Brazil is the country with the largest number of teams in the Club World Cup that will take place in the United States in June and July. Fluminense, Palmeiras, Botafogo and Flamengo, winners of the last four editions of the Copa Libertadores da América, will compete for the title against Manchester City, Paris Saint-Germain, Real Madrid, Ulsan…
However, it’s the beginning of the season in Brazil and the four teams are going through very different situations. The Brazilian soccer season begins with the so-called state championships – and that is where we see how different the teams’ perspectives are. Fluminense, Flamengo and Botafogo are competing in the Campeonato Carioca, a regional championship for Rio de Janeiro; Palmeiras are playing in the Campeonato Paulista, in São Paulo.
On the evening of Monday, March 10, Palmeiras secured its place in the state final against Corinthians. In the complicated competition system, Verdão (big green), as it is known, only made it past the group stage in the last round – and, in the semifinals, it secured qualification with a penalty so controversial that it has been the main topic of sports programs ever since.
In Rio, Flamengo and Fluminense will play the grand final. Flamengo led the tournament from the start and its presence in the final seemed obvious. Fluminense, on the other hand, only made it to the knockout stages in its last game. And, apparently, it has been growing in production, which could be an advantage in this final stretch of the competition.
Botafogo, which ended 2024 as champion of Brazil and South America, suffered a dismantling of its winning team and suffered a disappointing ninth place (out of 12 teams) in the Campeonato Carioca. It did not even make it to the decisive stages and, now, it is looking to recapture the good times of last year. All four of them have their eyes on the beautiful trophy that was presented by FIFA president Gianni Infantino to the president of the United States, Donald Trump.
Credit: AIPS Media
