In winning the double, Botafogo would repeat a feat only two clubs have achieved

Guilherme Bianchini

Botafogo can crown 2024 with a very rare achievementVítor Silva / Botafogo

Winning the Campeonato Brasileiro (Serie A) and the Copa Libertadores in the same year is an extremely rare feat. Since the creation of the South American club tournament in 1960, winning that double has only happened three times - Santos (in 1962 and 1963) and Flamengo (in 2019).

Botafogo have the chance to join that very select group this season. To do so, they must maintain their lead at the top of the Serie A standings and win the Libertadores final against fellow Brazilian side Atletico-MG.

Earlier this week, Botafogo defeated Serie A title rivals Palmeiras 3-1 to open up a three-point lead in the standings. There are only two rounds to go.

On Saturday, November 30th, they play the Copa Libertadores final against Atletico (21:00 CET) at the Estadio Monumental in Buenos Aires.

Botafogo are in the Libertadores finalVítor Silva/Botafogo

Apart from this season, the only time Botafogo had a real chance of winning the double was in 1963. The team of Nilton Santos, Garrincha, Jairzinho, Zagallo and Co. fell in the semi-finals of both competitions - to Bahia in the Copa Brasil and Santos in the Libertadores.

Santos themselves were national and continental champions in 1963, achieving the feat for the second year running. The feat was only again repeated more than 50 years later by Flamengo in 2019. The Rubro-Negro are still the only team to achieve the Brasileirao-Libertadores double in the era of a points-based league.

Pele's Santos won the Brasileiro and Libertadores in 1962 and 1963Divulgação/Santos FC

After 2019, 1963 and 1962, the best run by a Libertadores champion in Serie A was that of Internacional in 2006, who finished runners-up. Sao Paulo came close to the double in the same year, finishing runners-up in the Libertadores and winning the Brasileirao.

Flamengo and Santos are also the only runners-up in both tournaments in the same year - Santos in 2003 and Flamengo in 2021.

Other Libertadores runners-up who flirted with the Brazilian title were Palmeiras in 1968 (fourth in the final quadrangular), Internacional in 1980 (eliminated in the semi-finals) and Gremio in 1984 (eliminated in the semi-final).