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Flamengo And Palmeiras Carry Brazil's Hopes At Club World Cup
RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL - MAY 21: Gerson Santos da Silva of Flamengo enters the pitch prior to the ... More match between Flamengo and Botafogo PB as part of Copa do Brasil 2025 at Maracana Stadium on May 21, 2025 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (Photo by)
In 2023, the final of the Club World Cup was a mismatch. After forty seconds, Manchester City and Julian Alvarez took the lead and never looked back against Fluminense. The entire 90 minutes were a prolonged practice session for the Premier League team: the South American champion had Marcelo as a full back and Paulo Henrique Ganso in midfield, but Fluminense had no answer to the sheer precision and ruthlessness of Pep Guardiola's drilled XI - the result of a club transformed by the wealth of its Abu Dhabi owners. As they lifted the trophy under a ring of Saudi fireworks in Jeddah, after winning the Champions League earlier that year, City was on top of the world.
The outcome had been predictable: the Rio club had a 2023 revenue of $125 million whereas the English champion generated $902 million. Brazil and the rest of the world simply couldn't keep up with the riches flooding into the European game. This summer, City and Fluminense, part of a Brazilian quartet, will be back at the Club World Cup, alongside 30 other clubs in an expanded format, a tournament that is the brainchild of FIFA boss Gianni Infantino. But will Europe's hegemony be challenged at all?
In 2012, Brazil's Corinthians were the last non-European team to win the competition, defeating Chelsea 1-0 in the final with a second-half goal from Paulo Guerrero. It was a masterclass from Tite, who served as Brazil manager from 2016 to 2022. Today, Palmeiras's Abel Ferreira is another manager who can mastermind great victories with a defensive mindset, even more so in knockout competitions. He twice led Palmeiras to victory in the Copa Libertadores, the equivalent of the Champions League.
Palmeiras endured a difficult start to the current season with a defeat to Corinthians in the local state championship, and, in the national league, the club has relinquished the top spot. Raphael Veiga has returned in time from injury, which means Estevao will move back to the right. This summer, the youngster will depart for Chelsea and he wants to sign off in style. He is the latest in a line of exports after Gabriel Jesus, Danilo, Vitor Reis and Endrick. The Sao Paulo club will get its campaign underway against Porto, but should be able to navigate a group that also includes Al Ahly and Inter Miami.
The group of Flamengo, the other dominant force in Brazilian soccer, is perhaps more challenging. The Rio club plays against Esperance de Tunis and Los Angeles, but the standout tie is in Philadelphia against Chelsea. In 2022, Flamengo's revenue passed 1 billion reais ($180 million) for the first time, but the difference with the London club remains substantial. Last year, Chelsea enjoyed a revenue of $635 million.
Even so, the Brazilians are optimistic. In an interview, club president Luiz Eduardo Baptista said that the depth of the squad should enable Flamengo to compete on three fronts. However, manager Filipe Luis has pointed to the burdensome, congested calendar. The club struggled to progress from the group stage of the Copa Libertadores. In a boost, playmaker Giorgian de Arrascaeta is reaching again reaching peak form.
And that's precisely why Flamengo and Palmeiras could cause an upset in the tournament: European clubs are at the end of their season while Flamengo and Palmeiras, halfway through their campaign, should be at their peak. The economic reality can't be ignored, but at least, the clubs can dream of repeating Corinthians' feat in 2012 when 30,000 Brazilian supporters had the time of their lives in Yokohama.
