Brasileirão: Fluminense’s openers, only one win in seven years | OneFootball

The wait is over. Fluminense makes its debut in the 2026 Brazilian Championship this Wednesday (28), against Grêmio, at Maracanã. The match marks the return of coach Luis Zubeldía to the sidelines and the attempt of the Tricolor to start off on the right foot in the national competition.

To do so, the team will have to overcome a recent uncomfortable track record. In the last seven editions of the Brasileirão, Fluminense has won only once in the opening round (in 2023). In the rest, there were three draws and three losses.

Saudações Tricolores recalls how Flu's first games were in the last championships:

2025 – Fortaleza 2 x 0 Fluminense

The most recent debut was traumatic. Playing at Arena Castelão, Fluminense was dominated by Fortaleza and lost 2-0. Lucero (scorer of the first goal of that edition) and Tinga scored for Leão do Pici. The setback had immediate consequences, as the club announced the dismissal of coach Mano Menezes the following morning, starting the championship already in crisis.

2024 – Fluminense 2 x 2 Red Bull Bragantino

In a lively game at Maracanã, Fluminense, then the Libertadores champion, ended in a draw. Midfielder Lima was the standout for the Tricolor by scoring both goals for the team. Bragantino reacted and leveled with goals from Eduardo Sasha and Thiago Borbas, frustrating the fans in the home debut. The match marked the first chapter of a long and exhausting journey for Fluminense in the fight against relegation that season.

2023 – América-MG 0 x 3 Fluminense

The only victory on the list happened in great style. Playing at Independência, Fluminense took off in the second half. Even with a missed penalty, Germán Cano opened the scoring, followed by John Kennedy and Lelê, who completed the 3-0 rout. It was one of the rare moments of tranquility in recent debuts.

2022 – Fluminense 0 x 0 Santos

At Maracanã, the Tricolor hosted Santos in the championship opener. Under the command of Abel Braga, the team had game volume and made the Santos goalkeeper work, but the ball stubbornly refused to go in. In the end, a shot that hit the post prevented the victory, sealing the scoreless draw.

2021 – São Paulo 0 x 0 Fluminense

Another goalless draw, this time at Morumbi. Fluminense had a golden chance in the first half, but Nenê missed a penalty, saved by Thiago Volpi. The game was scrappy, and the Tricolor held the result away from home.

2020 – Grêmio 1 x 0 Fluminense

Curiously, the opponent for the 2026 debut is the same as in 2020. On that occasion, in the midst of the pandemic, Fluminense under Odair Hellmann traveled to Porto Alegre and did not play well. Diego Souza, a former Tricolor, scored the only goal of the match still in the first half, decreeing the defeat at Arena do Grêmio.

2019 – Fluminense 0 x 1 Goiás

A chaotic debut in Rio de Janeiro. Under a torrential downpour and with a power outage at Maracanã, the team led by Fernando Diniz lost to Goiás. Flu had a goal by Everaldo disallowed, a missed penalty by Luciano, and ended up punished with a free-kick goal by defender Rafael Vaz in the final minutes.

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