Grenal

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Grenal
A Grenal being contested at the Estádio Olímpico Monumental in 2012
Grêmio
Internacional
Other namesGre-Nal
LocationPorto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
TeamsGrêmio
Internacional
First meeting18 July 1909
Friendly match
Grêmio 10–0 Internacional
Latest meeting11 April 2026
Brazil Série A
Internacional 0–0 Grêmio
StadiumsArena do Grêmio (Grêmio)
Beira-Rio (Internacional)
Statistics
Meetings total452
Top scorerCarlitos (40)
All-time recordInternacional: 166
Grêmio: 143
Draws: 143
Grêmio
Internacional

The Grenal (also Gre-Nal, plural Grenais) is the rivalry between the biggest football clubs in the Brazilian city of Porto Alegre, Grêmio and Internacional. Ongoing since 1909, it is usually contested in the Gauchão, the Rio Grande do Sul state championship that both teams have won regularly since 1940, and the Campeonato Brasileiro Série A, the top-level national championship.

Being among the fiercest football derbies in Brazil, South America and the world, Grenais are considered a key cultural aspect of the Southern region of Brazil and particularly Rio Grande do Sul. High levels of emotion, competition and occasional violence accompany such matches.[1]

In December 2020, FourFourTwo ranked the Grenal as the football world's 8th biggest derby.[2]

History

Many well-known players have contested the Grenal, including Everaldo, Tesourinha, Aírton, Falcão, Éder, Valdomiro, Renato Gaúcho, Cláudio Taffarel, Dunga, Emerson, Carlos Gamarra, Ronaldinho, Elías Figueroa, Andrés D'Alessandro, Lucas Leiva, Marcelo Moreno, Rafael Santos Borré, Nilmar, Pedro Geromel, Oscar, Walter Kannemann, Alexandre Pato, Alisson Becker, Arthur Melo, Everton Soares, Gabriel Mercado, Douglas Costa, Taison, Fernandão, Diego Forlán, Diego Costa, Martin Braithwaite and Luis Suárez, as well as world-famous coaches like Luiz Felipe Scolari, Abel Braga, Renato Gaúcho, Carlos Alberto Parreira, Telê Santana, Rubens Minelli, Valdir Espinosa, Paulo César Carpegiani and Ênio Andrade.

The first Grenal

Matchday programme of the first Grenal in 1909

On June 21, 1909, four representatives of Internacional met with their Grêmio equivalents in the Leopoldina Portoalegrense building to arrange the first meeting between the two clubs. Internacional, founded two months before, invited Grêmio to be its first opponents. The first match was held on June 27. With a game of Fuss-Ball [sic] previously arranged, Grêmio's president, Major Augusto Koch said that his team would face Internacional with the second table (reserve team). The leaders of Internacional demanded that their opponents played with their first team. Grêmio's board agreed. However, as the club's fixture list was full, the game would be held only in the following month.

The first Grenal occurred on Sunday, July 18, 1909, at Grêmio's Baixada Stadium. At 15:10, both teams entered the field of Baixada, preceded by the Presidents and the military band of the Brigade. The Grêmio players wore Sorority shirts divided vertically in half blue and half white, with black shorts. Internacional wore vertically striped shirts in red and white, with white shorts. The audience was estimated to be at 2000.

The referee was Waldemar Bromberg, assisted by João de Castro e Silva and H. Sommer, as well as "goal judges" Theobaldo Foernges Bugs and Theodoro. As there were no nets, said goal judges sat on a stool beside the goals indicating whether the ball had entered the goal or not.

After 10 minutes, Edgar Booth scored the first goal of the game and in the history of the derby. Edgar Booth went on to score four more goals. Four goals were scored by Júlio Grünewald and one by Moreira. The match ended at 10–0 to Grêmio, the biggest win in the history of Grenal.

Grenal of the Century

Grenal in 1940 for the Porto Alegre City Championship

This match took place at Beira-Rio Stadium on February 12, 1989, being the 297th confrontation between these rival clubs, and it is called "Grenal of the Century" due to its unprecedented importance: it was the second leg of the semi-finals of 1988 Brazilian Championship, soon after the first leg, played at Olímpico Stadium, had ended with no goals.

Both teams came from great campaigns in the league. Internacional had a slight advantage, for if the match ended in a draw, Inter would qualify for the finals and 1989 Copa Libertadores. Teasers and agitation ruled in Porto Alegre.

