Rio Branco Football Club, commonly referred to as Rio Branco, is a Brazilian professional club based in Rio Branco,

Acre The acre is a unit of land area used in the imperial and US customary systems. It is traditionally defined as the area of one chain by one furlong (66 by 660 feet), which is exactly equal to 10 square chains, of a square mile, 4,840 square ...

founded on 8 June 1919. It competes in the Campeonato Acreano, the top flight of the Acre state football league. It is the most successful club in Acre, having won a record 47 state titles, 31 of those being won in the amateur era. Rio Branco also took part in the national league in 21 seasons, the most of any club from the state. It is also the first Northern Brazil and the only club from Acre to play in a continental cup, featuring in the

1997 Copa CONMEBOL The 1997 Copa CONMEBOL was the sixth edition of CONMEBOL's annual club tournament. Teams that failed to qualify for the Copa Libertadores played in this tournament. Eighteen teams from the ten South American football confederations qualified for ...

after winning the

Copa Norte Copa Norte ( en, North Cup) was a Brazilian football competition contested between North region teams. Also with teams from the states of Maranhão and Piauí in the Northeastern. From 1997 to 1999, the Copa Norte champions granted qualific ...

in the same year. Rio Branco's highest national league finish was achieved in

1989 File:1989 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Cypress Street Viaduct, Cypress structure collapses as a result of the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, killing motorists below; The proposal document for the World Wide Web is submitted; The Exxo ...

, when they finished 16th in the Brazilian Série B. The club's home colours are red and white and the team mascot is the Altaneira star, a symbol from the Acre state flag. Rio Branco is currently ranked third among Acre teams in CBF's national club ranking, at 98th place overall.

History

On June 8, 1919, the club was founded by the lawyer Luiz Mestrinho Filho, a relative of Governor Gilberto Mestrinho. In 1947, the club won the first

state championship New Zealand has had a domestic first-class cricket championship since the 1906–07 season. Since the 2009–10 season it has been known by its original name of the Plunket Shield. History The Plunket Shield competition was instigated in Octob ...

organized by the Acre State Football Federation. From 1955 to 1957, Rio Branco won three state championships in a row. Rio Branco won the first edition of

in 1997, beating Remo of

Pará Pará is a state of Brazil, located in northern Brazil and traversed by the lower Amazon River. It borders the Brazilian states of Amapá, Maranhão, Tocantins, Mato Grosso, Amazonas and Roraima. To the northwest are the borders of Guyana a ...

state, in the final. Rio Branco gained the right to compete in that year's

Copa CONMEBOL The Copa CONMEBOL ( en, CONMEBOL Cup) was an annual football cup competition organized by CONMEBOL between 1992 and 1999 for South American football clubs. During its time of existence, it was a very prestigious South American club football contes ...

. The club was eliminated in the first round of Copa CONMEBOL, by

Deportes Tolima Club Deportes Tolima S.A., commonly known as Deportes Tolima, or simply as Tolima, is a Colombian professional football club based in Ibagué, Tolima Department that currently plays in the Categoría Primera A. Founded in 1954, the club has wo ...

, of

Colombia Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Car ...

, after losing in the penalty shootout. From 2002 to 2005, Rio Branco won four state championships in a row.

Season records

Stadium

Rio Branco currently plays in their home

stadium A stadium ( : stadiums or stadia) is a place or venue for (mostly) outdoor sports, concerts, or other events and consists of a field or stage either partly or completely surrounded by a tiered structure designed to allow spectators to stand o ...

, the ''

Estádio José de Melo Estádio José de Melo, sometimes called Stadium José de Melo, is a multi-use stadium located in Rio Branco, Brazil. It is used mostly for football matches and as the training ground of Rio Branco Football Club. The stadium has a maximum capaci ...

'', which has a maximum capacity of 8,000 people. The club also plays at

Arena da Floresta Arena da Floresta ( en, Forest Arena) is a multi-use stadium in Rio Branco, Acre, Brazil. It is currently used mostly for football matches. The stadium holds 13,534. It was built in 2006. History The stadium, built in 2006, was inaugurated ...

, which has a maximum capacity of 20,000 people.

Colors

Rio Branco's official colors are red and white. Rio Branco's home kit is composed of a red shirt, red shorts and red socks.

Honours

: Winners (1):

1997 File:1997 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The movie set of ''Titanic'', the highest-grossing movie in history at the time; ''Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'', is published; Comet Hale-Bopp passes by Earth and becomes one of t ...

* Campeonato Acreano : Winners (48): 1919, 1921, 1928, 1929, 1935, 1936, 1937, 1938, 1939, 1940, 1941, 1943, 1944, 1945, 1946, 1947, 1950, 1951, 1955, 1956, 1957, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1964, 1971, 1973, 1977, 1979, 1983, 1986, 1992, 1994, 1997, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2018, 2021 *

Torneio de Integração da Amazônia The Torneio de Integração da Amazônia was a football competition organized by the Brazilian Football Confederation with the intention to integrate the Amazonian region and to develop the football in the region. Format In 2003, the eight ...

: Winners (3): 1976, 1979, 1984

References

External links

Official website

{{Campeonato Brasileiro Série D Association football clubs established in 1919 Football clubs in Acre (state) 1919 establishments in Brazil Rio Branco, Acre Copa Norte winners