Organized by the state football associations of the state of São Paulo and the city of Rio de Janeiro (after unification of the states of Guanabara and Rio de Janeiro), the official name of the tournament became the Torneio Roberto Gomes Pedrosa in 1954, named after former goalkeeper of the Brazilian national team and president of the São Paulo Football Association who died in that year.

This name was not broadly popularized used until 1967 when the tournament was first opened to teams from the states of Minas Gerais, Paraná and Rio Grande do Sul, and later also from Pernambuco and Bahia.

The Torneio Roberto Gomes Pedrosa, also often referred to as Taça de Prata (Silver Cup) and contested until 1970, is generally considered the predecessor of the Brazilian Football Championship which started in 1971.

Due to its continental size and historical peculiarities, Brazil has a short history of national competitions, with the modern Campeonato Brasileiro starting in 1971 supported by the military regime and only made possible due to the improvements in civil aviation and air transport.

In the era prior to officially recognized national competition, given that the majority of Brazil's strongest teams were located in São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, some historians consider that up until 1959, despite its schedule irregularity, the Torneio Rio–São Paulo was the most prestigious title for any team to claim outside of state championships.