In the coming days, we’ll find out which samba schools are the champions of the 2026 Carnival in São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro. But what does that have to do with football?
With the Brasileirão already underway, OneFootball put together a survey to find out which samba schools won the most titles in the same years as the Brazilian football champions. And there are quite a few coincidences...
Corinthians + Beija-Flor + Vai-Vai
Timão has seven Brazilian league titles. In four of those years, Beija-Flor won the title in Rio. In four, Vai-Vai won in São Paulo.
There were three years when the infallible combination happened and all three won simultaneously: 1998, 2011, and 2015.
📸 Friedemann Vogel - 2015 Getty Images
Palmeiras + Mangueira + Mocidade Alegre
Among Palmeiras’ 12 titles, the biggest historical coincidences are with Mangueira in Rio (4), and Mocidade Alegre in São Paulo (3).
In 1973, there was a triple coincidence.
Flamengo + Beija-Flor + Rosas de Ouro
Of Flamengo’s nine national titles (counting both Sport and Flamengo as champions in 1987), three coincided with Beija-Flor in Rio, and three with Rosas de Ouro in São Paulo.
Last year and in 1983, all three took the title.
📸 Buda Mendes - 2025 Getty Images
The Inter Curse and Camisa Verde e Branco
Internacional has three national titles (1975, 1976, and 1979). In all three, the carnival champion in São Paulo was the same: Camisa Verde e Branco.
Camisa went on to win a few more times in the late 1980s and early 1990s, but hasn’t lifted a trophy since 1993.
Two giants with long droughts.
Other coincidences
Santos: won eight times, with three of those alongside Mangueira (RJ) and three with Nenê de Vila Matilde (SP).
São Paulo: of its six titles, three were in Beija-Flor (RJ) years, two with Vai-Vai, and two with Camisa Verde e Branco (SP).
Fluminense: of its four titles, two coincided with Unidos da Tijuca (RJ), and two with Rosas de Ouro (SP).
Vasco: of its four wins, two were with Imperatriz (RJ), two with Camisa Verde e Branco, and two with X-9 Paulistana. In fact, X-9’s only two titles in history were in years when Vasco won (1997 and 2000).
Grêmio: in both titles (1981 and 1996), the carnival champion in São Paulo was the same: Vai-Vai.
Cruzeiro: there were four wins, including back-to-back titles in 2013 and 2014. In São Paulo, Mocidade Alegre was also champion those years. And it was a three-peat, as they also won in 2012.
Now you know who to root for if you want to boost your team’s chances of winning the Brasileirão. 😅
This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.