Botafogo was the Brazilian team that entered the field most times in 2024. There were 75 matches during the season in which the club stood out for winning the Brazilian Championship and the Copa Libertadores.
At the end of the year, the team’s fatigue from the marathon of games was one of the arguments presented by the Rio team’s athletes to justify their failure in the Intercontinental Cup. In Qatar, the team ended up eliminated in its debut, in the quarterfinals, in a defeat to Pachuca, from Mexico.
If the lone star team lacked steam in 2024, the 2025 season promises to be even more strenuous not only for Botafogo but also for Palmeiras, Flamengo and Fluminense, the other representatives of Brazil in the first expanded edition of the Club World Cup of FIFA.
The tournament will have its inaugural contest held in the United States, from June 14th to July 13th, a period in which there will be a break in Brazilian football. Because of this stoppage, the CBF (Brazilian Football Confederation) extended the competition period for the next Brazilian Championship to ten months, which will have the longest version in its history, from March 29th to December 21st.
With the expansion of the calendar of the country’s main national competition, the CBF needed to reduce the period for the state competitions, which must be held between January 12th and March 26th.
The entity maintained the absence of club games during the “FIFA date” periods, with Brazilian national team matches, and created a new rule, which provides that teams with players called up have a minimum interval of 48 hours between the end of the “FIFA date” FIFA” and its matches.
Even so, considering the dispute of the new Club World Cup and other national and international championships, Botafogo, Flamengo, Fluminense and Palmeiras will be able to play more than 80 games throughout 2025.
Botafogo is the team that could have the longest journey. If they advance to the final of all the knockout competitions, they will have 86 matches on their calendar at the end of the year, which includes the Recopa Sudamericana and the Supercopa do Brasil. The hypothesis, of course, is remote, which does not make the calendar calm.
Next comes Fluminense, with the possibility of up to 85 games. Of the four mentioned, he is the only one who will have to start the Copa do Brasil from the first phase. Palmeiras and Flamengo, both with a possible 84 games in 2025, are not far behind.
The possibility of playing in the Club World Cup, however, inhibits clubs from complaining about an excess of games, since their directors are enthusiastic about the tournament’s international visibility, which directly influences sponsorship negotiations and athlete sales. .
Therefore, there wasn’t much fuss when the CBF released the 2025 calendar.
Contrary to the Brazilians, the Europeans have made harsh criticisms since the announcement of the format of the new competition. Entities such as FifPro, the international body that represents athletes, complained that FIFA (International Football Federation) is putting the health of players at risk with the calendar that has been established.
“Our complaint to the European Commission is clear: FIFA is abusing its power to dictate the calendar of international matches and expand its own competitions. And thus increase its own revenues,” said David Terrier, president of FifPro Europe.
In addition to concerns about athletes’ wear and tear, the complaint aims to pressure FIFA to establish a more inclusive process for defining the international calendar.
Despite European complaints, clubs from the Old Continent play considerably fewer games than Brazilian teams.
Teams like Real Madrid and Manchester City, who are also qualified for the Club World Cup, will have different situations in 2025 compared to teams like Fluminense, Botafogo, Palmeiras and Flamengo.
Although they participate in competitions such as the Spanish Championship and the English Championship, both with 38 rounds, in addition to the Champions League, with up to 13 games for the champion, the Europeans do not face tournaments equivalent to the state ones. This significantly reduces the total volume of matches, allowing for greater spacing between games.
Even considering competitions such as the King’s Cup, the English League Cup and the FA Cup, the European teams mentioned must play around 65 games throughout 2025 — the calculation considers the second half of the 2024/25 season and the first of the 2025/26.
Palmeiras, Flamengo, Fluminense and Botafogo Marathon in 2025
Palm trees
Campeonato Paulista: up to 16 games
Copa do Brasil: up to 10 games
Brazilian Championship: 38 games
Copa Libertadores: up to 13 games
Club World Cup: up to 7 games
Maximum total: 84 games
Botafogo
Carioca Championship: up to 15 games
Copa do Brasil: up to 10 games
Brazilian Championship: 38 games
Brazilian Super Cup: 1 game
Recopa Sudamericana: 2 games
Copa Libertadores: up to 13 games
Club World Cup: up to 7 games
Maximum total: 86 games
Flemish
Carioca Championship: up to 15 games
Copa do Brasil: up to 10 games
Brazilian Championship: 38 games
Brazilian Super Cup: 1 game
Copa Libertadores: up to 13 games
Club World Cup: up to 7 games
Maximum total: 83 games
Fluminense
Carioca Championship: up to 15 games
Copa do Brasil: up to 12 games
Brazilian Championship: 38 games
Copa Libertadores: up to 13 games
Club World Cup: up to 7 games
Maximum total: 85 games
