return for championships

At its sixth edition, the tournament continued to grow and added a qualifying stage, won by Campo Grande, which left behind São Cristóvão, Ilha do Governador’s Portuguesa and Ichikawa, the stage’s other participating teams. No change at the tournament’s first stage: the 16 clubs were divided into 4 four groups. In group A, there were Fluminense, Madureira, Campo Grande and Kashima Antlers. In group B, Vasco, Cruzeiro, Nova Iguaçu and Tokyo Verdy. In group C, Flamengo, Corinthians, Olaria and the Japanese National Team. And in group D, CFZ, Botafogo, América-RJ and Kashima Norte. This time, Kika’s CFZ carried an unforgettable campaign that culminated in the competition’s title. At the first stage, three victories over Kashima Norte, América-RJ and Botafogo, and no goal suffered. The team advanced to the semifinals together with Corinthians, Vasco and Madureira. In the semifinals, CFZ defeated Corinthians by 3 to 1, and, in the final match, left Madureira behind by a 1 to 0 score – enough to celebrate its first title in the tournament’s history and make the awaited Olympic run.