🏆 South America shines at the World Cup: Botafogo’s triumph is no fluke🌎 | OneFootball

The images of Boca Juniors fans celebrating on the beaches of Miami, the green wave of Palmeiras sweeping through Times Square, or the red and black balloons on the field during Flamengo-Chelsea have already become iconic.

The Club World Cup continues to be the stage for the biggest stars in football - think Real Madrid, PSG, Bayern Munich - but stealing the show, on and off the stands, were undoubtedly the South American clubs: particularly the Brazilian ones.

💪 South America still unbeaten at the World Cup: 9 out of 9

The atmosphere in the United States is vibrant, almost surreal. And making the atmosphere even more electric were the six CONMEBOL teams in the competition: Boca Juniors, River Plate, Flamengo, Fluminense, Palmeiras and Botafogo who played a total of 9 matches without suffering a defeat.

🆕 Botafogo and Flamengo rewrite history

But it was Botafogo and Flamengo who put the icing on the cake, beating the European champions PSG and Conference League champions Chelsea.

The black and whites also became the first South American club to overcome a European big team in the competition since 2012. In short, South America has turned the spotlight on itself in the States.

🫶 Passion far from home

But where does this wave of enthusiasm and sporting results come from? As reported by ESPN, an important part of the answer is in the hearts of those who live far from home. The United States hosts a large community of South American fans who, despite being thousands of kilometers from their stadiums, never stop following their favorite teams. And when those teams arrive "at home", everything turns into a collective celebration.

🤑 The Club World Cup enriches the wallet

One does not live on passion alone, though. The wallet also wants its part. The Club World Cup represents a golden opportunity for South American clubs: millionaire prizes, global visibility, international experience.

In an economic context where many teams are forced to sell their talents to survive, every extra dollar can make a difference. Success in this showcase is not just a matter of glory, but also of perspective.

The six clubs that starred in this edition could use the fruits of this exploit to strengthen themselves, retain the young ones longer and reduce the gap with the European powers. In short, the Club World Cup is an opportunity too good to miss.

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

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