How Palmeiras and Flamengo built their rule in the Libertadores and ruled the continent

Decide again about the final match Libertadores It is proof that Palmeiras and Flamengo dominate Brazilian and South American football. One of them will be the first Brazilian team to win the Confederations Cup four times and will leave Gremio behind, Sao Paulo and SantosThey are three-time champions.

For several years the two clubs dominated South America’s main competition. Until the last decade, each had only one title. But they reorganized themselves financially, became powerful and began accumulating trophies, including the Copa Libertadores.

Palmeiras’ dominance over the continent began at the beginning of this decade. Champion for the first time in 1999, the team has always had tradition. “Beliva,” as the Argentines call it, had participated in other finals, but won only one title.

Until the Sao Paulo team, under the leadership of Abel Ferreira, achieved eternal glory twice in a row, in 2020 by defeating Santos in the Maracanã, and 2021 by defeating Flamengo in Montevideo. It then consolidated itself as a power in South America.

The numbers prove it. Among Brazilian clubs, Palmeiras dominates all the statistics: it is the Brazilian that has played in the most finals (seven, as of Saturday), the most semi-finals (12), the most editions (25), the most consecutive appearances (10) and the most matches won and goals scored.

The stability of the project, with Abel Ferreira’s longevity in his position, mental strength in decisive matches, the use of youth teams, and positive performance away from home, are some of the factors that explain Palmeiras’ success in the Libertadores Championship, a tournament that has become their obsession, as the fans sing about it.

In this edition, Alverde’s team lost only one match out of 12 on its way to the final. He won 10 of them and tied once. 30 goals were scored. Palmeiras was undefeated in the first stage, had the best season in the tournament and could always play at home until the semi-finals.

“These are teams that have very specific processes, have professional management and are able to buy and sell players. I found Palmeiras in a very good phase,” summed up coach Abel Ferreira.

Flamengo was reborn sportingly following the 2013-16 financial restructuring, which eliminated debt and allowed the club to make aggressive investments from 2018 onwards. The signing of Jorge Jesus in 2019 opened the most dominant period in the competition’s modern history, with attacking and heroic football.

With stars like Gabigol, Arascaita, Bruno Henrique and Everton RibeiroFlamengo began competing in consecutive finals. He won the second and third Libertadores titles in 2019 and 2022, and finished runner-up in 2021, and in 2025 he reaches his fourth decision in six years.

In 2019, this team coached by Jorge Jesus, who charmed everyone, won their second Copa Libertadores by defeating River Plate in the last minutes in Lima. In 2022, together with Dorival Junior, he achieved eternal glory in Ecuador and became a three-time champion with a decision victory over Atlético PR.