Flamengo: The club who can count on nearly 50 million fans

Brazilian giants CR Flamengo will be one of the six CONMEBOL representatives at the FIFA Club World Cup 2025™.

Boasting a star-studded squad and an estimated fanbase of nearly 50 million, putting them amongst the planet’s best-followed clubs, the Rio de Janeiro outfit are already looking ahead to their tilt at global glory.

Here, FIFA looks at who one of Brazil's traditional heavyweights will face in the group stage, how they qualified for the competition and looks at some of the legendary players to have pulled on the red-and-black shirt over the years.

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CR Flamengo's Club World Cup group and fixtures

Flamengo will face teams from Tunisia, England and the USA in Group D. They have been drawn with Espérance, who qualified via the ranking pathway, UEFA Champions League winners from 2020/21 Chelsea FC, and LAFC, who beat Club América in a Play-In match to secure the 32nd and final spot at the tournament.

Group D opponents

• Espérance (TUN)
• Chelsea FC (ENG)
• LAFC (USA)

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How they qualified

Flamengo claimed their third Copa Libertadores crown in 2022 thanks to a 1-0 final win over fellow Brazilian outfit Athletico Paranaense – a success which booked them a spot at the FIFA Club World Cup 2025.

The final was played as a one-off match at a neutral venue with the game’s only goal coming from Gabriel ‘Gabigol’ Barbosa, who has established himself as a decisive performer in the Libertadores. Indeed, it was Gabigol who grabbed both late goals in Flamengo’s remarkable 2-1 comeback win over River Plate in the 2019 final.

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Club factfile

• Founded: 1895
• Stadium: The Maracana
• Nicknames: Fla, O Mengao, O Rubro-Negro

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Club history

Clube de Regatas do Flamengo was founded in 1895 in Rio de Janeiro, originally as a rowing club for young people from the Flamengo neighbourhood. The idea was to compete in rowing against teams from other Rio regions, but the club subsequently also began to take part in additional sporting disciplines. Football arrived at O Mengao in 1911.

The early years featured regional titles including the Carioca Championship and in the 1940s the iconic figure of Zizinho emerged, the first footballing hero of a young Pele. Flamengo's arrival as a national force would take some decades, but when it came it did so in style and the club’s 1980s golden age was well worth the wait.

With the likes of Zico, Junior and Leandro, who all earned legendary status in Brazilian football - as did the team as a whole - O Rubro-Negro won the Brazilian championship in 1980, 1982 and 1983, in addition to the 1981 Copa Libertadores and that year’s edition of the Intercontinental Cup, in which they defeated Liverpool 3-0 in the final.

The 2000s and 2010s would feature highs and lows, including a number of seasons with less-heralded squads, though the club were crowned national champions in 2009 and always managed to preserve their top-flight status. To date, alongside Sao Paulo, they are the only two of the country’s traditional powerhouses never to have been relegated from the highest tier.

A vigorous overhaul carried out at the club has proved worthwhile, ending as it has with trophies, star players and a better infrastructure. Towards the end of the last decade, O Mengao returned to the summit of the Brazilian and South American game thanks to two national championships (2019 and 2020) and two Libertadores triumphs (2019 and 2022). New club icons also emerged, in the shape of Gabriel Barbosa, Diego and Filipe Luis.

The year 2019 was the pinnacle and a dream year for any Flamengo fan as the club pulled off an historic, near-perfect campaign in winning the national and continental titles. The only setback came in the final of the FIFA Club World Cup where, in a clash of global titans, Liverpool avenged that 1981 defeat with a 1-0 win.

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Club icons

Zizinho

Pele’s first footballing hero, as ‘O Rei’ said himself on many occasions.

Dubbed by many as Pele’s predecessor (and Leonidas da Silva’s successor) as the star of the Brazilian game, Zizinho is a Flamengo legend thanks to his talent, the state titles won with him in the side and his revolutionary impact on the sport. The genius of ‘Mestre Ziza’ has transcended generations and will forever be a part of FIFA World Cup history, having been voted Player of the Tournament at the 1950 edition.

Zico

Thanks to his on-field genius and sheer love for the club, Zico is undeniably a Flamengo icon. ‘O Galinho de Quintino’, as he is known, truly sparkled in Fla colours, providing a blend of exquisite technique, extraordinary vision and an unmatched ability to tip matches in his team’s favour. His leadership skills and fierce bond with the fans made him a legendary figure and widely respected across the game, not just with Flamenguista followers.

Zico’s glory moments for Flamengo have earned him his own chapter in the club’s history. The No10 helped guide Fla to a host of state, national and international titles, with highlights including the 1980, 1982 and 1983 Brazilian championships and the 1981 Copa Libertadores. Much more than a scorer of crucial goals, Zico was the conductor of the Flamengo orchestra, supplying assists aplenty and able to bring the best out of his team-mates.

Junior

Going by ‘Maestro’ Junior and Junior ‘Capacete’, no matter what nickname he was given, Junior could just as easily have had ‘Flamengo’ as his surname, given how he and the team were clearly made for each other. The versatile left-back and midfielder was a key tactical leader on the pitch and was considered the epitome of professionalism.

A team-mate of Zico for several years, as well as fellow icons Leandro and Adilio, Junior was also a Libertadores winner in 1981 and Brasileirao champion in 1980 and 1982. What is more, he returned to Flamengo in 1989 at the age of 35 at the behest of his son, who had never seen him play for the club, and helped Fla to another Brazilian championship.