ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ

The soccer club FC Flamengo from Rio de Janeiro was the most popular Brazilian soccer club on social media as of December 2023, with a combined number of over ** million. SE Corinthians from São Paulo ranked second on the list, surpassing ** million followers in the five listed platforms.

A sport without rival

Since the introduction of soccer in Brazil back in the late **** century, its popularity in the South American nation has reached such great levels that the country is nowadays known now as ‘O país do futebol’ (The country of football). A small glimpse of that can be seen in social media: as of March 2021, the Brazilian Football Confederation (Confederação Brasileira de Futebol-CBF) was Brazil’s most popular sports confederation on social media by late-2020, surpassing the second-ranked institution of this kind by almost ** million followers.

Soccer championship turned digital

The COVID-19 pandemic caused great disruption in the Brazilian soccer calendar as well. With stadiums closed and social distancing requirements in place, the Brazilian championship ‘Série A’ —also referred to as Brasileirão— was postponed for several months and only could restart without an on-site audience. Therefore, a digital platform was put in place by the CBF to reach the country’s soccer fan base, eager to watch and cheer for their favorite clubs. As of February 2021, the club Atlético Mineiro was the king of that broadcasting website, accounting for the largest share of digital audience.