The 2005 Campeonato Brasileiro Série A (officially the Taça Nestlé Brasileirão 2005 for sponsorship reasons) was the 49th edition of the Campeonato Brasileiro Série A, a professional league for men's football clubs in Brazil. Corinthians claiming their fourth national title. The season officially kicked off on April 23, 2005 and concluded on December 4. Vasco da Gama's Romario was the top scorer with 22 goals. Carlos Tevez won the Bola de Ouro, and finished third in the top scorers chart with 20 goals.

New teams for 2005

Promoted in 2004

Brasiliense and Fortaleza

Relegated in 2004

Criciúma, Guarani, Vitória, Grêmio

The season

Champion and contenders

Pre-season favorites Corinthians captured their fourth national championship despite a turbulent early season and a campaign that went through 3 different head coaches. Key players Carlos Tevez, Carlos Alberto, Roger and Gustavo Nery led the team to 81 points in 42 games. Despite early season turmoil, Corinthians benefited from being one of the few teams in Brazil who could afford to maintain their talent base throughout the season without having to sell key players. The legitimacy of their title was disputed late in the season due to several scandals on and off the field. As 2005 champions, Corinthians received berth into the first round of the Libertadores Cup as well as the South American Cup in 2006. Internacional executed a strong campaign, finishing with a total of 78 points. Coach Muricy Ramalho led a team with Rafael Sobis, Fernandão, and Tinga to the best performance of any team in the second half, narrowly missing the opportunity for their own fourth national title, but also securing a place in the first round of the Libertadores. Goiás and Palmeiras were awarded pre-Libertadores qualifying matches with teams to be determined by CONMEBOL for their 3rd (Goiás's best ever) and 4th-place finishes.

Consolation prize

The top middle of the pack was made up of Fluminense, Atlético/PR, Paraná, Cruzeiro, Botafogo, Santos, and São Paulo, who were all awarded allocations in the 2006 Copa Sudamericana; with São Paulo, who cannot participate due to Libertadores commitments, ceding their spot to 12th placed Vasco da Gama. Santos in particular saw their season nose-dive as star player Robinho was transferred to Real Madrid mid season (a similar fate encountered by Cruzeiro as striker Fred was shipped off to Lyon). Atlético/PR and São Paulo both suffered for having to dedicate their primary attention to the 2005 Libertadores Finals.

The bottom

Finishing in the bottom four and relegated to Série B for 2006 are storied franchise Atlético Mineiro as well as perennial mid-majors Coritiba, Paysandu, and Brasiliense. Série B champions and runner-up Grêmio and Santa Cruz took their place.

New teams for 2006

Promoted in 2005

Grêmio and Santa Cruz

Relegated in 2005

Coritiba, Altético/MG, Paysandu, and Brasiliense

Turmoil on and off the field

The season experienced significant turmoil off the field, marred by a match fixing scandal, which resulted in the replay of 11 série A matches between rounds 31 and 37.

Statistics

Final standings

Top goal scorers

Mid-season transactions

While the CBF and Clube dos 13 continue to modify the league format in the hopes of decreasing the number of mid-season departures and improve the overall quality of play, the 2006 edition saw a significant number of players depart for Europe and elsewhere.