The Sounders’ Club World Cup adventure kicks off against one of the most interesting stories in contemporary South American soccer, a tradition-rich club currently at the leading edge of dramatic changes to the Brazilian domestic landscape. And yes, they’re also very, very good on the pitch.
Historically known as the home of Garrincha – sidekick of Pelé, conquering hero of the 1962 World Cup, and to some the greatest dribbler of all time – Botafogo spent large chunks of their existence as Rio de Janeiro’s fourth team, prone to suffering and underachievement. In fact, they got relegated just five years ago.
But outspoken American tycoon John Textor has transformed their fortunes since taking ownership in 2022, taking advantage of new laws that effectively deregulate Brazilian club soccer to invest millions in a squad that claimed both domestic and continental glory last year.
How they qualified: 2024 Copa Libertadores champions
Coach: Renato Paiva
Domestic league(s): Campeonato Brasileiro Série A (national league), Campeonato Carioca (Rio de Janeiro state league)
How they performed in 2024-25: Outstandingly in ‘24 – South American champions via their first-ever Copa Libertadores win, champions of their domestic league and Taça Rio (Rio de Janeiro cup) champs for good measure.
Transfermarkt value: €160.2 million (US $182.9 million)
Group stage matches: vs. Sounders, June 15, 7 PM; vs. PSG, June 19, 6 PM; vs. Atletico Madrid, June 23, noon
Key players
- Igor Jesus (not to be confused with the LAFC central midfielder of the same name) is a 24-year-old striker who’s blossomed into one of Brazil’s top strikers since returning to his homeland after four years at UAE side Shabab Al-Ahli, where he bagged an impressive 46 goals in 92 games across all competitions, as well as fistfuls of trophies. A clever, mobile frontrunner, he debuted for the Brazilian national team in an October World Cup qualifier and already has a goal and an assist in his first four caps. The Sounders will try to prevent him from flashing his 'Kamehameha celebration, a Dragon Ball Z tribute.
- Jefferson Savarino: You may remember the Venezuelan winger from his two stints in MLS with Real Salt Lake, where he tallied 40g/30a in 142 matches across all comps and twice earned the Utahns transfer fees of $2 million or more from Brazilian clubs. Now 28, he led O Glorioso (The Glorious) in both goals (8) and assists (7) during the 2024 Brasileirão and remains one of their leading chance creators. Textor & Co. have recruited heavily from MLS, by the way, also signing Thiago Almada, Santi Rodríguez and Elias Manoel.
- Gregore: Another MLS ex! The engine-room terrier was Inter Miami’s captain until the arrival of one Lionel Andres Messi, earning the Florida side’s team MVP award in 2021 with his range and rugged ball-winning. He signed a contract extension near the end of 2023 only to be shipped out to Botafogo a few months later as the Herons scrambled to reach salary-budget compliance with the Messi & Friends project cranking into full gear (Seattle were said to have been suitors, too). Memorably, he was sent off mere seconds into the Copa Libertadores final for a nasty high boot to the face of Atletico Mineiro's Fausto Vera; Botafogo still managed to win the match.
- Left wingback Cuiabano (age 22) and hulking young center back Jair Cunha (20) merit a note here, as their talent is apparently substantial enough for English Premier League overachievers Nottingham Forest to make a rare triple transfer for them along with Jesus for a combined £40 million (US $54.3 million) this summer, according to The Athletic.
Roster
Style of play
Botafogo tend to prefer direct play, be it transition opportunities or crosses, though the data suggests they can also keep possession adeptly and often circulate the ball to tease open spaces for Igor Jesus and their other talented attackers. Though their grit and tenacity is well-established, they’re not particularly inclined to press, generally keeping a tight, organized low or mid block.
One fact to impress your friends
Those who enjoy the nautical themes that predominate among Sounders faithful will be delighted by Botafogo’s many oceangoing ties. The club takes its name from the waterfront Rio neighborhood in which it originated, which sits just around the corner from Copacabana beach and the iconic Sugarloaf Mountain, and its full, official title is Botafogo de Futebol e Regatas (Botafogo Soccer and Regattas) thanks to a 1942 merger of a local soccer organization with a rowing club.
The district itself can trace that moniker back to the João Baptista, a fearsome 16th-century Portuguese warship said to boast five gun decks bristling with more than 300 cannons, earning it the nickname ‘Botafogo,’ which literally means ‘set it on fire’ or ‘spitfire.’ (Thus derives one of the soccer team’s many nicknames, Fogão, or ‘Big Fire.’) The boat was legendary enough that the ship’s gunner, João de Sousa Pereira, added the tag to his own family name, which eventually stuck to the land grant he later received for his distinguished service to the Portuguese crown in their prized South American colony.
How likely are Sounders to get a result?
On paper this is SSFC’s best chance for a W in a ferocious Group B – and maybe-just-maybe Botafogo’s European-bound contingent will already have their eyes on the door – but it’s a very tall order just the same.
What are their chances of winning the whole thing?
Glance through what Estrela Solitária (‘The Lone Star’) has achieved in the Textor era, particularly the hard-earned Copa Libs triumph, and it’s not hard to build a case for Botafogo as a CWC dark horse. Problem is, they’ll have to navigate a path past both Paris Saint-Germain and Atletico Madrid to make a run into the knockout stages, and as is the case with the Rave Green, that will require at least one massive upset, or at the very least some extremely effective defensive work to snatch a draw or two.
What makes this team interesting?
Purists can and should cherish the beautiful legacy of Garrincha, Nilton Santos, Zagallo and that gorgeously simple black-and-white star crest. But here there’s no escaping Textor and Botafogo’s role at the forefront of a seismic shift in their country’s professional scene.
Until 2021, Brazilian clubs were regulated as sporting associations rather than businesses: tax-exempt, forbidden from generating profits or receiving outside investors. This eventually led to chronic financial instability, with heavy amounts of debt threatening widespread collapse in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. So the government implemented laws allowing clubs to reorganize themselves as a Sociedade Anônima do Futebol (it literally means football anonymous society; shorthand ‘SAFs’) in which up to 90% of ownership could be sold to practically anyone.
Textor, who also owns controlling shares in Crystal Palace, France’s Olympique Lyonnais and Belgian club RWD Molenbeek, was one of the first outsiders to buy in – though technically he didn’t pay for Botafogo so much as assume their debts and pledge to invest heavily – and last year’s achievements made them the first Brazilian club to win major honors under a foreign owner.
The Florida-reared billionaire has certainly not been a wallflower. Beyond his spending, he’s lambasted what he perceived as compromised refereeing and conflicts of interest in Brazilian soccer. Most notable was a jaw-dropping pitchside rant on live television immediately after a costly loss to Palmeiras as Botafogo blew a huge lead in the standings to finish fifth in 2023, in which he alleged “f*cking corruption” and “theft” and urged federation president Ednaldo Rodrigues to resign, setting off a lengthy set of legal battles.
We can only hope he’ll treat us to something nearly as entertaining when O Glorioso compete in his home country.
Charles Boehm has covered all levels of soccer in North America and beyond for more than two decades, including his current role as MLSsoccer.com's National Writer. A native Texan, he made Washington, D.C. his home following a pedestrian NCAA Division III college career and subsequent Peace Corps stint in the small, soccer-crazed island nation of Grenada, where he coached and played in the Grenadian Premier League. Find him on Bluesky at @cboehm.bsky.social, or Instagram and Threads at @charlesboehm.
