Fla–Flu

Fla–Flu
Diego Souza (Fluminense) and Paulo Victor (Flamengo) fight over the ball in the rain.
Flamengo
Fluminense
LocationRio de Janeiro, State of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
First meetingFluminense 3–2 Flamengo
Campeonato Carioca (LMSA)
7 July 1912
Latest meetingFlamengo 1–0 Fluminense
Brazil Série A
11 October 2026
StadiumsMaracanã
Statistics
Total meetings461
Top scorerZico (19)
All-time series
Flamengo: 169
Fluminense: 144
Draws: 148
Largest victory
Flamengo 7–0 Fluminense
Torneio Municipal do Rio
June 10, 1945
Flamengo
Fluminense

Fla–Flu (a truncation of Flamengo–Fluminense) is an association football derby between Flamengo and Fluminense, considered one of the biggest rivalries in Brazilian football. Their matches usually take place at the famous Maracanã Stadium, located near downtown Rio de Janeiro, in the Maracanã district. The Fla–Flu holds the world's record football match attendance of 194,603 people in a 1963 derby.

The name "Fla–Flu" was created by the journalist Mário Filho during the professionalization of Rio de Janeiro's football.

Flamengo is the most successful team in the Campeonato Carioca, with 40 titles, while Fluminense is the second, with 33. At a national level, Flamengo has won the Campeonato Brasileiro eight times and the Copa do Brasil five times, while Fluminense has four Campeonato Brasileiro titles and has won the Cup once. Flamengo has won four Copa Libertadores and one Intercontinental Cup, whereas Fluminense has won the Copa Libertadores once and also the Copa Rio once, which it claims to be equivalent to a club's world cup tournament. Fluminense is the only football team in the world that holds the IOC's Olympic Cup ("Coupe Olympique" or "Taça Olímpica"), a non-competitive award for distinguished service in upholding the ideals of the Olympic Movement and to recognise the particular merits of institutions or associations and their services rendered to sport, conquered in 1949.

The rivalry between these two clubs began in October 1911, when a group of dissatisfied players from Fluminense left the club, and went to Flamengo, which at the time had no football department. The first Fla–Flu ever was played the following year, on July 7, 1912, at Laranjeiras stadium. Fluminense won this match 3–2, with 800 people in attendance.

The Fla–Flu matches are mentioned in Lamartine Babo's unofficial, but very popular, Flamengo anthem composed in 1942.

Important matches

On November 23, 1941, Flamengo and Fluminense disputed the Campeonato Carioca final, at Gávea Stadium. As the stadium is located in Lagoa neighborhood, the match was nicknamed Lagoa's Fla-Flu. The first half of the match ended 2–1 to Fluminense. Flamengo's Pirillo scored a goal in the 39th minute of the second half of the match, but Fluminense only needed a draw in the match, and won the competition. 15,312 people watched the match.

In 1991, the Campeonato Carioca final was again disputed between Flamengo and Fluminense. The first leg, played on December 13, ended in a 1–1 draw. In the second leg, played on December 19, Flamengo beat Fluminense 4–2. The Flamengo goals were scored by Uidemar, Gaúcho, Zinho and Júnior. Both Fluminense goals were scored by Ézio. Flamengo's Gaúcho was the top goalscorer of that competition.

In the Campeonato Carioca history, Fluminense beat Flamengo to the title in 1919, 1936, 1941, 1969, 1973, 1983, 1984, 1995, 2022 and 2023. Flamengo beat Fluminense in 1963, 1972, 1991, 2017, 2020, 2021, 2025 and 2026. The Cariocão had many formats over the years. However, there is disagreement in the decision criterion on the 1919, 1969 and 1983 championships, won by Fluminense. Discussion that gained strength among Flamengo fans in early 2021, days before the 2021 Carioca Football Championship final, when Flamengo had the chance to pass Fluminense with this new criterion.

One of the most famous matches between the two clubs was the 1995 Campeonato Carioca final stage match, played on June 25 of that year at Maracanã stadium. In this match, Fluminense's Renato Gaúcho scored a belly goal, and his team won the match 3–2. Fluminense finished the stage with 33 points, winning the title, and Flamengo finished one point behind its rival, losing the championship in the year of its centenary.

The 2004 Campeonato Carioca had two matches played between Flamengo and Fluminense. On February 1, Flamengo won by 4–3, after Fluminense had been 3–1 up at half-time. On February 21, Flamengo defeated Fluminense 3–2, which gave Flamengo the Taça Guanabara title of that year.