The attendance was 78,083, in spite of the scorching heat of the summer afternoon: the thermometers marked 40 °C (104 °F).

Grêmio started the match playing better and, at the end of the first half, was winning the match by 1–0 with a goal scored by Marcus Vinicius at 25 minutes. With the red card showed to Inter's right back Casemiro at 38 minutes by referee Arnaldo Cézar Coelho, Grêmio's victory seemed very close.

Inter got better in the second half. At 61 minutes, a free kick favored Inter. Midfielder Edu Lima crossed the ball and Nílson, top scorer of the league, scored to make the match even.

It was Inter who kept pressing, and minutes after, in a counter-attack from the right side, midfielder Maurício passed through two defenders and shot. The ball was going to miss the goal when Nílson appeared behind the back of Grêmio's defense, to score again.

Internacional won the "Grenal of the Century" and qualified to the final match against Esporte Clube Bahia.

Other matches

The 435th Grenal, due to be held on Saturday, February 26, 2022, was postponed after fans of Internacional attacked Grêmio's bus with iron bars and rocks, which left Paraguayan Mathías Villasanti with a concussion.[3][4] This would become the first-ever instance of a Grenal's postponement.

State rivalry

Grenal in 2007

The rivalry of the Grenal reaches beyond football; it is a cultural reference for the Gaúchos. Football fans residing in Porto Alegre and rest the state of Rio Grande do Sul, as well as in much of Santa Catarina, Western Paraná and Northern Uruguay, identify strongly with either club, according to entrenched familial, cultural and social-demographic factors.[5] [6] [7] [8]

Grêmio was founded in 1903 by German immigrants from the Porto Alegre's industrious and commercial upper middle-class, mainly from the northern neighbourhoods from the city, who initially banned poor non-German players. Inter was founded by the children of Italian immigrants, in a meeting at the Second District, a bohemian, commercial and college neighborhood, so most of the first Inter players and supporters came from this reality: students from inner Rio Grande do Sul, Italian and Azorean immigrants that lived on the place. Inter has accepted black players since the early 1930s, while Grêmio only accepted black players such as Ronaldinho and Everaldo since the 1950s.

Statistics

Head to head results

Competition[9] Matches Wins Draws
GRE INT
Campeonato Gaúcho 183566166
Campeonato Citadino 102394419
Copa Sul 2011
Campeonato Sul-Brasileiro 2101
Copa Sul-Minas 1001
Primeira Liga 1001
Campeonato Brasileiro Série A 75252624
Copa do Brasil 2002
Seletiva Nacional da Libertadores 2002
Copa CONMEBOL Libertadores 2101
Copa CONMEBOL Sudamericana 4112
Other friendly tournaments and games 76203323
All matches 452143166143

Summary by decade

Decade[10]MatchesGrêmio
wins		Inter
wins		Draws
1900–19091100
1910–191912750
1920–1929181143
1930–19393014106
1940–19494973210
1950–195940111613
1960–196942161313
1970–197959122423
1980–198950161321
1990–199943141217
2000–200934101311
2010–201944131417
2020–20293011109
Total452143166143

Statistics in the Campeonato Brasileiro Série A

Summary by stadium

Stadium Matches Grêmio
wins		 Draws Inter
wins		 Grêmio
goals		 Inter
goals
Beira-Rio41146213443
Olímpico Monumental2271141818
Arena do Grêmio10460175
Centenário (Caxias do Sul)101022
Couto Pereira (Curitiba)100101
Total[a]752524267169

Head-to-head ranking (2003–present)

P. 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25
1
2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2
3 3 3 3 3 3
4 4 4 4 4
5 5 5 5
6 6 6 6 6
7 7 7 7
8 8 8
9 9 9 9
10 10
11 11
12 12 12
13 13
14 14
15
16 16
17 17 17
18
19
20 20
21
22
23
24 24
Série B
1 1
2 2 2

• Total: Internacional 12 times higher, Grêmio 11 times higher.

