Chapecoense

Chapecoense

Associação Chapecoense de Futebol was founded in 1973 in Chapecó, in the southern Brazilian state of Santa Catarina. Playing at Arena Condá in green and white, the club rose from the fourth tier of Brazilian football to the final of the Copa Sudamericana in just eight years, one of the sport's most remarkable stories. In November 2016, tragedy struck when a charter flight carrying the squad crashed near Medellín, Colombia, killing 71 of 77 people on board as the team travelled to play the Copa Sudamericana final against Atlético Nacional. CONMEBOL posthumously awarded them the title. Displaying extraordinary resilience, Chapecoense rebuilt their squad, won the Série B in 2017, and returned to the Série A. They have been champions of the Campeonato Catarinense multiple times and represent the spirit and solidarity of Brazil's football community.