Mid-season break: Flamengo face favourite opponents at the World Cup

In partnership with

Coluna do Fla

·19. Juni 2026

Mid-season break: Flamengo face favourite opponents at the World Cup

Flamengo will hold a mid-season training camp while the World Cup takes place

Flamengo announced on Thursday (18) three friendlies for July. Among the opponents is Benfica (POR), who have never beaten the Rubro-Negro in the nine matches they have played. Lausanne-Sport (SUI) and River Plate (ARG) are the other two tests for Mengo during the World Cup.

In fact, the Most Beloved thrashed the Portuguese side in their last meeting. Back in 1997, Sávio, Iranildo, Lúcio, Rodrigo Mendes, and Fábio Baiano scored in the 5-2 win over the Lusitanians. The match was an international friendly played in the state of Minas Gerais.

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What were the other scores between Flamengo and Benfica?

Flamengo 5 x 2 Benfica – 1997;
Fla 2 x 1 Benfica – 1995;
Fla 2 x 0 Benfica – 1988;
Fla 1 x 0 Benfica – 1972;
Fla 1 x 1 Benfica – 1958;
Fla 0 x 0 Benfica – 1957;
Fla 1 x 1 Benfica – 1957;
Fla 2 x 1 Benfica – 1956;
Fla 1 x 0 Benfica – 1955.

All nine matches were friendlies. In other words, the teams have never faced each other in an official match. At the Club World Cup, for example, the Most Beloved has only faced the European sides Liverpool (ENG), PSG (FRA), Chelsea (ENG), and Bayern Munich (GER).

But this time it’s official, right?

The teams’ tenth meeting will be yet another friendly. That is because the clash is part of the mid-season training camp, a preparation period for when the season resumes. After all, club matches are on hold because of the World Cup.

Before the break, Flamengo was second in the Brasileirão and had qualified for the round of 16 of the Libertadores with the best group-stage campaign. The preparation is aimed at returning to competition firing on all cylinders.

When will the friendlies take place?

First, the Most Beloved will face River Plate on July 3, starting at 3:30 p.m. Then, the Rubro-Negro will take on Lausanne-Sport on July 8, starting at 4:30 p.m. Finally, Flamengo will face Benfica on the 11th, starting at 3:30 p.m., wrapping up the mid-season training camp in Portugal. All match times are in Brasília time.

As previously reported by Coluna do Fla, Flamengo’s three friendlies will be played at Algarve Stadium, located between the municipalities of Faro and Loulé. In addition, the Blueticket platform will be responsible for ticket sales for the matches.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.