Botafogo: Brazil giants complete Club World Cup field

Botafogo will be one of CONMEBOL's six representatives at the FIFA Club World Cup 2025™ to be held in the USA.

Discover more about the Brazilian outfit, as we look at who they meet in the group phase, and back on their rich history, iconic figures and how they secured their place at the new-look global football showpiece.

Botafogo's Club World Cup group and fixtures

Botafogo will tackle opponents from France, Spain and the USA having been drawn in Group B alongside ranking pathway qualifiers Paris Saint-Germain and Atlético de Madrid, and 2022 Concacaf Champions Cup winners Seattle Sounders FC.

Group B opponents

• Paris Saint-Germain (FRA)
• Atlético de Madrid (ESP)
• Seattle Sounders FC (USA)

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How they qualified

Botafogo became the 32nd and final team to secure their place at the FIFA Club World Cup by winning the 2024 edition of the Copa Libertadores. The historic title came in a thrilling final against Atletico Mineiro where, despite being down a player for almost the entire game, they found the strength to secure a 3-1 win and take home a maiden continental crown.

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Factfile

• Founded: 1894 | 1904 - Merger: 1942
• Stadium: Nilton Santos
• Nicknames: O Glorioso

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History

Botafogo de Futebol e Regatas is the result of a merger between two clubs founded in the traditional Rio de Janeiro neighbourhood that bears its name, and is nestled between two of the world’s most famous landmarks: Christ the Redeemer statue to the west, and Guanabara Bay to the east, with Sugarloaf Mountain in plain sight.

First came Club de Regatas Botafogo in the late 19th century, dedicated to rowing. Then, Botafogo Football Club was established in 1904, originally called Electro Club. The two clubs competed against each other in various sports for 38 years before merging in 1942.

By then, Botafogo football had already enjoyed notable success, including four consecutive Rio State Championships from 1932 to 1935. However, it was in the 1950s and 1960s that the club enjoyed its heyday, in a golden age of Brazilian football.

With the magnificent Maracana stadium completed, O Glorioso, together with Santos, formed the backbone of Brazil’s back-to-back World Cup-winning teams in 1958 and 1962, with Garrincha on one side and Pele on the other. The Rio giants were also well-represented in the Brazil squad that demolished the opposition in Mexico 1970, managed by one of their great idols, Mario Zagallo.

However, this peak was followed by a trough. The club went 20 years without a title until the drought ended in 1989, with victory in the Rio State Championship. Later, in 1995, with sharp-shooter Tulio at the top of his game and wearing the famed No7 shirt, the team claimed its second national title. The club faced further difficulties in the decades to come and were twice relegated to Serie B. But now The Lone Star has risen once more and is back in contention at the top table having immediately followed their CONMEBOL Copa Libertadores triumph by lifting the Brazilian Serie A trophy - their first national title since 1995.

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Club icons

Garrincha

The 'Angel with Bent Legs' gave Botafogo’s No7 shirt a prestige perhaps only matched by Pele’s No10 at Santos. In addition to netting more than 240 goals in 612 matches for the club between 1953 and 1965, the right-winger dazzled the crowds at the Maracana with his unpredictable style. Infused with irreverence and genius, he led a famous attack that included fellow World Cup winners Amarildo and Zagallo, as well as the prolific Quarentinha in front of goal.

Nilton Santos

Known as the ‘Football Encyclopedia’ for his exceptional tactical reading of the game and complete mastery of his position, the left-back lends his name to Botafogo’s stadium. He spent 16 years wearing the Lone Star on his chest, winning titles in both his first (1948) and last (1964) seasons as a professional, making a stunning 723 appearances along the way.

Jairzinho

Only a player with Jairzinho’s talent could take on the honour and challenge of succeeding Garrincha in Botafogo’s attack. Nicknamed o Furacão (the hurricane), his bursts of pace and exceptional finishing ability resulted in 189 goals in 412 matches for the black-and-whites. He was the leading light of a second exceptionally successful generation of Botafogo players in the 1960s, often with Gerson in midfield and Paulo Cezar Caju keeping him company up front.