Nacional Futebol Clube


Nacional Futebol Clube, commonly referred to as Nacional, is a Brazilian football club based in Manaus, Amazonas. The club plays in Série D, the fourth tier of Brazilian football, as well as in the Campeonato Amazonense, the top level of the Amazonas state football league.
Nacional is the oldest club of Amazonas state.

History

On January 13, 1913, Nacional Futebol Clube was founded. The club was initially named Eleven Nacional.
On February 8, 1914, Nacional played the first Campeonato Amazonense match, against Manaós Sporting.
On July 8, 1930, Nacional Futebol Clube former members who were dissatisfied with the club founded Nacional Fast Clube.
In 1975, Nacional finished in Campeonato Brasileiro Série A's 16th position, ahead of clubs such as Vasco da Gama, Atlético Mineiro and Santos. In 1984, during a trip to Morocco, in North Africa, Nacional won the King of Morocco Cup, in Rabat.
In 1985, Nacional competed for the last time the Campeonato Brasileiro Série A. The club finished in the 18th position, ahead of clubs like Fluminense, Grêmio and São Paulo. The club competed in 1992 in Copa do Brasil for the first time, being eliminated by Vasco da Gama in the first round. The first leg, in Manaus, ended in a 1–1 draw. In the second leg, in Rio de Janeiro, Vasco beat Nacional 5–0.

Honours

Nacional's home stadium is the Arena da Amazônia, opened in 2014, with a maximum capacity of 41,000 people. The stadium was built on the site of the old Vivaldao, which was demolished in order to construct a new stadium for the 2014 FIFA World Cup.
Only one training ground is owned by the club. Campo de Treinamento Barbosa Filho is located in Manaus.

Rivals

Nacional's biggest rivals are Rio Negro and São Raimundo.
The derby against Rio Negro is called Rio-Nal, and is a traditional city derby, considered one of the biggest derbies of the city.
The derby against São Raimundo is the second biggest derby of the city, and it started due to the good performance of São Raimundo in recent years.

Symbols

The club's mascot is called Leão Azul, meaning "blue lion". Nacional is nicknamed Naça, which is the diminutive form of the name Nacional, Leão Azul and Time da Estrela Azul. The club colors are blue and white.

Ultra groups