Flamengo vs Botafogo: watch live, kickoff time and pre-match chaos
Flamengo host Botafogo at the Maracanã on Sunday, August 30, 2026, at 4 p.m. Brasília time in Brasileirão round 25. TV Globo, Premiere, and ge tv carry the classic live. Rubber bullets were fired to break up a scuffle among Botafogo fans outside the stadium before a near-sellout crowd of nearly 60,000.
The flamengo botafogo derby arrives with more than three points on the line. Flamengo sit second with 45 points, chasing leader Palmeiras by six, while Botafogo are 12th on 30 points after three straight defeats and a Copa Sudamericana exit. For fans tracking the strangest stories from global sport, our Bizarre World section covers clashes where stadium drama starts before kickoff.
Key Takeaways
- Kickoff is 4 p.m. Brasília time at the Maracanã; TV Globo, Premiere, and ge tv broadcast the match.
- Police used rubber bullets to control a Botafogo supporter scuffle outside the stadium before entry resumed.
- Flamengo (45 pts) chase Palmeiras; Botafogo (30 pts) need a road win after a slump.
- Probable lineups feature Pedro and Arrascaeta for Flamengo; Arthur Cabral and Danilo Pereira for Botafogo.
- Bookmakers list Flamengo as heavy favorites at 1.33 odds.
Where can you watch Flamengo vs Botafogo live?
The round-25 clash streams on TV Globo, Premiere, and ge tv. Viewers can also follow via Globoplay and ge.globo, with live minute-by-minute coverage on the ge platform.
Kickoff is set for 4 p.m. Brasília time on August 30, 2026. Globo had promoted coverage from 3:30 p.m., building toward a pre-match show featuring Dudu Nobre and the Charanga Rubro-Negra.
What happened before fans even reached their seats?
Botafogo supporters arriving at the Maracanã on Sunday afternoon triggered a brief stampede outside the stadium, according to A Tribuna RJ. Military police intervened with rubber-bullet rounds to disperse the group and restore order.
Once the perimeter was secured, entry returned to normal under reinforced policing. The episode added another layer of tension to a derby already thick with title-race and relegation-zone pressure.
What are the probable lineups for Flamengo vs Botafogo?
Flamengo (Leonardo Jardim): Rossi; Royal, Léo Ortiz, Léo Pereira, Ayrton Lucas; Pulgar, Jorginho, Arrascaeta; Carrascal (or Paquetá), Samuel Lino, Pedro. Léo Pereira returns after rest; Plata is gone after his move to Dynamo Moscow.
Flamengo miss Bruno Henrique (suspended), Alex Sandro, Vitão, and De la Cruz (injured). Pulgar, Cebolinha, Paquetá, Luiz Araújo, Plata, Samuel Lino, and Vitão are on yellow-card watch.
Botafogo (Rodrigo Bellão): Gabriel Batista; Vitinho, Ferraresi, Justino, Telles; Huguinho, Medina, Danilo; Montoro; Arthur Cabral, Danilo Pereira. Danilo returns from muscle discomfort; Huguinho is back in the XI; Arthur Cabral returns from suspension.
Botafogo are without Kaio Pantaleão, Paulinho, and Barrera. Edenílson, Arthur Cabral, Ferraresi, Junior Santos, Kadir, and Villalba carry caution flags.
Referee Alex Gomes Stefano (RJ) leads the crew, with VAR overseen by Daniel Nobre Bins (RS), per Globo Esporte.
Why does this Flamengo vs Botafogo clash matter so much?
Flamengo ended a 13-match unbeaten run with defeat at Cruzeiro and still trail Palmeiras by six points with a game in hand. At home, they will unveil the largest 3D mosaic ever at the Maracanã—46 meters wide and 25 meters tall—and have sold nearly 60,000 tickets.
Botafogo have not scheduled their postponed Grêmio fixture and arrive on a four-game skid that included elimination to Cienciano in the Sudamericana. They sit six points above the drop zone and nine outside the Libertadores places.
Statistically, Sporting News notes Flamengo average 1.96 goals per game while conceding just 0.91, with Pedro leading the league on 15 strikes. Botafogo match their rivals on shot volume but ship 1.61 goals per game. Flamengo have won four of the last five head-to-head meetings; bookmakers price a home win at 1.33, a draw at 3.50, and a Botafogo upset at 4.75.