Liga Paulista
| State | São Paulo |
|---|---|
| Confederation |
CONMEBOL CBF FPF |
| Founded | 1902 |
| Number of teams | 20 |
| Level on pyramid | 1 |
| Relegation to | Série A2 |
| Domestic cup(s) | Copa Paulista |
| Current champions |
Santos (22nd title) (2016) |
| Most championships | Corinthians (27 titles) |
| TV partners |
Rede Globo SporTV Rede Bandeirantes Premiere FC |
| Website | Official website |
 2017 Campeonato Paulista
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The Campeonato Paulista Série A1, commonly known as Campeonato Paulista, nicknamed Paulistão and officially named Campeonato Paulista Chevrolet for sponsorship reasons, is the top-flight professional football league in the Brazilian state of São Paulo. Run by the FPF, the league is contested between 20 clubs and typically lasts from January to April. Rivalries amongst four of the most well-known Brazilian teams (Corinthians, Palmeiras, Santos and São Paulo) has marked the history of the competition. The Campeonato Paulista is the oldest established league in Brazil, being held since 1902 and professionally since 1933.
Campeonato Paulista is held annually by the Federação Paulista de Futebol (São Paulo State Football Federation), or FPF, amongst teams residing within the state of São Paulo. Twenty clubs compete in the highest level of the championship (Série A1). In a new format for 2007, each team plays the other once in a round-robin format followed by four team playoff with home-and-away series. In addition, teams that finish the regular season in places 5 through 8 (that do not reside within the city of São Paulo or Santos) will compete in a playoff for the title of "Campeão do Interior" (Upstate Champion). The four lowest placed teams are relegated to the lower competition (Série A2) for the following year.
Série A2 is competed by 20 teams in three separate phases. In Phase One, the teams are split into two groups, playing each other twice in a home-and-home series. The bottom two from each group are relegated to Série A3; the top four advance to Phase Two. Phase two consists of the eight advancing teams organized into groups, repeating the home-and-home series within the group. The top two placed teams from each group are promoted to Série A1; each top team advances to Phase Three, a single championship game to determine the tournament winner.
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