Highest attendances

  1. Flamengo–Fluminense 0–0, 194,603 (177,656 paid), December 12, 1963
  2. Flamengo–Fluminense 2–3, 171,599, June 15, 1969
  3. Flamengo–Fluminense 0–0, 155,116, May 16, 1976
  4. Flamengo–Fluminense 0–1, 153,520, December 16, 1984
  5. Flamengo–Fluminense 0–2, 138,599, August 2, 1970
  6. Flamengo–Fluminense 1–1, 138,557, April 22, 1979
  7. Flamengo–Fluminense 5–2, 137,002, April 23, 1972
  8. Flamengo–Fluminense 2–1, 136,829, September 7, 1972
  9. Flamengo–Fluminense 3–3, 136,606, October 18, 1964
  10. Flamengo–Fluminense 1–0, 124,432, September 23, 1979

Statistics

Head to head results

As of 11 October 2026
Competition Matches Flamengo
wins		 Draws Fluminense
wins		 Flamengo
goals		 Fluminense
goals
Campeonato Brasileiro772920289385
Copa do Brasil211020
Copa Sudamericana413054
Torneio Rio–São Paulo228682826
Campeonato Carioca273999183401366
Other Rio tournaments371410135256
Torneio Início Carioca1024467
Friendly matches and competitions37151386951
Total461169148144656595
Sources: Flaestatística[citation needed]
  1. ↑ A Fla-Flu played on August 3, 1940, won by Fluminense 2–1, was simultaneously valid for the Torneio Rio-São Paulo and for the Campeonato Carioca of that season. In this table, this match is only being considered as a Torneio Rio-São Paulo game so it is not counted twice.
  2. ↑ In the 1998 Campeonato Carioca, the two teams received a double walkover in 13 May 1998, as both refused to play the match. This result is not included in this table.
  3. ↑ Includes numerous short-lived official tournaments held by the Rio football federation and other local entities. Namely the Taça Guanabara Independente, Torneio Municipal do Rio, Torneio Extra, Torneio Relâmpago, Torneio Aberto, Copa da Capital and Taça Cidade Maravilhosa.
  4. ↑ Torneio Início matches were held with 20 or 30 minutes, and corners served as a tiebreaker. These matches are not considered official, as they do not follow the rules established by FIFA. However, they are included in the statistics of all Rio de Janeiro derbies.

Longest undefeated runs

Club Games Period Results
Fluminense 13 28 October 1936 – 11 September 1938 9 wins and 4 draws
Flamengo 11 27 October 1912 – 15 August 1916 8 wins and 3 draws
18 October 1964 – 7 September 1966 4 wins and 7 draws

Most consecutive wins

Club Games Period
Flamengo 7 9 October 1912 – 9 May 1915
Fluminense 4 10 April 1938 – 11 September 1938
4 July 2021 – 30 March 2022

Decisive matches

List of major finals between the clubs

Season Competition Date Match Score Winner
1936 Campeonato Carioca December 20, 1936 FLU – FLA 2–2 Fluminense
December 23, 1936 FLU – FLA 4–1
December 27, 1936 FLU – FLA 1–1
1973 Campeonato Carioca August 22, 1973 FLU – FLA 4–2 Fluminense
1991 Campeonato Carioca December 15, 1991 FLA – FLU 1–1 Flamengo
December 19, 1991 FLA – FLU 4–2
2017 Campeonato Carioca April 30, 2017 FLU – FLA 0–1 Flamengo
May 7, 2017 FLA – FLU 2–1
2020 Campeonato Carioca July 12, 2020 FLU – FLA 1–2 Flamengo
July 15, 2020 FLA – FLU 1–0
2021 Campeonato Carioca May 15, 2021 FLU – FLA 1–1 Flamengo
May 22, 2021 FLA – FLU 3–1
2022 Campeonato Carioca March 30, 2022 FLA – FLU 0–2 Fluminense
April 2, 2022 FLU – FLA 1–1
2023 Campeonato Carioca April 1, 2023 FLA – FLU 2–0 Fluminense
April 9, 2023 FLU – FLA 4–1
2025 Campeonato Carioca March 12, 2025 FLU – FLA 1–2 Flamengo
March 16, 2025 FLA – FLU 0–0
2026 Campeonato Carioca March 8, 2026 FLU – FLA 0–0 (4–5 p) Flamengo
  • Finals won: Flamengo 6, Fluminense 4.

Other decisive games

Campeonato Carioca
  • November 23, 1941: Flamengo 2–2 Fluminense - Fluminense champion
  • December 15, 1963: Flamengo 0–0 Fluminense - Flamengo champion
  • September 9, 1972: Flamengo 2–1 Fluminense - Flamengo champion
  • December 16, 1984: Fluminense 1–0 Flamengo - Fluminense champion
  • June 25, 1995: Fluminense 3–2 Flamengo - Fluminense champion

Other official finals

Season Competition Date Match Score Winner
1936 Torneio Aberto September 13, 1936 FLA – FLU 1–1 Flamengo
September 20, 1936 FLU – FLA 0–1
1966 Taça Guanabara September 7, 1966 FLU – FLA 3–1 Fluminense
2001 Taça Guanabara* March 3, 2001 FLA – FLU 1–1 (5–3 p) Flamengo
2004 Taça Guanabara* February 21, 2004 FLU – FLA 2–3 Flamengo
2005 Taça Rio* April 3, 2005 FLU – FLA 4–1 Fluminense
2017 Taça Guanabara* March 5, 2023 FLA – FLU 3–3 (4–2 p) Fluminense
2020 Taça Rio* July 8, 2020 FLU – FLA 1–1 (3–2 p) Fluminense

*Turnos of the Campeonato Carioca

  • Finals won: Flamengo 3, Fluminense 4.

