Lima’s streets and squares packed to the brim with Flamengo fans, in red and black shirts, green and white palm trees, is the postcard of the last few days in the Peruvian capital. They are part of more than 50,000 tourists expected to arrive in Lima, according to the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Tourism (Mincetur), to attend the final of the Copa Libertadores, the most important club tournament on the South American continent. The Brazilian teams will play the grand final on Saturday at 4:00 p.m. (local time), at the Monumental d’Ati stadium, which is expected to receive 80,000 spectators.
The event has already seen its first tragic note after a Brazilian fan died after hitting his head on a bridge, according to FIFA.com. commerce. The victim was a 38-year-old urologist from São Paulo. Many witnesses indicated that the man was on board a Mirabus, a type of tourist transport, dancing and celebrating while standing, when his head collided with the structure of a bridge.
Fans arrived in Peru by air, land and sea. Some did so from the cities of Tabatinga or Manaus in Brazil, passing through the Peruvian island of Santa Rosa, on the Amazon border, then arriving by boat to the city of Iquitos, and finally taking a plane to Lima. Others arrived across the country’s southern border, via Puno and Tacna; While the most direct route, although more expensive, was the flight without connections to Lima Airport. This massive influx of travelers required multiple meetings between the police, immigration, CONMEBOL, and the Brazilian embassy.
This Friday, hundreds of fans MinghaoEntire families, groups of friends and parents with their children gathered in a park in Lima to raise the flag before the final. The fans’ dream is for Flamengo to become the first Brazilian team to reach the Copa Libertadores four times. However, it is the same goal that Palmeiras is pursuing. In Maria Reici Park, in Miraflores, brothers Tamiris Larriba, 35, and Americo Vasconcelos, 15, say they traveled to Lima to fulfill a young boy’s dream: to see a hero. FloridaDespite the fact that Tamiris is a Corinthians fan. “When Corinthians plays against Flamengo, we don’t talk to each other,” he says with a laugh. However, on this trip that Tamyris takes to her brother for his birthday, they both cheer for the Red and Black’s victory. “The love of Flamengo calls us, and the team chooses us,” says Américo.
For days, Lima experiences football fever as the streets are filled with Flamengo and Palmeiras fans, who, in addition to their rivals, have some of the biggest fans in Brazil. Most visitors are concentrated in Miraflores, Barranco and San Isidro, where they walk the streets from morning until dawn and fill the bars and restaurants. At night they are the heroes of songs and dances. The uproar was so great that users on social networks called it “Lima de Janeiro” these days. Mincetur estimates an income of more than $70 million for the finalist.
Outside the Hyatt Hotel, where the Palmeiras team is staying, a small group of fans wait for the players to take pictures. There is Pedro Lourenco, 35 years old, his father Pedro, 60 years old, and his daughter Maria Eduarda, only 10 years old. She has been a fan since birth. Verdau And who always goes to see him on the field. The three generations have arrived in Lima: “It was a promise that, if Palmeiras reaches the final, we will see it. The three of us,” says the father. “We are always together, in all celebrations,” the grandfather adds.
However, fans were also the heroes of confrontations on public roads, a situation that alarmed neighbours, who reported little police presence. Added to this is the consumption of alcoholic beverages on the street – banned in Lima – and litter on the road after the celebrations. Subsequently, police confirmed that more than 1,600 officers would be deployed in the Monumental Stadium area on Saturday. And, as stated commerceThe municipalities of the three provinces hosting the largest number of fans have deployed security plans in cooperation with the police, the army and Serenazjo, a type of municipal security.
This is not the first time that the most anticipated final for the South American national team has been held on Peruvian soil. In 2019, the same Monumental Stadium hosted this final. In fact, that year, Flamengo won the championship, after defeating Argentina’s River Plate 2-1. In 2025, a Brazilian team will win the Copa Libertadores for the seventh time in a row, although both reach the goal of winning the tournament four times. The last match in which Flamengo and Palmeiras faced each other was in October of this year, with both teams winning Florida As a local. But the memories of the 2021 Libertadores final are different: when Palmeiras beat them 2-1.
Andre Costa, 51, traveled from Rio de Janeiro to watch Flamengo’s final in Lima for the second time. This time he arrived with several friends and nephews. They are passionate about the game and believe the team’s chances of winning this year are greater than they were in 2019. Everyone gives luck with a different outcome, but everyone can see the same hope and admit to a lot of nerves.
There is another group of Flamengo fans who have not yet arrived in Lima. They traveled in a caravan for several days and shared the trip on social networks. They left Brazil and passed through Bolivia to enter Peru from the south. They crossed the Andes mountain range and passed through cities more than 4,000 meters above sea level. Now they continue the journey to reach the Peruvian capital before Saturday at 4:00 pm.