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.
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.