The most successful club from Brazil on the international stage – with two Intercontinental Cups, one FIFA Club World Cup and three Copa Libertadores to its credit – São Paulo takes part in the Florida Cup for the first time after a mid-table finish in the standings last year in the Brazilian Serie A. Led by Uruguayan captain Diego Lugano, who mans the center of defense, São Paulo could line up against their Clássico Majestoso rivals SC Corinthians Paulista in the final of the knockout tournament with a semifinal win. 

NEED TO KNOW

Head Coach: Rogério Ceni
League: Serie A
Playoffs Opener: Jan.  19 – vs. River Plate, Al Lang Stadium, St. Petersburg, Fla.

CLUB HISTORY

Originally founded in 1930, the club took off five years later after a merger with Clube de Regatas Tietê, and in December, 1935 the club took on its current identity. Success followed eight years later when São Paulo taking its first state championship of the new era in 1943, the first of five Campeonato Paulista titles that decade.

São Paulo earned its first Campeonto Brasileiro Serie A title in 1977, but it was under Manager Tele Santana that the club achieved international success. After winning the league championship in 1991, the club then claimed back-to-back Copa Libertadores and Intercontinental Cup triumphs in 1992 and 1993, defeating FC Barcelona and AC Milan in back-to-back years in the latter. The club then took three consecutive league championships from 2006 to 2008, with a Copa Sudamericana victory in 2012 the last major silverware to grace the club’s trophy cabinet.