RIO DE JANEIRO -- Chapecoense was gaining respect and support from across Brazil even though it was a small club with a short history. Here are some key facts on the club:
History
Chapecoense, founded in 1973, reached Brazil's first division in 2014 and was in ninth place ahead of this weekend's last round of games.
The club is based in Chapeco, a city of about 200,000 that is known for its poultry industry and is located about 800 miles (1,300 kilometers) south of Rio de Janeiro.
Form this season
On its way to the Copa Sudamerica final - for which it was flying to Colombia - the team known as Chape beat major clubs such as Argentina's San Lorenzo and Independiente.
Chape strikers Bruno Rangel and Kempes, both 34 years old, are among the top scorers in the Brazilian league, with 10 and nine goals, respectively. One of the team's top players is 35-year-old midfielder Cleber Santana, who played for Atletico Madrid from 2007-10.
Chape had its best season ever in 2016, earning 52 points from 37 matches. On Sunday, the team lost at Palmeiras 1-0, a result which clinched the Brazilian league title for the host team.
Gaining respect
The club, which doesn't have any players in Brazil's national team or in the under-20 team, plays its home matches at the 22,000-seat Arena Conda. But it had been scheduled to play the second leg of the Copa Sudamericana final at the Couto Pereira Stadium, a 40,000-seat venue in Curitiba, a city 300 miles (480 kilometers) north of Chapeco.
A group of rival fans, however, became so impressed with Chapecoense's amazing run in the competition that they started a campaign on social media to move the final to the iconic Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro.
The team was due to host fourth-place Atletico Mineiro at the Arena Conda on Sunday and then face Atletico Nacional in the second leg of the Copa Sudamericana final on Tuesday.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report