🏆 South America shines at the World Cup: Botafogo’s triumph is no fluke🌎 | OneFootball

The images of Boca Juniors fans celebrating on the beaches of Miami or the green wave of Palmeiras that overwhelms Times Square have already become iconic.

The Club World Cup continues to be the stage for the great stars of football - think of Real Madrid, PSG, Bayern Munich - but stealing the scene, in the stands and beyond, were undoubtedly the South American supporters.

💪 South America still undefeated at the World Cup

The atmosphere in the United States is vibrant, almost unreal. And making the atmosphere even more electric were the six CONMEBOL teams in the race: Boca Juniors, River Plate, Flamengo, Fluminense, Palmeiras and Botafogo played a total of eight matches without knowing defeat.

🆕 Botafogo rewrites history

But it was Botafogo who put the icing on the cake, beating European champion PSG and thus becoming the first South American club to overcome a European big in the competition since as far back as 2012. In short, South America has turned the spotlight on itself in the States.

🫶 The passion away from home

But where does this wave of enthusiasm and sporting results come from? As reported by ESPN, an important part of the answer is in the hearts of those who live far from home. The United States hosts a large community of South American fans who, despite being thousands of kilometers from their stadiums, never stop following their favorite teams. And when those teams arrive "under the house", everything turns into a collective celebration.

🤑 The Club World Cup enriches the wallet

One does not live by passion alone, however. The wallet also wants its part. The Club World Cup represents a golden opportunity for South American clubs: million-dollar prizes, global visibility, international experience.

In an economic context where many teams are forced to sell their talents to survive, every extra dollar can make a difference. Success in this showcase is not just a matter of glory, but also of perspective.

The six clubs protagonists of this edition could use the fruits of this exploit to strengthen themselves, retain the young ones longer and reduce the gap with the European powers. In short, the Club World Cup is an opportunity too good to miss.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇮🇹 here.

📸 Stu Forster - 2025 Getty Images