After conquering Brazil and South America, Flamengo is now aiming for the world.
The Rubro-Negro begins its journey in the Intercontinental Cup this Wednesday (10) in Qatar.
The first challenge is against Cruz Azul from Mexico, the current champion of North and Central America. If victorious, the next match is against Pyramids from Egypt, the current African champion.
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Only with another qualification would the anticipated clash against PSG, the European champion, come, competing for the world title.
Before the debut of Filipe Luís and his players, OneFootball analyzes below how Flamengo arrives at the competition in Qatar:
Confidence at its peak
It’s hard to enter the world title race with more momentum than Flamengo has this year.
The team won the Libertadores final against Palmeiras and a few days later secured the Brasileirão title.
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The national title also came with the best attack and the best defense of the tournament.
In the last 15 games, there were only two losses. The first was between the Libertadores semifinal matches and the other during the “exit” from the November FIFA Date, with the squad affected by absences.
Even with natural moments of instability, Filipe Luís’s team was the most consistent throughout the season in Brazil.
Injury doubts
Pedro and Leo Ortiz got injured in this final stretch of the season and didn’t even play the Libertadores final.
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Still recovering, both traveled with the rest of the squad to Qatar.
However, their participation in the Intercontinental Cup is still uncertain.
If the forward and the defender become available again, Filipe Luís would still face the dilemma of fielding players with little match rhythm for decisive confrontations.
Is it ideal to hold off their return until 2026?
The trump card Arrascaeta
The Uruguayan midfielder is perhaps having his best season in a Flamengo jersey.
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He won the Brasileirão Golden Ball in ESPN’s awards and was also chosen as the best player of the championship in the CBF election.
He finished the competition with 18 goals (only below Kaio Jorge) and 14 assists (leader).
But the most important assist came in the Libertadores, with the cross that found Danilo’s head in the final in Lima.
Will fatigue take its toll?
Like Cruz Azul, Flamengo is at the end of its season.
On the other hand, Pyramids and PSG, potential opponents in the tournament’s continuation, are only “halfway through.”
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After 75 matches played in 2025, Flamengo’s squad arrives in Qatar managing its last reserves of energy.
What works in their favor is that Filipe Luís tried to manage the fatigue throughout the year.
In the Brasileirão, for instance, only six players played more than half of the matches: Rossi, Léo Pereira, Arrascaeta, Leo Ortiz, Bruno Henrique, and Luiz Araújo.
Europeans are not new
Brazilian teams that reached the world final in recent years had little experience against high-level European opponents.
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If they reach the dreamed decision against PSG in a few days, Flamengo should not treat the challenge as such a big novelty.
Earlier this year, the team already faced Bayern Munich and Chelsea during the Club World Cup.
Against the Germans, the result was frustrating, with a loss and elimination in the round of 16.
But still in the group stage, Flamengo defeated the English team, which even went on to win against PSG in the grand final.
This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.
📸 Rodrigo Valle – 2025 Getty Images
