,821 |

## Season statistics
### Hat-tricks

| Player | For | Against | Result | Date |
| Rodrygo | Santos | Vitória | 5–2 | 3 June 2018 |
| Ángel Romero | Corinthians | Vasco da Gama | 4–1 | 29 July 2018 |
| Gabriel Barbosa | Santos | Vasco da Gama | 3–0 | 1 September 2018 |

### Clean sheets

| Rank | Player | Club | Clean sheets |
| 1 | Santos | Atlético Paranaense | 15 |
| 2 | Vanderlei | Santos | 14 |
| 3 | Júlio César | Fluminense | 13 |
| 3 | Éverson | Ceará | 13 |
| 5 | Marcelo Grohe | Grêmio | 12 |
| 5 | Sidão | São Paulo | 12 |
| 5 | Weverton | Palmeiras | 12 |
| 8 | Diego Alves | Flamengo | 11 |
| 8 | Douglas Friedrich | Bahia | 11 |
| 8 | Victor | Atlético Mineiro | 11 |
Source: FoxSports.com

## Awards
### Annual awards

| Award | Winner | Club |
| Manager of the Year | Luiz Felipe Scolari | Palmeiras |
| Player of the Year | Dudu | Palmeiras |
| Goal of the Year | Éverton Ribeiro, round 37 vs. Cruzeiro (8') | Flamengo |
| Fan-Selected Player of the Year | Gustavo Cuéllar | Flamengo |
| Young Player of the Year | Pedro | Fluminense |
| Fair Play Team of the Year | Corinthians | – |
| Referee of the Year | Raphael Claus | – |
Source Globo Last updated: 3 December 2018