Botafogo - RJ

Botafogo de Futebol e Regatas is a Brazilian sports club based in the neighbourhood of the same name, in Rio de Janeiro, and currently takes part in the Campeonato Brasileiro Série A. Its greatest sporting glories are mainly in football, but it also stands out in rowing, volleyball, basketball, water sports and others. Founded as a rowing club on 1 July 1894 under the name Club de Regatas Botafogo, it merged on 8 December 1942 (the feast day of the club's patron saint, Our Lady of the Conception) with Botafogo Football Club, another club from the same neighbourhood, officially founded on 12 August 1904. Its colours are black and white and its supporters are called botafoguenses. Botafogo is a well-known team because it has the highest number of players called up to the Brazil national team at World Cups: ninety-seven in general and forty-seven at World Cups.

In Brazilian football, it is considered by the Brazilian media to be one of the clubs of the select group known as the Twelve Greats, a name used to identify the twelve teams with the largest number of football supporters in Brazil and, at the same time, it is considered one of the four big clubs of the state of Rio de Janeiro, along with its classic state rivals: Fluminense Futebol Clube, Clube de Regatas do Flamengo and Clube de Regatas Vasco da Gama. It also has important inter-state rivalries with teams such as Santos Futebol Clube of the state of São Paulo or Atlético Mineiro of the state of Minas Gerais. The derby against Fluminense is known as the Clássico Vovô (grandfather derby) and is considered the oldest derby in the history of Brazilian football.