Flamengo's football team is the most popular club in Brazil, with an estimated 35 million fans. The club, which plays out of both Gavea and Maracana stadiums in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, was originally founded in 1895 as a rowing club. The Flamengo football team was formed in 1911. The years from 1978 to 1983 are considered the club's golden age. During that time Flamengo won the Rio de Janeiro State Championship three times, won its first Brazilian Championship in 1980 and again in 1982 and 1983, became South American Champions in 1981, and won the World Club Championship in 1981. The club are one of just four to have never been relegated from the Brazilian First Division.

Flamengo are top in Serie A

Flamengo are so successful and popular that in 2007 the state governor of Rio de Janeiro declared November 17 official "Flamengo Day". The club are managed by Joel Santana and over the years have claimed players like Arthur Friedenreich, Domingos da Guia, Romario and Zico among the ranks. The home kit consists of scarlet and black striped jerseys, white shorts and scarlet and black striped socks. The away kits are white jerseys with black and scarlet sleeves, black shorts and white socks with black and scarlet stripes. Flamengo have the longest single sponsorship of any club in the world, having been sponsored by Petrobras since 1984.