The Copa Verde (English: Green Cup) is an annual regional knockout football competition in Brazil that started in 2014, and played by 24 teams from the North and Central-West regions, plus Espírito Santo (Espírito Santo state was included because they competed in the old Copa Centro Oeste).[1][2]

Copa Verde
Organising bodyBrazilian Football Confederation
Founded2014; 10 years ago (2014)
RegionBrazil's North and Central-West plus Espírito Santo
Number of teams24
Qualifier forCopa do Brasil (third round)
Current championsPará Paysandu (4th title)
Most successful club(s)Pará Paysandu
(4 titles)
Television broadcastersTV Brasil
WebsiteOfficial website
2024 Copa Verde

Initially, the champion of the tournament gained a place in the next year's Copa Sudamericana. With the changes implemented by CONMEBOL in 2016 causes a competition no longer qualify in Copa Sudamericana from edition.[3] The champion will now have a spot in the third round of the Copa do Brasil of the following year. The cup is organized by the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF), with two-legged playoff games played from between the 24 participating teams.[2]

History

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The tournament was created with the purpose of making a version of the Copa do Nordeste for the Northern Region of Brazil, hence the name Verde, meaning green, is an allusion to the Amazon Rainforest.[1] The competition was expanded to include clubs from the Central-West Region and from Espírito Santo state (as the state competed in the defunct Copa Centro-Oeste).[4] The competition was officially announced in September by the competitions director of the Brazilian Football Confederation.[5]

In the community

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Recycling machine which allows fans to exchange plastic bottles or aluminum cans for tickets[6]

Since its creation in 2014, Copa Verde has been committed to sustainable practices and the preservation of the environment. With the legacy of respect for nature already consolidated and a growing reach throughout its editions, it has earned the certificate of Brazil's first Zero Carbon competition. With the trophies made of certified wood, the Brazilian Football Confederation, through its sustainability policy, has already promoted educational contests, tree planting, the use of certified paper, and the exchange of PET bottles for tickets as some of its actions on behalf of the environment.[7]

Besides the concern with flora, Copa Verde also looks carefully at the species that make up the Brazilian fauna. Since the 2020 edition, the jaguar and the hyacinth macaw have been printed on the clubs' shirts with special patches. The initiative aims to alert and pay tribute to these two endangered species in the Amazon and Pantanal wetlands, respectively.[8]

List of champions

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Year Finals Losing semi-finalists1
Winners Score Runners-up
2014
Details
 
Brasília
1–2
2–1
Aggregate

3–3 (7–6 p)2
 
Paysandu
  Brasiliense and   Remo
2015
Details
 
Cuiabá
1–4
5–1
Aggregate

6–5
 
Remo
  Luverdense and   Paysandu
2016
Details
 
Paysandu
2–0
1–2
Aggregate

3–2
 
Gama
  Aparecidense and   Remo
2017
Details
 
Luverdense
3–1
1–1
Aggregate

4–2
 
Paysandu
  Rondoniense and   Santos
2018
Details
 
Paysandu
2–0
1–1
Aggregate

3–1
 
Atlético Itapemirim
  Luverdense and   Manaus
2019
Details
 
Cuiabá
0–1
1–0
Aggregate

1–1 (5–4 p)
 
Paysandu
  Goiás and   Remo
2020
Details
 
Brasiliense
2–1
1–2
Aggregate

3–3 (5–4 p)
 
Remo
  Manaus and   Vila Nova
2021
Details
 
Remo
0–0
0–0
Aggregate

0–0 (4–2 p)
 
Vila Nova
  Nova Mutum and   Paysandu
2022
Details
 
Paysandu
0–0
1–1
Aggregate

1–1 (4–3 p)
 
Vila Nova
  Brasiliense and   São Raimundo
2023
Details
 
Goiás
2–0
2–1
Aggregate

4–1
 
Paysandu
  Cuiabá and   Remo
2024
Details
 
Paysandu
6–0
4–0
Aggregate

10–0
 
Vila Nova
  Cuiabá and   Remo

Note 1: Losing semi-finalists are listed in alphabetical order.

