Scotland's biggest trade mission to Brazil will next week hope to open doors to lucrative markets in one of the world's fastest-growing economies, and cash in on the UK and Scotland's hosting of world sporting events.

Michael Moore, the Scottish Secretary, is leading the delegation of business leaders from 20 firms. Yesterday, he said the sporting calendar gave Scotland a “unique selling point” in the Latin American state.

In 2014, Brazil stages the World Cup, and in 2016 the Olympics. It is hoped the UK’s experience in hosting the 2012 Olympics, and Scotland’s in hosting the Ryder Cup next year and the Commonwealth Games in 2014, will lead the Brazilian authorities to want Scotland’s expertise and sign business contracts. Among those on the trade mission will be representatives from Rangers Football Club.

“I think the world sporting calendar provides Scotland with its unique selling point for the next few years,” said Mr Moore. “The fact the UK and Brazil are hosting the world’s most prestigious sporting events over the next five years is providing a great link between our two countries and we need to maximise that advantage.”

Mr Moore added: “Scotland has such great products that we set off to places like South America with real confidence we can do business that will lead to benefits for our economy.”

The trade mission is being organised by the Scottish Council for Development and Industry and covers a wide range of activities from football, golf and banking to marine technology, oil and gas services, legal advice and universities as well as the whisky industry.

Brazil is the world’s fifth largest country with a population of 188 million and, alongside China, India and Russia, has one of the fastest-expanding economies.

Despite the global downturn, Brazil’s growth this year is still expected to be 3.8%, and next year it should be 5%.

Up to September, the UK was in 10th position among Brazil’s main trading partners in terms of exports, which included soya beans, gold, iron ore and salted meat, and in 17th position in terms of imports, which included cars, whisky, pumps and engineering parts.

At present Scotland exports around £180 million of the UK’s annual £1.4 billion of goods to Brazil, but the plan is to double these figures by 2015.

A large proportion of Scottish exports to Brazil is whisky. The industry’s exports to Brazil totalled £44.8m in the first six months of 2011, up 56% on the same period in 2010.

Scotch is now the sixth largest UK export to Brazil and one company on the mission will be malt whisky specialists Gordon and MacPhail.

Other companies taking part include Global Solutions, which provides a range of products and services to the oil and gas industry; marine technology specialist Nautronix; St Andrews Golf Experience; design firm Timorous Beasties; Wilson and Gunn architects; and Glasgow, Dundee and Heriot-Watt universities.

Mr Moore will be the latest in a long line of UK Government ministers to have visited Brazil in the past few months, and will spend four days there.

His itinerary includes meetings in Rio de Janeiro with the organisers of the Rio Olympics, and talks in Brasilia with Brazilian Government ministers when he is expected to raise the issue of removing trade barriers on products such as whisky.