Doubles in the Série A (2003–present)

SeasonTeamHome resultAway result
2004Internacional2–01–3
2007Grêmio1–00–2
2024Internacional1–00–1

List of finals between the clubs

Season Competition Date Match[11] Score Winner
1950 Campeonato Citadino de Porto Alegre 27 December 1950 Inter – Grêmio 4–3 Internacional
30 December 1950Grêmio – Inter0–1
1962Campeonato Gaúcho7 February 1963Grêmio – Inter4–2Grêmio
1976Campeonato Gaúcho22 August 1976Inter – Grêmio2–0Internacional
1977Campeonato Gaúcho25 September 1977Grêmio – Inter1–0Grêmio
1978Campeonato Gaúcho17 December 1978Grêmio – Inter1–2Internacional
1991 Campeonato Gaúcho 1 December 1991Grêmio – Inter0–1 Internacional
8 December 1991Inter – Grêmio0–2
15 December 1991Inter – Grêmio0–0
1992 Campeonato Gaúcho 20 December 1992Grêmio – Inter1–3 Internacional[b]
23 December 1992Inter – Grêmio0–0
1995 Campeonato Gaúcho 6 August 1995Inter – Grêmio1–1 Grêmio
13 August 1995Grêmio – Inter2–1
1997 Campeonato Gaúcho 29 June 1997Grêmio – Inter1–1 Internacional
2 July 1997Inter – Grêmio1–0
1999 Campeonato Gaúcho 13 June 1999Inter – Grêmio1–0 Grêmio
16 June 1999Grêmio – Inter2–0
20 June 1999Grêmio – Inter1–0
2006 Campeonato Gaúcho 1 April 2006Grêmio – Inter0–0 Grêmio
9 April 2006Inter – Grêmio1–1
2010 Campeonato Gaúcho 25 April 2010Inter – Grêmio0–2 Grêmio
2 May 2010Grêmio – Inter0–1
2011 Campeonato Gaúcho 8 May 2011Inter – Grêmio2–3 Internacional
15 May 2011Grêmio – Inter2–3 (4–5 p)
2014 Campeonato Gaúcho 30 March 2014Grêmio – Inter1–2 Internacional
13 April 2014Inter – Grêmio4–1
2015 Campeonato Gaúcho 26 April 2015Grêmio – Inter0–0 Internacional
3 May 2015Inter – Grêmio2–1
2019 Campeonato Gaúcho 14 April 2019Inter – Grêmio 0–0 Grêmio
17 April 2019Grêmio – Inter0–0 (3–2 p)
2021 Campeonato Gaúcho 16 May 2021Inter – Grêmio 1–2 Grêmio
23 May 2021Grêmio – Inter1–1
2025 Campeonato Gaúcho 8 March 2025Grêmio – Inter0–2 Internacional
16 March 2025Inter – Grêmio1–1
2026Campeonato Gaúcho1 March 2026Grêmio – Inter 3–0 Grêmio
8 March 2026Inter – Grêmio1–1

• Finals won: Internacional 10, Grêmio 9.

Records

Largest wins

Winning margin Result[12] Date Competition
10Grêmio 10–0 Internacional18 July 1909Friendly match
9Internacional 1–10 Grêmio18 June 1911Campeonato Citadino
7Grêmio 0–7 Internacional17 October 1948Campeonato Citadino
6 Grêmio 6–0 Internacional23 June 1912Campeonato Citadino
Grêmio 0–6 Internacional1 November 1938Taça Martel
5 Grêmio 5–0 Internacional17 July 1910Campeonato Citadino
Internacional 6–1 Grêmio30 July 1916Campeonato Citadino
Grêmio 1–6 Internacional4 January 1940Campeonato Citadino
Grêmio 5–0 Internacional9 August 2015Campeonato Brasileiro

Longest unbeaten runs

Games[13] Club Period Results
17Internacional17 October 1971 – 13 July 197510 wins and 7 draws
16Internacional1 May 1947 – 7 September 194911 wins and 5 draws
13Grêmio16 June 1999 – 26 October 20028 wins and 5 draws
12 Internacional11 January 1942 – 28 May 19449 wins and 3 draws
Grêmio31 May 1987 – 9 February 19896 wins and 6 draws
11 Internacional17 August 1952 – 9 January 19557 wins and 4 draws
Grêmio17 March 2019 – 3 October 20206 wins and 5 draws

Most consecutive wins

Games[13] Club Period
6Grêmio18 July 1909 – 8 June 1913
Grêmio14 September 1919 – 27 April 1924
Grêmio28 July 1931 – 13 August 1933
Grêmio14 August 1977 – 20 August 1978
5 Internacional11 July 1943 – 28 May 1944
Internacional1 May 1947 – 26 October 1947
Internacional1 November 1953 – 26 September 1954
Internacional 24 March 1974 – 13 July 1975

