| Competition: | Campeonato Brasileiro Série A |
| Season: | 1981 |
| Winners: | Grêmio 1st Campeonato Brasileiro title 1st Brazilian title |
| Continentalcup1: | Copa Libertadores de América |
| Continentalcup1 Qualifiers: | Flamengo (title holders) Grêmio São Paulo |
| Matches: | 306 |
| Total Goals: | 754 |
| League Topscorer: | Nunes (Flamengo) - 16 goals |
| Biggest Home Win: | Flamengo 8-0 Fortaleza (February 4, 1981) |
| Biggest Away Win: | Desportiva 0-4 Botafogo (January 18, 1981) Mixto 0-4 Atlético Mineiro (February 21, 1981) Itabaiana 1-5 Cruzeiro (February 21, 1981) Paysandu 0-4 Fluminense (March 15, 1981) Fortaleza 0-4 Grêmio (March 28, 1981) |
| Highest Scoring: | Flamengo 8-0 Fortaleza (February 4, 1981) |
| Average Attendance: | 17,545 |
| Prevseason: | 1980 |
| Nextseason: | 1982 |
The 1981 (officially the 1981 Taça de Ouro) was the 25th edition of the .
It was performed by 44 teams, and Grêmio won the championship.Teams were selected by record on previous state championship
| width=100 | State | width=200 | Team | Qualification method |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| São Paulo 7 berths | São Paulo | 1980 Campeonato Paulista Champion | ||
| Santos | 1980 Campeonato Paulista runners | |||
| Ponte Preta | 1980 Campeonato Paulista 3rd | |||
| Corinthians | 1980 Campeonato Paulista 4th | |||
| Portuguesa | 1980 Campeonato Paulista 5th | |||
| Internacional | 1980 Campeonato Paulista 6th | |||
| Palmeiras1 | Promoted from 1981 Taça de Prata | |||
| Rio de Janeiro 5 berths | Fluminense | 1980 Campeonato Carioca Champion | ||
| Vasco da Gama | 1980 Campeonato Carioca runners | |||
| Flamengo | 1980 Campeonato Carioca 3rd | |||
| Bangu | 1980 Campeonato Carioca 4th | |||
| Botafogo | 1980 Campeonato Carioca 5th | |||
| Rio Grande do Sul 2 berths | Grêmio | 1980 Campeonato Gaucho Champion | ||
| Internacional | 1980 Campeonato Gaucho runners | |||
| Bahia 3 berths | Vitória | 1980 Campeonato Baiano Champion | ||
| Galícia | 1980 Campeonato Baiano runners-up | |||
| Bahia1 | Promoted from 1981 Taça de Prata | |||
| Ceará 2 berths | Fortaleza | 1980 Campeonato Cearense champions | ||
| Ferroviário Atlético Clube | 1980 Campeonato Cearense runners-up | |||
| Goiás 2 berths | Vila Nova | 1980 Campeonato Goiano Champion | ||
| Goiás | 1980 Campeonato Goiano runners-up | |||
| Minas Gerais 3 berths | Atlético Mineiro | 1980 Campeonato Mineiro Champion | ||
| Cruzeiro | 1980 Campeonato Mineiro runners-up | |||
| Uberaba1 | Promoted from 1981 Taça de Prata | |||
| Paraná 2+1 berths | 1980 Taça de Prata | |||
| Colorado | 1980 Campeonato Paranaense Champion | |||
| Pinheiros | ||||
| Pernambuco 3 berths | Santa Cruz | 1980 Campeonato Pernambucano champions | ||
| Sport Recife | 1980 Campeonato Pernambucano runners-up | |||
| Náutico1 | Promoted from 1981 Taça de Prata | |||
| Alagoas 2 berths | CSA | 1980 Taça de Prata | ||
| CRB | State championship runners-up | |||
| Amazonas | Nacional | 1980 state champions | ||
| Distrito Federal | Brasília | 1980 state champions | ||
| Espírito Santo | Desportiva | 1980 state champions | ||
| Maranhão | Sampaio Corrêa | 1980 state champions | ||
| Mato Grosso | Mixto | 1980 state champions | ||
| Mato Grosso do Sul 1berth | Operário | 1980 state champions | ||
| Pará | Paysandu | 1980 state champions | ||
| Paraíba | Campinense | 1980 state champions | ||
| Piauí | Ríver | 1980 state champion | ||
| Rio Grande do Norte | América de Natal | 1980 state champion | ||
| Santa Catarina | Joinville | 1980 state champion | ||
| Sergipe | Itabaiana | 1980 state champion |
1 Entered directly on second phase.