Honours

Titles comparison

Type CompetitionsFlamengoFluminense
International Intercontinental Cup
1
-
Rio International Cup
-
1
Continental Copa Libertadores
4
1
Mercosur Cup
1
-
Copa de Oro Nicolás Leoz
1
-
Recopa Sudamericana
1
1
National Brazilian Championship Série A(1)
8
4
Union Cup
1
-
Brazil Cup
5
1
Brazil Super Cup
3
-
Brazilian Champions Cup
1
-
Inter-state Rio – São Paulo Tournament(2)
2
3
Primeira Liga
-
1
State Carioca Championship
40
33
Total general
68
45

Titles by decade

Decade Flamengo Fluminense
1901–1910 – 4
1911–1920 3 4
1921–1930 3 1
1931–1940 2 5
1941–1950 3 2
1951–1960 3 5
1961–1970 3 3
1971–1980 6 5
1981–1990 8 4
1991–2000 7 1
2001–2010 8 4
2011–2020 11 3
2021–2030 11 4
Total 68 45

(1) Flamengo considers the Copa União as a Campeonato Brasileiro but, although the Copa União is considered an official title, it is not officially considered a Campeonato Brasileiro. That makes Flamengo officially have 7 Campeonato Brasileiro.

(2) In 1940 the competition was interrupted with Flamengo and Fluminense in the lead, without the CBD making the title official, however, the clubs and newspapers at the time considered the result definitive and declared the Flamengo and Fluminense as the legitimate champions of the competition. Both clubs currently consider themselves champions of the competition and include this title among their achievements.

References

  1. ↑ "Flamengo x Fluminense: quem venceu mais, artilharia e curiosidades do Fla-Flu | Goal.com Brasil". www.goal.com (in Brazilian Portuguese). 2023-07-16. Retrieved 2023-10-30.
  2. ↑ ´´Placar Magazine´´, 2005/May, The Big Derbies, and Cheiro de 2004 no ar - AOL Esportes[permanent dead link] (March 29, 2005)
  3. ↑ Enciclopédia do Futebol Brasileiro, Volume 2 - Lance, Rio de Janeiro: Aretê Editorial S/A, 2001.
  4. ↑ O Flamengo nasceu do Fluminense - Museu dos Esportes Archived 2008-04-12 at the Wayback Machine
  5. ↑ Passion, carnival and crazy goals - FIFA website (July 13, 2001)
  6. ↑ O mais querido do Brasil!! - Flamengonet Archived 2006-04-27 at the Wayback Machine (November 13, 2004)
  7. ↑ Coração de torcedor - No Olhar (January 10, 2004)
  8. ↑ RSSSF Archived 2006-07-20 at the Wayback Machine
  9. ↑ RSSSF Archived 2005-11-09 at the Wayback Machine
  10. ↑ "Flamengo x Fluminense - Campeonato Carioca 2022 Final - Tempo Real - Globo Esporte".
  11. ↑ "Flamengo x Fluminense - Campeonato Carioca 2017-2017".
  12. ↑ "Flamengo 1 x 0 Fluminense - Campeonato Carioca Final - Tempo Real - Globo Esporte".
  13. ↑ "Flamengo 3 x 1 Fluminense - Campeonato Carioca Final - Tempo Real - Globo Esporte". Archived from the original on 2021-12-22. Retrieved 2021-12-24.
  14. ↑ Fla-Flu history at Grandes Clássicos Archived 2007-07-12 at the Wayback Machine
  15. ↑ Renato comemora 8 anos do gol de barriga Estadão Esportes[permanent dead link] (June 25, 2003)
  16. ↑ RSSSF Archived August 23, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
  17. ↑ RSSSF Archived 2008-02-22 at the Wayback Machine
  18. ↑ Best Attendances in Fla-Flu
  19. ↑ "Torneio Rio-São Paulo 1940". rsssfbrasil.com. August 26, 2008. Retrieved June 5, 2024.
  20. ↑ "1940 Rio-São Paulo Tournament: The divided trophy of Fla and Flu is forgotten". GloboEsporte.com. July 5, 2012. Retrieved June 5, 2024.
  21. ↑ "Títulos". flamengo.com.br. April 7, 2024. Retrieved June 5, 2024.
  22. ↑ "Principais Títulos". fluminense.com.br. Retrieved June 5, 2024.