Who are Botafogo?

Botafogo will feature at the Club World Cup in the United States and here you can read some key facts and stats about the Brazilian giants.

Where are Botafogo from?

Botafogo are based in the Rio de Janeiro neighbourhood of the same name in Brazil, where they compete in the Campeonato Brasileiro Serie A and the Campeonato Carioca in the 46,831-capacity Estadio Olimpico Nilton Santos.

History

Botafogo originally began in 1894 as a rowing club named Club de Regatas Botafogo, with the football club being formed as The Electro Club 10 years later.

That name was changed to Botafogo Football Club shortly after and quickly became one of the strongest teams in Rio de Janeiro, winning three state championships in the first eight years.

Botafogo officially merged with Club de Regatas Botafogo in 1942 and, while they remained one of the strongest clubs in Rio de Janeiro, they had to wait until 1968 for their first Brazil Serie A title, becoming the first club from the state to win the championship.

That was to be their last major trophy win for an unprecedented 21 years and that is far from the only rough patch that Fogo have endured over their 120-year history.

They have been relegated to the Brazil Serie B three times in their history, most recently in 2020, but they have emerged from that struggle to make history.

After a major financial overhaul, Botafogo returned to the top-flight after winning the 2021 Serie B and went on to win their first Copa Libertadores title in 2024, also lifting their third Serie A title in the same year.

Nicknames

• Fogo

• Estrela Solitaria

• O Glorioso

• Alvinegro Carioca

• O Mais Tradicional

• Campeao da America

• Fogao

Notable Players

Current Players

The most recognisable players in Botafogo's ranks for European football fans are likely to be former Manchester United left-back Alex Telles and former Burnley man Vitinho, but they are far from the only talents in the Brazilian club’s squad.

Twenty-four-year-old striker Igor Jesus is their prize asset and has made four appearances for the Brazil national team, while 20-year-old centre-back Jair Cunha is one for the future.

Attacking midfielder Jefferson Savarino has played over 40 times for Venezuela, and teenage attacker Alvaro Montoro was signed by Velez Sarsfield in time for the Club World Cup.

Former Players

Botafogo’s most esteemed former player is arguably Nilton Santos, who won two World Cups with Brazil and is among the greatest left-backs of all time, with his influence on the club across his 16-year career with them earning him the honour of having their stadium named after him.

Santos played alongside fellow two-time world champions Garrincha and Didi at both Botafogo and Brazil, both of whom won the World Cup Golden Ball while at the club.

Striker Quarentinha, who only made 13 appearances for the national team in the same era as Garrincha and Didi, is Botafogo’s all-time leading goalscorer with 306 goals in 444 appearances.

More recently, former Ajax, Real Madrid, Inter Milan, and AC Milan midfielder Clarence Seedorf finished his career at Botafogo, playing 67 times in his two-year spell at the club before retiring in 2014.

Also, current Benfica and former Wolves manager Bruno Lage briefly managed Botafogo in 2023.

How did Botafogo qualify for the 2025 Club World Cup?

Brazilian clubs have dominated the Copa Libertadores over the past six years, producing the last six winners and 10 of the 12 finalists in this period.

That has granted them four of the six CONMEBOL spots for the 2025 Club World Cup, and Botafogo's 2024 Copa Libertadores triumph granted them a spot in the revamped competition.

However, their recent struggles in Serie B have left them with the third-lowest tally of confederation points in the entire competition, putting them in Pot 3 of the Club World Cup draw and guaranteeing them a tough group stage.

Botafogo Club World Cup group

• Paris Saint-Germain

• Atletico Madrid

• Botafogo

• Seattle Sounders