Study ranks Vasco as the worst of the 'big 12' in 21st-century Brasileirão

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·04 de fevereiro de 2026

Study ranks Vasco as the worst of the 'big 12' in 21st-century Brasileirão

A detailed survey conducted by the FutDados portal, covering all editions of the Brazilian Championship held in the 21st century (from 2001 to 2025), shed light on the new hierarchy of forces in national football and brought bitter news for Vasco da Gama fans. The study statistically confirmed the club's loss of prominence: the Cruz-Maltino appears only in 13th place in the overall points ranking, being the lowest among the traditional "12 greats" of Brazil.

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Vídeos OneFootball

Behind Athletico-PR and Botafogo

The numbers are cold and revealing. With 979 points earned in 757 games, Vasco was surpassed by Athletico-PR, which occupies 11th place with 1,258 points. The club is also behind its rival Botafogo (1,130 points).

The top of the table reflects regularity: São Paulo leads with 1,535 points, closely followed by Flamengo. The difference in competitiveness becomes evident when analyzing the presence at the top of the table: while São Paulo finished in the G-6 in 16 editions, Vasco achieved this feat only four times in 25 years.

Fernando Diniz has the mission to change the scenario – Photo: Wagner Meier/Getty Images

The Villains of Vasco: Relegations and Defense

Two main factors explain this poor performance and Vasco's exit from the statistical elite:

Relegations: Vasco was relegated four times during the analyzed period. This means four entire seasons without scoring in Serie A (playing in Serie B), which drastically drains the historical points accumulation. Only Sport, Coritiba, Avaí, and América-MG have been relegated more times.
Defensive Fragility and Performance: The club has the 24th worst average of goals conceded in the century (1.42 per game), highlighting a chronic defensive vulnerability. Furthermore, the overall points performance is only 43.1%, placing Vasco in 17th place in this regard, behind clubs with historically smaller budgets, such as Goiás and Fortaleza. The data serves as a warning for the urgent need for management that restores competitive regularity to the institution.