Caxias won the Campeonato Gaúcho – Rio Grande do Sul State Championship in 2000.
Its fiercest rival is Juventude, the other club based in Caxias do Sul. The local derby is known as Ca-Ju. As of 2024, the Grená is ranked as the 74th best team in Brazil, according to the Brazilian Football Confederation Ranking.[1]
History
Caxias was founded on April 10, 1935, as Grêmio Esportivo Flamengo (commonly referred at the time as Flamengo de Caxias, to not confuse with the more famous homonymous Rio de Janeiro club), which had been a fusion of two other teams (Ruy Barbosa and Rio Branco).[2] However the club, as well as Juventude folded due to a financial crisis in the 1960s.[2] Both teams merged into Associação Caxias de Futebol on December 14, 1971. The new club wore garnet, white and blue of Grêmio Esportivo Flamengo.[2] In 1972, Associação Caxias de Futebol and Grêmio played the first game on color TV in Brazil. The game finished 0–0. However, Juventude split off and reestablished itself in 1975, and Grêmio Esportivo Flamengo adopted the name Sociedade Esportiva e Recreativa Caxias do Sul.[2]
Caxias played its first Brasileirão campaign at the 1976 Campeonato Brasileiro. They were the first club in Rio Grande do Sul from outside the state capital of Porto Alegre to participate in the national championship. The club's best performance in the national league was finishing in 10th at the 1978 Campeonato Brasileiro.
The club's greatest feat was the 2000 Campeonato Gaúcho title. Under Tite's leadership, the club was able to qualify for the finals, reaching ahead of traditional Rio Grande do Sul powerhouse and frequent finalist Internacional, where they defeated a Grêmio with Ronaldinho 3–0 at Estádio Centenário. At the away game in Grêmio's home at the Olímpico Monumental, Caxias tied the game 0–0 and was able to secure the title, the first of its history. This was a remarkable underdog victory, as the title has been won by the Grenal duo since 1954, with only Caxias' rivals Juventude having conquered the title in 1998. This successful campaign also helped launch Tite's career, at the time an unknown manager.[2]
Caxias was a frequent mainstay of the Campeonato Brasileiro Série C, however, after begin relegated in both the Campeonato Gaúcho (to the Campeonato Gaúcho Divisão de Acesso) and the national Série C in 2015. After returning to the first state division in 2017, Caxias started its campaign at the Campeonato Brasileiro Série D. While having good results at the Campeonato Gaúcho, including being runner-ups in 2020, Caxias failed to translate this into success in national competitions. In the years 2018, 2019, 2021 and 2022, Caxias failed to get promoted, getting eliminated in the quarter-finals losing its promotion spot to Treze, Manaus, ABC and América-RN, respectively, wasting another chance to gain promotion. In 2023, Caxias started the year being the runner-ups of the Campeonato Gaúcho, and were promoted back to Série C after defeating Portuguesa-RJ in the quarter-finals, but failed to win the championship after getting eliminated by Ferroviário in the semi-finals.[3]
Anthem
Written by: Dirceu Antônio Soares
Music by: Antônio Messias and Dirceu Antônio Soares
Estádio Francisco Stédile, more commonly known as the Estádio Centenário, in 2019
Caxias' stadium is Estádio Centenário, inaugurated in 1976, with a maximum capacity of 30,802 people.[4]
Rivalry
Caxias' biggest rival is Juventude, their derby is named "Ca-Ju". The other rival of Caxias is Esportivo of Bento Gonçalves, whose derby is named "Clássico da Polenta" (The Polenta derby).
