Are there big clubs in Florianópolis?

When most Brazilians think of great football teams, their minds immediately refer to clubs in the southeast region, such as Flamengo, Palmeiras, Botafogo, São Paulo, Fluminense, Corinthians and Cruzeiro.

However, not far from the southeast region, right there, in the south of Brazil, there are several great clubs to admire and support in Brazil. One of them, for example, is Figueirense, from the state of Santa Catarina, with an enviable history in the sports scene and many classic and memorable games that always attract large publics and audiences, such as Figueirense x Avaí, Figueirense x Criciúma and Figueirense vs Botafogo SP.

Getting to know Figueirense more deeply

Figueirense Futebol Clube, also known simply as Figueirense and, even more popularly, as Figueira, is one of the two biggest football clubs in the city of Florianópolis, capital of the state of Santa Catarina. The other is Avai Futebol Clube, its biggest rival.

The foundation of Figueira dates back to June 12, 1921, right in the central area of ​​the city of Santa Catarina, in the old neighborhood of Figueira, next to the old port. Having as main colors white and black, it is the second oldest team in activity in its state.

A few decades after it was founded, Figueirense moved to the continental region of Florianópolis, more specifically to the Estreito neighborhood, where he built the Orlando Scarpelli Stadium, one of the club's greatest assets today.

In the 1930s, the team reached one of its greatest moments when it won a total of five titles in the State Championship of Santa Catarina.

And, after a long period without state conquests in the 1950s and 1960s, the traditional team from the capital “Floripa” was once again consecrated as champions of Santa Catarina in the years 1972 and 1974.

It was even in 72 and 74 that Figueirense experienced its first participation in the elite of the Brazilian Championship, having established itself in the main national championships at the beginning of the century. XXI, consolidating itself in Série A and being vice-champion of the Copa do Brasil in 2007.

In fact, it is thanks to all the success of the team that one of its nicknames is “Furacão do Estreito”, and today it is one of the most successful clubs in Santa Catarina, with 18 State Championship titles and the highest number of participations in the elite of the Brazilian Championship among clubs from Santa Catarina.

In addition, Figueirense also ended up becoming the only team in its state to be among the top 8 of the Brazilian Football Championship more than once.

Its performance is also the best of all the other teams from Santa Catarina, with 50,9%, and it is also the team's longest undefeated series among Santa Catarina teams in Serie A, with a total of 14 matches marked by victories - both feats that took place in the 2011 Brasileiro.

Figueirense is also the team from Santa Catarina with the highest number of participations in the Copa Sudamericana and in the Copa do Brasil. It is one of the six big clubs in the state by the Santa Catarina press, along with Avaí, Joinville, Criciúma, Brusque and Chapecoense.

Figueira's greatest idol is Fernandes, the team's all-time top scorer, having scored 108 goals during his career at the club. He also became the third most capped player for the club, with 403 appearances between 1999 and 2012.

Great rivalries and classics

There is an intense and great rivalry between Figueirense and Avaí, another great team in the capital of Santa Catarina, which makes any confrontation between these two teams a classic to be watched by those who like football, whether in Santa Catarina or elsewhere in the world. Brazil.

Another classic involving Figueira that is worth watching is against Criciúma, a team from the south of the state of Santa Catarina. Together, these two clubs are the teams from Santa Catarina that disputed the most editions of the Brasileirão, with around 20 participations by “Furacão do Estreito” and around 15 by its rival in the competition.

Joinville, from the north of Santa Catarina, is the third rival on our list, and it is worth remembering that it has already decided the Santa Catarina Championship five times against Figueirense, and, three times, it was Figueira who did well.

Outside the state of Santa Catarina, one of the most anticipated games is between Figueirense and Botafogo de São Paulo, an elite team in the São Paulo championship. In the last meeting of the two, on July 16, 2022, Figueirense won 2-1, with the entire match to the sound of contagious fans thirsty for the team's victory.

In 2020 there were two other meetings, with a draw on November 26, and a 1-0 victory for Figueirense. It has certainly become a classic not to be missed.