Botafogo have blown up their title winning roster, and might struggle for results in a tough group
Well, that's not how you keep a title-winning team together. Botofago enjoyed one of the best seasons in club history last year, completing an unlikely Brazilian Serie A-Copa Libertadores double despite being outsiders when the campaign kicked off.
They have followed that not by retaining the side, but rather by blowing it up. Star players Luiz Henrique and Thiago Almada both left the club in January. Top scorer Junior Santos also left. Early season results have been poor. They were battered by Racing Club in the Recopa Sudamericana – a clash between the winners of the Argentine and Brazilian top flights.
Still, this is a historic club with fans around the world. And even if it was just a solo season of glory, then it wasn't a bad one for supporters to hold onto. It could have implications for the Club World Cup, though, where a weakened side might struggle in a group that also includes PSG and Atletico Madrid.
The 2025 FIFA Club World Cup will be played in 12 stadiums in 11 U.S. cities, from the opener on June 14 until the final on July 13. In the U.S., fans can stream or watch matches on DAZN or TNT. Leading up to kickoff, GOAL will provide scouting reports on each of the 32 participating teams in the expanded field.
Next up is Botafogo, with a look at key players to watch, and expectations for the reigning Brazilian champs in a tough group.
Getty Images SportThe Basics
DOMESTIC LEAGUE: Campeonato Brasileiro Serie A
CLUB WORLD CUP HISTORY: Never qualified
GROUP: B (Seattle Sounders, Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico de Madrid, Botafogo)
OPENING MATCH: Seattle Sounders – June 15, 10 p.m., Seattle
AdvertisementHow they got here
Botafogo were the last side to clinch a spot in the competition, qualifying after beating Clube Atletico Mineiro in the 2024 Copa Libertadores final – despite playing the game with 10 men for almost the entire 90 minutes.
Getty Images SportThe player to watch
Well, that depends. There is scattered talk that Thiago Almada could be back in time for the Club World Cup – but that runs off the hefty assumption that Lyon would be willing to terminate his loan slightly early.
Jefferson Savarino is the star man otherwise. The Venezuelan attacking midfielder is a smooth operator in the final third, who hit double digits in both goals and assists in their title winning season. The 28-year-old will need some help around him, though, if he is to replicate those kinds of numbers in the United States this summer.
AFPRealistic Expectations
A few months ago, Botafogo would have been trendy outsiders to bump one of PSG or Atletico out of the tournament in the groups. Now, though, this looks more like a rebuilding side than title-winning unit. Expect them to be down at the bottom, likely scrapping it out with Seattle Sounders.
They would need an improbable win over Atleti or the Parisians – as well as a result against Seattle – to make it into the knockouts.
