Copa America spectacle does not end drama in Brazilian Serie A

Despite being in the middle of the biggest international soccer tournament in continental America, Brazil and its federation have no time to pause their domestic league. That could mean more drama for the locals, but does it make sense from a logistical standpoint or is it really fair to the clubs and players?

Four players from Brazil’s squad are all missing around a month of action for their clubs in the Copa América. As well as nearly 20 other players who ply their trade in the Brazilian Serie A​​ but play for different national teams. Flamengo are missing three regular players who all play for Uruguay, for example.

Flamengo were without those stars for a big derby win over Fluminense recently. A victory that kept them top of the league and kept their fierce rivals Fluminense rooted at the bottom. In fact, that derby win was also the nail in Fernando Diniz’s coffin as the legendary boss who led Fluminense to the Copa Libertadores title in 2024 was sacked.

In Brazil, Botafogo, surprise package Bahia and Palmeiras are also top of the table, without Colombian international Richard Rios. Atheltico Paranaense, just behind them, are also missing several key players.

Argentina has the second best league in South America after Brazil, but it has been suspended for the duration of the Copa América. Although they are not missing that many players in the league and only one player in the Argentina national team. This break comes in the middle of a long season in South America, it makes sense to take advantage of it to allow clubs to rest during international matches, but in Brazil, that is easier said than done.

Before the Serie A season begins, most of Brazil’s top teams play between 12 and 16 matches in their respective domestic leagues. This means that the national premier division doesn’t start for a few months, so the schedule is quite busy.

National leagues are a historical element of Brazil. Brazil is a huge country, which allows local football and small clubs in certain regions to host the big teams, earn more money and play competitive football. National league matches provide an opportunity to discover many of the stars of tomorrow, and transfer fees from big clubs to smaller clubs in the state keep most of these institutions running. In short, national leagues are vital to the football food chain in Brazil.

The state leagues are managed by the individual state federations while Serie A is managed by the Brazilian national federation. This has of course led to power struggles and neither side is ready to back down or cut their own tournament short. This is perhaps the main reason why Serie A continued during the Copa América and as you can imagine, clubs missing key players don’t find it fair.

Brazil clearly has a problem beyond the Copa América with the general calendar, since the league season ends in December and the domestic campaign begins in late January. Add to that the pre-season, and you realize that the players only have a few weeks of rest between seasons. It’s crazy. Of course, international football and continental club competitions don’t help either, but the national and regional federations must try to find a solution so that the domestic season can run smoothly again.

What is the answer? It is not an easy question. In Brazil, there has been talk of abandoning the state league model and adding more levels to the national football pyramid so that smaller clubs in each state can still play competitive football throughout the season. The reality is that such a move would require an agreement between the national and state federations, each seeking to protect their own interests.