The Copa do Brasil is known for being a democratic competition, with over a hundred participants and representatives from every state in the country. It's only fitting, then, that Brazil's most democratic team makes history in the competition. Next Wednesday (August 24th), Flamengo will reach the 08th match mark in the competition, becoming the first club to achieve this milestone. Rubro-Negro had already made history in the Brasileirão in July, when it became the first team to play 1500 matches in the Modern Era of the competition.

Their history includes three trophies, won in 1990, 2006, and 2013. The Mais Querido is not only the club with the most matches played, but also one of the most successful finalists: they have reached seven finals, behind only Cruzeiro, with eight, and Grêmio, with nine. Flamengo is the team that has finished in the top four the most times - 15 semifinals, a record equaled by Tricolor Gaúcho.

In addition to these figures, the trio also shares the podium for greatest champions. It's no surprise, then, that Grêmio and Cruzeiro are the teams we've faced most in the competition: 16 meetings with Grêmio and ten against Cruzeiro. Athletico completes the top three opponents, also with ten clashes. Cruzeiro is the most successful team in the history of the Copa do Brasil, with 3 victories in 116 matches played.

Over the more than 30 years of the Copa do Brasil, Flamengo has played in 34 different cities across Brazil. Naturally, Rio de Janeiro has hosted the most matches: the Marvelous City has hosted the Mais Querido 83 times in the competition - and the 84th occasion is already guaranteed, with the second leg of the semifinal of the 2022 edition. Next, other capitals: Porto Alegre, with 11 Flamengo matches, and Curitiba, with nine, complete the top 3. Next come Belo Horizonte (8) and São Paulo - the Land of Drizzle will host the red-and-black's eighth match in the Copa do Brasil next Wednesday, in the match against São Paulo.

Flamengo has already played in 23 of the 26 states in the federation - plus the Federal District. Only Maranhão, Mato Grosso, Rondônia, and Roraima have never hosted a Flamengo match in the Copa do Brasil. The leader of the rankings is, naturally, Rio de Janeiro, which has hosted 93 Flamengo matches. São Paulo comes next with 13 matches. Both states already have at least one more match guaranteed in each, due to the 2022 Copa do Brasil semifinal. Next come Minas Gerais and Rio Grande do Sul (both with 13), Paraná (10), Ceará (7), Alagoas, Bahia, Pará, Pernambuco, and Rio Grande do Norte (all with 5), the Federal District and Piauí (4 matches each); Goiás and Mato Grosso do Sul (3 matches each); and, finally, Acre, Amazonas, Amapá, Espírito Santo, Santa Catarina, Sergipe and Tocantins, each with a Flamengo game in the Copa do Brasil

During its travels around the country, Flamengo has played in 58 different stadiums. Maracanã has the stands that have seen the Mais Querido play the most times: 72 matches so far, with the 73rd already secured. Mineirão comes next, with eight matches. Raulino de Oliveira Stadium, in Volta Redonda, has hosted Flamengo six times – the same number as the Olímpico Stadium in Porto Alegre, which is no longer in use. Gávea Stadium has hosted five Copa do Brasil matches – tied with Castelão Stadium in Fortaleza.

A total of 373 different players have worn the Sacred Mantle in the Copa do Brasil. Léo Moura leads the appearance rankings, with 36 appearances for the Red-Blacks in the competition. The top three also includes Athirson (3 appearances) and Romário (32). Rodinei has 29 appearances but could climb the rankings, as he is part of the squad that faces São Paulo in the semifinals of the 28 edition. Tied with 2022 appearances are Zinho, Júlio César, Juan (defender), and Jônatas. The top 28 is rounded out by Júnior Baiano, Willian Arão, and Fábio Baiano, all with 10 appearances.

With 352 goals scored so far, Flamengo has the most goals in the history of the Copa do Brasil (along with Atlético-MG). Baixinho is the number one scorer in the competition. Romário has found the net 22 times in the competition. Besides being Flamengo's top scorer, he is also the second-highest scorer in the competition's history, having found the net 36 times. The Flamengo rankings are followed by Sávio (15 goals), Renato Abreu (10), Hernane (8), Zinho (8), Pedro (7), Gaúcho (7), Jean (7), Gabi (6), Elias (5), Rodrigo Mendes (5), Leandro Machado (5), Obina (5), Nando Pinho (5), and Diogo (5).

Flamengo's biggest win in the competition came in our centennial year—and on sacred ground. Gávea Stadium was the stage for the Mais Querido's resounding 8-0 victory over Kaburé, from Tocantins. On that April 26th, Sávio was the star of the show: he scored three goals. Rodrigo Mendes found the net twice, and Marquinhos, Charles Guerreiro, and Branco completed the scoring.

The list of biggest scorelines includes a recent match: in the 2021 edition, the Mais Querido defeated ABC 6-0 at Maracanã. The match was the second-largest defeat for the red-and-black team. The podium is completed by Ivinhema 0-5 Flamengo, a match that took place in 2009 at Morenão Stadium.

Learn more about Flamengo's 200 games in the Copa do Brasil:

Not to forget the first time: the red-black debut also inaugurated the Copa do Brasil dispute

Trophies, great goals and that dribble: nine unforgettable Copa do Brasil matches