Top 10 Brazilian Carnival Samba Schools

Portela, founded in 1923 in the Madureira neighborhood of Rio, holds the record for the most Carnival championships of any samba school, with 22 titles. The school is renowned for its traditional samba style and has produced some of Brazil's greatest samba composers, including Paulo da Portela. It remains a pillar of Afro-Brazilian culture and working-class identity in Rio.

Beija-Flor, based in the satellite city of Nilopolís in Greater Rio, has won the Carnival championship 14 times, including a landmark five consecutive titles from 1976 to 1980. The school is known for its spectacular, visually extravagant presentations and massive budgets financed by bicheiros (illegal lottery operators) and later by official sponsors. Its 2003 tribute to India, themed "The Muse of Rio," is considered one of the greatest Carnival parades in history.

Gremio Recreativo Escola de Samba Unidos de Vila Isabel was founded in 1946 and represents the traditional middle-class neighborhood of Vila Isabel in Rio. The school has won the Carnival championship six times, most recently in 2013. Vila Isabel is strongly associated with legendary composer Martinho da Vila, who has written many of its championship sambas and remains the school's greatest musical ambassador.

Founded in 1959 in the Ramos neighborhood of Rio de Janeiro, Imperatriz Leopoldinense has claimed eight Carnival championships, including three consecutive titles from 1994 to 1996. The school is celebrated for narrative-driven, literary parade themes that tell deeply researched Brazilian stories. Its 1989 parade "Liberdade! Liberdade!" celebrating Brazilian democracy and the centenary of the republic remains a milestone in Carnival history.

Academicos do Salgueiro was founded in 1953 in the Santa Teresa hills of Rio and has won the Carnival championship nine times. The school is historically associated with pioneering the practice of centering Afro-Brazilian history and culture in its parade themes, beginning in the 1960s under the creative direction of Fernando Pamplona. Salgueiro's bold artistic choices have profoundly influenced how all Rio samba schools approach theme development.

Unidos da Tijuca, founded in 1931 in the Tijuca neighborhood of Rio, has won the Carnival championship eleven times. The school is known for technologically innovative floats and theatrical spectacle, often incorporating moving mechanical parts, pyrotechnics, and large-scale illusions into its presentations. Its 2012 tribute to the Brazilian circus tradition, titled "Nos Bracos do Rei," is considered one of the most visually sophisticated parades in modern Carnival history.

Academicos do Grande Rio was founded in 1988 in the city of Duque de Caxias in Greater Rio and won its first Carnival championship in 2022. That victory, centered on a tribute to Exu — an Afro-Brazilian Candomble deity — sparked a national conversation about religious tolerance and cultural representation. Grande Rio's rapid rise from lower divisions to Special Group champion in under 35 years is one of the great stories in modern Brazilian Carnival.

Mocidade Independente, founded in 1955 in the Padre Miguel neighborhood of Rio's West Zone, has won the Carnival championship seven times, with its last title in 1996. The school is famous for its fast, joyful samba enredo (parade samba), which crowds often cite as the most energetic and danceable in the Sambadrome. Its bright green-and-white colors and signature high-speed opening drum roll — the "abre-alas" — are instantly recognizable to Carnival fans across Brazil.

Uniao da Ilha do Governador, founded in 1953 on Governador Island in Rio's Guanabara Bay, has won the Carnival championship three times, most recently in 2012. The school is beloved for highly poetic, emotionally resonant parade themes and for producing some of the most beautiful sambas enredo in competition history. Its 1995 tribute to the centenary of cinema, titled "Deus nos Acuda," is frequently ranked among the ten greatest Carnival parades ever staged.

Portela, founded in 1923 in the Madureira neighborhood of Rio, holds the record for the most Carnival championships of any samba school, with 22 titles. The school is renowned for its traditional samba style and has produced some of Brazil's greatest samba composers, including Paulo da Portela. It remains a pillar of Afro-Brazilian culture and working-class identity in Rio.

Beija-Flor, based in the satellite city of Nilopolís in Greater Rio, has won the Carnival championship 14 times, including a landmark five consecutive titles from 1976 to 1980. The school is known for its spectacular, visually extravagant presentations and massive budgets financed by bicheiros (illegal lottery operators) and later by official sponsors. Its 2003 tribute to India, themed "The Muse of Rio," is considered one of the greatest Carnival parades in history.

Gremio Recreativo Escola de Samba Unidos de Vila Isabel was founded in 1946 and represents the traditional middle-class neighborhood of Vila Isabel in Rio. The school has won the Carnival championship six times, most recently in 2013. Vila Isabel is strongly associated with legendary composer Martinho da Vila, who has written many of its championship sambas and remains the school's greatest musical ambassador.

Founded in 1959 in the Ramos neighborhood of Rio de Janeiro, Imperatriz Leopoldinense has claimed eight Carnival championships, including three consecutive titles from 1994 to 1996. The school is celebrated for narrative-driven, literary parade themes that tell deeply researched Brazilian stories. Its 1989 parade "Liberdade! Liberdade!" celebrating Brazilian democracy and the centenary of the republic remains a milestone in Carnival history.

Academicos do Salgueiro was founded in 1953 in the Santa Teresa hills of Rio and has won the Carnival championship nine times. The school is historically associated with pioneering the practice of centering Afro-Brazilian history and culture in its parade themes, beginning in the 1960s under the creative direction of Fernando Pamplona. Salgueiro's bold artistic choices have profoundly influenced how all Rio samba schools approach theme development.

Unidos da Tijuca, founded in 1931 in the Tijuca neighborhood of Rio, has won the Carnival championship eleven times. The school is known for technologically innovative floats and theatrical spectacle, often incorporating moving mechanical parts, pyrotechnics, and large-scale illusions into its presentations. Its 2012 tribute to the Brazilian circus tradition, titled "Nos Bracos do Rei," is considered one of the most visually sophisticated parades in modern Carnival history.

Academicos do Grande Rio was founded in 1988 in the city of Duque de Caxias in Greater Rio and won its first Carnival championship in 2022. That victory, centered on a tribute to Exu — an Afro-Brazilian Candomble deity — sparked a national conversation about religious tolerance and cultural representation. Grande Rio's rapid rise from lower divisions to Special Group champion in under 35 years is one of the great stories in modern Brazilian Carnival.

Mocidade Independente, founded in 1955 in the Padre Miguel neighborhood of Rio's West Zone, has won the Carnival championship seven times, with its last title in 1996. The school is famous for its fast, joyful samba enredo (parade samba), which crowds often cite as the most energetic and danceable in the Sambadrome. Its bright green-and-white colors and signature high-speed opening drum roll — the "abre-alas" — are instantly recognizable to Carnival fans across Brazil.

Uniao da Ilha do Governador, founded in 1953 on Governador Island in Rio's Guanabara Bay, has won the Carnival championship three times, most recently in 2012. The school is beloved for highly poetic, emotionally resonant parade themes and for producing some of the most beautiful sambas enredo in competition history. Its 1995 tribute to the centenary of cinema, titled "Deus nos Acuda," is frequently ranked among the ten greatest Carnival parades ever staged.