Associação Chapecoense de Futebol

Associação Chapecoense de Futebol, known simply as Chapecoense, is a Brazilian football club from Chapecó, Santa Catarina. Founded in 1973 to revive the sport in the city, the club quickly found success, winning its first state championship, the Campeonato Catarinense, in 1977. Over the years, Chapecoense has claimed seven state titles, with the most recent coming in 2020. Despite its modest size, the club reached Brazil's top division, Série A, for the first time in 1978, though it would not return to the elite level until 2014. The team plays its home matches at Arena Condá and also fields a futsal team, which has won two state championships.

Chapecoense's story is defined by triumph and tragedy. On November 28, 2016, a charter flight carrying the first team crashed near Medellín, Colombia, en route to the first leg of the 2016 Copa Sudamericana final against Atlético Nacional. The crash killed 71 of the 77 people on board, including most of the squad. Only three players survived. In response, Atlético Nacional asked CONMEBOL to award the trophy to Chapecoense, a request that was granted on December 5. Atlético Nacional received the FIFA Fair Play Award for their extraordinary gesture. The tragedy drew global attention, and Chapecoense's resilience became a symbol of hope.[edit]

Chapecoense was founded on May 10, 1973, after the dissolution of previous local clubs left Chapecó without a professional football team. The club's early years were marked by rapid ascent: it won its first Campeonato Catarinense in 1977 and reached the Campeonato Brasileiro Série A for the first time in 1978, though it was immediately relegated. The club spent most of the next three decades in lower divisions, winning state titles in 1996 and 2007, but failing to return to the national elite.

The turning point came in 2014 when Chapecoense secured promotion to Série A under coach Gilmar Dal Pozzo. The club not only stayed up but finished a respectable 11th in 2015, qualifying for the Copa Sudamericana. In 2016, the team reached the final of that competition, facing Atlético Nacional. On November 28, the team's charter flight, LaMia Flight 2933, crashed in the Colombian mountains, killing 71 people. The survivors, defenders Alan Ruschel and Neto, and goalkeeper Jakson Follmann (who later had his leg amputated), became symbols of the club's fight to continue. CONMEBOL declared Chapecoense the 2016 Copa Sudamericana champion at the request of Atlético Nacional, and the club rebuilt with loaned players and youth prospects.

After the tragedy, Chapecoense won the Campeonato Catarinense in 2017 and 2020, and finished 8th in Série A in 2017. However, financial difficulties and player departures led to relegation in 2019 and again in 2021. As of 2024, the club competes in Série B, aiming for a return to the top flight.[edit]