Copa Verde

Copa Verde
Organising body Brazilian Football Confederation
Founded 2014
Region Brazil's North and Central-West plus Espírito Santo
Number of teams 24
Qualifier for Copa do Brasil (third round)
Current champions Goiás (1st title)
Most successful club(s) Paysandu
(3 titles)
Television broadcasters TV Brasil
Website Official website
2024 Copa Verde

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).

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. 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.

History

The tournament was created with the purpose of making a North Region version of the Copa do Nordeste, hence the name Verde, meaning green, is an allusion to the Amazon Forest. 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). The competition was officially announced in September by the competitions director of the Brazilian Football Confederation.

In the community

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

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.

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.

List of champions

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

Remo
2015
Details

Cuiabá
1–4
5–1
Aggregate

6–5

Remo

Luverdense

Paysandu
2016
Details

Paysandu
2–0
1–2
Aggregate

3–2

Gama

Aparecidense

Remo
2017
Details

Luverdense
3–1
1–1
Aggregate

4–2

Paysandu

Rondoniense

Santos
2018
Details

Paysandu
2–0
1–1
Aggregate

3–1

Atlético Itapemirim

Luverdense

Manaus
2019
Details

Cuiabá
0–1
1–0
Aggregate

1–1 (5–4 p)

Paysandu

Goiás

Remo
2020
Details

Brasiliense
2–1
1–2
Aggregate

3–3 (5–4 p)

Remo

Manaus

Vila Nova
2021
Details

Remo
0–0
0–0
Aggregate

0–0 (4–2 p)

Vila Nova

Nova Mutum

Paysandu
2022
Details

Paysandu
0–0
1–1
Aggregate

1–1 (4–3 p)

Vila Nova

Brasiliense

São Raimundo
2023
Details

Goiás
2–0
2–1
Aggregate

4–1

Paysandu

Cuiabá

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. Brasília appealed against this decision and obtained a suspension which reversed this decision temporarily. A final decision by the Superior Court of Sports Justice (STJD) declared Brasília as the champion.

Records and statistics

Finalists

Club Winners Runners-up Years won Years runner-up
Paysandu 3 4 2016, 2018, 2022 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 2 2021, 2022
Gama 0 1 2016
Atlético Itapemirim 0 1 2018

Performance by State

State Won Runner-up
Pará 4 6
Mato Grosso 3 0
Distrito Federal 2 1
Goiás 1 2
Espírito Santo 0 1

Top scorers

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

Winning managers

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