All-time top scorers

Goals Player Club
40CarlitosInternacional
21VillalbaInternacional
18Luiz CarvalhoGrêmio
16 AdãozinhoInternacional
TesourinhaInternacional
12 AlcindoGrêmio
11 AcácioInternacional
BodinhoInternacional
FoguinhoGrêmio

Highest attendances

Honours

Competition Grêmio Internacional
Titles Years Titles Years
Brazilian Championship 2 1981, 1996 3 1975, 1976, 1979
Brazil Cup 5 1989, 1994, 1997, 2001, 2016 1 1992
Brazil Supercup 1 1990 0
Copa Libertadores 3 1983, 1995, 2017 2 2006, 2010
Copa Sudamericana 0 1 2008
Recopa Sudamericana 2 1996, 2018 2 2007, 2011
Suruga Bank Championship 0 1 2009
FIFA Club World Cup/Intercontinental Cup[n1 1] 1 1983 1 2006
Total 14 11
Torneio Heleno Nunes[n1 2] 0 1 1984
Campeonato Sul Brasileiro 1 1962 0
Copa Sul 1 1999 0
Rio Grande do Sul State Championship 44 1921, 1922, 1926, 1931, 1932, 1946, 1949, 1956, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1967, 1968, 1977, 1979, 1980, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1999, 2001, 2006, 2007, 2010, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2026 46 1927, 1934, 1940, 1941, 1942, 1943, 1944, 1945, 1947, 1948, 1950, 1951, 1952, 1953, 1955, 1961, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1978, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1991, 1992, 1994, 1997, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2025
FGF Cup 1 2006 2 2009, 2010
Recopa Gaúcha 5 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2025 2 2016, 2017
Total general 66 62
Notes
  1. Although the Intercontinental Cup and the FIFA Club World Cup are officially different competitions, in Brazil they are often treated as the same tournament.
  2. The Torneio Heleno Nunes is not considered a major title, as the criterion for participation was the elimination of clubs in the Brazilian Championship, that is, it "rewarded failure" of participants in another competition.

References

  1. Includes the Torneio Roberto Gomes Pedrosa (1967–1970)
  2. Internacional won the finals for having the best season record, as the aggregate score was not taken into account.
  1. Lane, Barnaby. "Stabbings, mass brawls, and a mid-match death: Inside 'Grenal' — Brazilian soccer's fiercest derby match". Insider. Retrieved January 28, 2023.
  2. December 2020, Greg Lea 12. "Ranked! The 50 biggest derbies in world football". fourfourtwo.com. Retrieved April 6, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  3. "Gremio bus attacked & windows smashed by rival Internacional fans as Mathias Villasanti needs hospital treatment | Goal.com". www.goal.com. Retrieved February 28, 2022.
  4. "Gre-Nal is postponed after Grêmio's bus is hit by stones and player is injured | Rio Grande do Sul - The Goa Spotlight". February 27, 2022. Retrieved February 28, 2022.
  5. "Map of largest football fanbases in Brazil". ge.globo.com (in Brazilian Portuguese). September 25, 2015. Retrieved August 13, 2023.
  6. "Largest football fan bases of Santa Catarina". historiadofutebol.com (in Brazilian Portuguese). August 30, 2011. Retrieved August 13, 2023.
  7. "Familial tradition: father of twins encourage his sons' love for Grêmio". ge.globo.com (in Brazilian Portuguese). October 23, 2019. Retrieved August 13, 2023.
  8. "Internacional, the People's Club". elperiodico.com (in Spanish). December 16, 2006. Retrieved August 13, 2023.
  9. "Sport Club Internacional". Grêmiopédia (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved June 10, 2025.
  10. "Números dos Grenais por Décadas". GRENAL É GRENAL (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved June 10, 2025.
  11. "Lista dos Mata-Matas em Grenais ou Grenais que decidiram títulos - Grêmio x Internacional". GRENAL É GRENAL (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved March 1, 2026.
  12. "Lista das Maiores Goleadas em Grenais". GRENAL É GRENAL (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved June 10, 2025.
  13. "Lista de todos GreNais da História". Sport Club Internacional (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved June 10, 2025.