2003 Campeonato Carioca

The 2003 edition of the Campeonato Carioca kicked off on January 16 and ended on March 23, 2003. It is the official tournament organized by FFERJ (Federação de Futebol do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, or Rio de Janeiro State Football Federation. Only clubs based in the Rio de Janeiro State are allowed to play. Twelve teams contested this edition. Vasco da Gama won the title for the 22nd time. Volta Redonda was relegated.

System

The tournament was played in two stages:Taça Guanabara: The 12 participating clubs played each other once in a single round-robin format. The top four teams advanced to the Taça Rio. Taça Rio: The four qualified teams competed in a knockout stage to determine the overall champion.