Following the announcement of our partnership with Brazilian club Coritiba, we take a closer look at the team and give you 11 facts you probably didn't know about the Coxa-Branca.
1: Date the club was formed
The club was formed in 1909 when a group of young men from a local gymnastics club gathered to play a variety of sports. It was a gym where the German immigrant community of that time used to meet, meaning many of the club's players, in the early years, were descendants of German families. The club's first game was against Tiro Pontagrossense, which they lost 1-0.
Coritiba were Brazilian Serié A champions in 1985, becoming the first team from the Paraná region of Brazil to win the competition. The team then competed in the Copa Libertadores de America for the first time.
3: Campeonato Paranaense
Coritiba is the most successful club in the Paraná region of Brazil. They won the Campeonato Paranaense 39 times in their history, most recently in 2022. They also hold the record for most consecutive titles in this division having won the competition from 1971 to 1976.
Paraná is a southern region of Brazil, which borders the state of São Paulo to the north and the the state of Santa Cartarina to the south. It also has a border with Paraguay and Argentina to the west, where you will find the natural wonder of Iguazu Falls.
4: Rivalries
Coritiba's main rivals are Athletico Paranaense, who have won the Paraná State Championship 26 times, and Paraná Clube, who have won it seven times. The match between Athletico Paranaense and Coritiba is known as the Atletiba, combining the teams two names. It is one of the most traditional derbies in Brazilian football.
5: Record goalscorer
The club's record goalscorer is Duílio Dias, who netted 202 goals for the club between 1954 and 1963. Nicknamed 'Canhão' (the cannon) he started his career of at Operário Ferroviário, before joining Coritiba and finishing his career at Agua Verde.
6: The stadium
Coritiba play their home games at Estádio Major Antônio Couto Pereira. The stadium has a capacity of 40,502 and was opened in 1932. It was opened as Belfort Duarte. However, when Couto Pereira, the president responsible for the stadium being built, died in 1977, the name of the arena was changed in his honour.
While they have played in all white before, the club's current home kit is white, with two parallel horizontal green stripes, while the away kit is a vertical green and white striped kit.
8: Current head coach
The current head coach of the team is Paraguayan Gustavo Morínigo. He had a 15-year career playing in his home country, as well as Argentina and Colombia. He won the Paraguayan Primera División twice (2002 and 2003) and represented his country 18 times, scoring three goals. As a coach, Morínigo started his career at Nacional Asunción and held positions with the Paraguay national team, coaching the under-20 and under-17 teams, and holding the position of interim head coach for two matches. He joined Coritiba on January 4 2021.
9: The squad
The current squad is made up of mostly Brazilian players. Uruguayan Guillermo de los Santos is the only permanent member of the team not from Brazil. Henrique, 35, is one of the more experienced members of the team. He has played for the Brazil national team, making his debut in 2008, and was included in the 23-man squad for the 2014 World Cup. He has played for Napoli, Racing Santander and Bayer Leverkusen in Europe.
10: How are things going currently?
Currently Coritiba is doing very well in the Série A. After eight games of the season the team sits fourth in the table, which would be enough to qualify them for the group stage of the Copa Libertadores, should they still be in that position when the season comes to an end. They won last time out with Igor Paixão scoring the only goal of the game in a 1-0 win over Botafogo.
Coritiba set a Guinness World Record when they won 24 consecutive matches in 2011, in the Campeonato Paranaense and Copa do Brasil. That included a 6-0 win over Palmeiras, which equalled their record victory in national competition. The winning streak was officially recognised by Guinness World Records as the record for the most consecutive victories in all competitions. Vamos Coritiba!