Note 2: On July 28, 2014, the 2014 Copa Verde title was awarded to Paysandu, due to irregularities on the squad of Brasília.[9] Brasília appealed against this decision and obtained a suspension which reversed this decision temporarily.[10] A final decision by the Superior Court of Sports Justice (STJD) declared Brasília as the champion.[11]

Records and statistics

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Finalists

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Club Winners Runners-up Years won Years runner-up
  Paysandu 4 4 2016, 2018, 2022, 2024 2014, 2017, 2019, 2023
  Cuiabá 2 0 2015, 2019
  Remo 1 2 2021 2015, 2020
  Brasília 1 0 2014
  Luverdense 1 0 2017
  Brasiliense 1 0 2020
  Goiás 1 0 2023
  Vila Nova 0 3 2021, 2022, 2024
  Gama 0 1 2016
  Atlético Itapemirim 0 1 2018

Performance by State

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State Won Runner-up
  Pará 5 6
  Mato Grosso 3 0
  Distrito Federal 2 1
  Goiás 1 3
  Espírito Santo 0 1

Top scorers

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Year Player (team) Goals
2014 Lima (Paysandu) 7
2015 Raphael Luz (Cuiabá) 8
2016 Rafael Grampola (Gama) 6
2017 Careca (Rondoniense) 5
2018 Cassiano (Paysandu) 9
2019 Douglas Oliveira (Luverdense) 5
2020 Alan Mineiro (Vila Nova)
Diego Rosa (Aparecidense)
5
2021 Neto Pessoa (Remo) 9
2022 Marlon (Paysandu)
Yan Philippe (São Raimundo-AM)
3
2023 Wanderson (São Francisco-AC) 4
2024 Nicolas (Paysandu) 6

Winning managers

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Year Manager Club
2014 Luís Carlos Carioca Brasília
2015 Fernando Marchiori Cuiabá
2016 Dado Cavalcanti Paysandu
2017 Júnior Rocha Luverdense
2018 Dado Cavalcanti Paysandu
2019 Marcelo Chamusca Cuiabá
2020 Vilson Tadei Brasiliense
2021 Eduardo Baptista Remo
2022 Márcio Fernandes Paysandu
2023 Emerson Ávila Goiás
2024 Hélio dos Anjos Paysandu

Winning captains

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Year Captain Club
2014 Pedro Ayub Brasília
2015 Bogé Cuiabá
2016 Augusto Recife Paysandu
2017 Paulinho Luverdense
2018 Diego Ivo Paysandu
2019 Anderson Conceição Cuiabá
2020 Zotti Brasiliense
2021 Vinícius Remo
2022 Genílson Paysandu
2023 Lucas Halter Goiás
2024 Nicolas Paysandu

References

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  1. ^ a b "CBF cria "Copa Verde" com times de 11 estados e que dá vaga na Sul-Americana". iG (in Portuguese). October 8, 2013. Archived from the original on November 12, 2014. Retrieved December 1, 2013.
  2. ^ a b "Copa Verde une 11 estados, do Amazonas ao Espírito Santo". Trivela (in Portuguese). October 8, 2013. Archived from the original on October 29, 2013. Retrieved December 1, 2013.
  3. ^ "Conmebol mexe na Sul-Americana, e Brasil fica com menos vagas diretas". Lance (in Portuguese). October 3, 2016. Retrieved November 29, 2016.
  4. ^ "Copa Verde com custeio da CBF poderá se tornar realidade com 2 clubes de MT". Futebol Matogrossense (in Portuguese). July 27, 2013. Archived from the original on December 5, 2013. Retrieved December 1, 2013.
  5. ^ "Dirigente da CBF confirma Copa Verde em janeiro e fevereiro de 2014". Globo Esporte (in Portuguese). September 26, 2013. Retrieved December 1, 2013.
  6. ^ "Copa Verde: troca sustentável de ingressos". Confederação Brasileira de Futebol (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved April 12, 2023.
  7. ^ "SP e CBF assinam protocolo para compensar carbono da Copa Verde". Secretaria de Infraestrutura e Meio Ambiente do Estado de São Paulo (in Portuguese). May 9, 2016. Retrieved November 23, 2021.
  8. ^ "Com viés sustentável, Copa Verde 2021 promove ações de preservação ao meio ambiente". CBF (in Portuguese). November 22, 2021. Retrieved November 23, 2021.
  9. ^ "Caso Copa Verde: STJD pune Brasília, e Paysandu fica com título e vaga na Sul-Americana" (in Portuguese). Yahoo! Brasil. July 28, 2014. Archived from the original on August 19, 2014.
  10. ^ "Brasília consegue reverter decisão e é, novamente, campeã da Copa Verde" (in Portuguese). superesportes. August 2, 2014.
  11. ^ "Pleno do STJD confirma Brasília campeão da Copa Verde 2014" (in Portuguese). globo.com. November 27, 2014.