Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro plays football on sand, on concrete and on the grass of the clubs that fill its neighbourhoods. Futsal courts sit beside schools and community halls from the Zona Norte to the beachfront. MCC adds a Rio de Janeiro tournament for amateur 5-a-side teams in 2027, opening 9 April.
Three grounds, three champions
Two halves of 15 minutes on a stop clock. Every team plays three group matches in a group of four, and the top two go into the playoffs, where a tie level after two halves goes to penalties. Five weeks of football on each ground leave Rio de Janeiro with three Pitch Champions, and each goes straight to the Country Championship.
North Zone
64 to 128 teams · $20,000 to its Pitch Champion
Barra/West
64 to 128 teams · $20,000 to its Pitch Champion
South Zone
64 to 128 teams · $20,000 to its Pitch Champion
Checking live availability...
Courts, beaches and the Rio game
Futebol de areia and futevôlei are the sights tourists photograph, but most Cariocas first learned the sport on a futsal court. Pick-up games, condominium leagues and work teams keep that going, and the city's four big professional clubs, Flamengo, Fluminense, Vasco and Botafogo, give almost every street a side to argue over.
Games run five a side with up to nine on a squad sheet, in two halves of 15 minutes against a stop clock, each match given a 40-minute slot. Four teams make a group and every side meets the other three. Futsal sides will find this quick and tight, while sand specialists need a few minutes to adjust to a hard floor.
Three grounds across a long, narrow city
Rio stretches along the coast and behind the mountains, which makes travel the main design problem. The North Zone ground serves the Zona Norte, the area around the Maracanã and the suburbs reached by the train lines. The Barra/West ground covers Barra da Tijuca, Jacarepaguá and the western districts. The South Zone ground is for Copacabana, Ipanema, Botafogo and neighbouring districts.
Metro, BRT corridors and buses connect most of these areas, though journeys across the city can take a long time. Each ground therefore runs a complete round of its own, and its venue is named on this page once MCC has signed the agreement.
Rio in April and May, then the national stage
Autumn in Rio brings warm days with a little less humidity, and the heat eases by evening. Group games take place from 9 to 11 April, 16 to 18 April and 23 to 25 April 2027, then 30 April starts the playoffs, and every ground closes with a final on 9 May.
Each Rio champion boards for the Brazil Country Championship of 28 to 30 May 2027, to meet winners from São Paulo, Belo Horizonte, Porto Alegre and Curitiba. The continental stage comes next, and the World Final ends the run on 7 July 2027.
Local cups and MCC's longer season
Clubs, associations and beach bars in Rio hold plenty of cups, and many finish within a weekend. MCC is a longer undertaking: a published format, a $20,000 Pitch Champion prize and a bracket that takes winners out of the city. Only amateur sides can join, each naming a Team President, and the conduct policy does not tolerate violence from any player.
The road out of Rio de Janeiro
- 01 · 9 Apr - 9 May 2027
Pitch Round
Groups of four on every pitch, three group matches each. The top two of every group go into the playoffs, and penalties settle a level playoff tie.
$20,000 - 02 · 28-30 May 2027
Country Championship
The Pitch Champions of each country play for the national title: two halves of 15 minutes, a league table, then the playoffs.
$150,000 - 03 · 2027
Continental Championship
Country Champions compete within their region for a place on the world stage.
$500,000 - 04 · 7 Jul 2027
World Championship
A five-team mini-league, then the World Final: two halves of 15 minutes, penalties if level. One MCC World Champion.
$5,000,000
Questions from Rio de Janeiro
How does a team enter MCC in Rio de Janeiro?
Register on this site and pick one of Rio de Janeiro's three grounds: North Zone, Barra/West, South Zone. One Team License per team: USD 1,200 for one year until 1 March 2027 (then 2,500), or 5,000 for three years. Payment and KYC verification follow the application.
When does the tournament start in Rio de Janeiro?
The Pitch Round runs 9 April to 9 May 2027 on all three Rio de Janeiro grounds. The group matches are played on 9-11, 16-18 and 23-25 April, the playoffs from 30 April, and each ground's final on 9 May. Pitch Champions go straight to the Country Championship on 28-30 May 2027.
How many teams can play in Rio de Janeiro?
Up to 384: each of the three grounds takes up to 128 teams, and each needs a minimum of 64 to run its round. A full ground puts an entry on its waitlist instead of turning it away.
What can a Rio de Janeiro team win?
$20,000 per Pitch Champion, $150,000 for the Brazil title, $500,000 continental and $5,000,000 for the World Champion - plus championship rings from Country level up.
Can beach football players enter an MCC ground?
Yes, as amateur teams of five to nine players. The game is 5-a-side with two 15-minute halves on a stop clock, so beach football and futsal players enter the same way as everyone else, one Team License per team.
Which Rio ground is best for a team in Niterói or the Baixada?
Pick the one you can reach on match days with the least trouble. For many teams that will be the North Zone or Barra/West ground, but the choice is yours.
Do club members from Flamengo or Fluminense take part?
MCC has no link with any professional club. Teams are amateur sides, and a team may be built from fans of any club or of none. The entry rules ask only for amateur status, a named Team President and acceptance of the conduct policy.
What is the Maracanã connection for the North Zone?
None beyond geography. The North Zone ground covers the part of Rio around the stadium, but MCC matches are played at the confirmed venue for that ground, not at any professional stadium.
Also hosting in Brazil
Nearby in South America
Claim a pitch in Rio de Janeiro
One Team License per team, for one year or three years. Squads of up to 9 are built in the MCC app after licensing. Registration takes the team, its coach and its Team President.
- USD1,200One year
- 5,000Three years