| Competition: | Campeonato Carioca |
| Season: | 1979 |
| Winners: | Flamengo |
| League Topscorer: | Zico (Flamengo) - 26 goals |
| Biggest Home Win: | Botafogo 7-0 Fluminense de Nova Friburgo (February 7, 1979) |
| Biggest Away Win: | Fluminense de Nova Friburgo 0-5 Botafogo (April 22, 1979) |
| Highest Scoring: | Flamengo 7-1 Goytacaz (March 29, 1979) |
| Matches: | 90 |
| Total Goals: | 265 |
| Prevseason: | 1978-C ← 1978-F |
| Nextseason: | 1979 |
| Competition: | Campeonato Carioca |
| Season: | 1979 |
| Winners: | Flamengo |
| Continentalcup1: | Copa Brasil 1979 |
| Continentalcup1 Qualifiers: | Fluminense Flamengo Vasco da Gama Botafogo América Goytacaz Americano Campo Grande |
| Continentalcup2: | Copa Brasil 1980 |
| Continentalcup2 Qualifiers: | Fluminense Flamengo Vasco da Gama Botafogo América |
| Continentalcup3: | Taça de Prata |
| Continentalcup3 Qualifiers: | Goytacaz Bangu Americano Campo Grande Serrano Bonsucesso |
| League Topscorer: | Zico (Flamengo) - 34 goals |
| Biggest Home Win: | Vasco da Gama 7-0 Portuguesa (October 20, 1979) |
| Biggest Away Win: | São Cristóvão 1-8 Fluminense (May 6, 1979) |
| Highest Scoring: | São Cristóvão 1-8 Fluminense (May 6, 1979) |
| Matches: | 252 |
| Total Goals: | 596 |
| Prevseason: | 1979 |
| Nextseason: | 1980 |
The 1979 Campeonato Carioca had two editions.
The first edition was the first championship organized by the recently founded FFERJ. It would include ten clubs; the six best teams of the 1978 City qualification and the four best teams of the 1978 State qualification. The championship would actually count for the 1978 season, and would be played in a double round-robin system. However, little less than two weeks before the beginning of the championship, the qualifications were acknowledged as the official Fluminense and Carioca championships of that year, and what would be the 1978 championship was turned into a "Special Championship" for 1979.[1] [2] Flamengo won its 19th title.
The championship began on May 5, 1979 and ended on November 4, 1979, and was disputed by the twelve teams of the 1978 Campeonato Carioca and the six teams of the 1978 Campeonato Fluminense. Flamengo won its 20th title.[3] [4]
The tournament would be divided in four stages: