A club accustomed to glory and the path to it: this is Flamengo. With its victory over Botafogo in the 2017 semifinal, the "Mais Querido" secured its place in the final and cemented its position as one of the competition's most traditional teams. This will be the seventh time the "Rubro-Negro" has reached the final. being the second club that has played the most finals - behind only Grêmio, which has played eight times. Interestingly, the Mais Querido shares second place with the other finalist: Cruzeiro, which has also played seven finals.

Flamengo has participated in the Copa do Brasil in 21 of its 28 editions. In more than half of its appearances, it reached at least the semifinals: 11 times, qualifying among the top four. This number is surpassed only by Grêmio, which has played in 12 semifinals in 24 appearances.

The first title came in the second edition of the tournament: in 1990, the title was decided against Goiás. The trophy was clinched on November 7th at the Serra Dourada stadium. The Rubro-Negro won the first leg 1-0 – a goal by defender Fernando, who was sent off before the end of the match. The 0-0 draw in the return leg meant the title for the Mais Querido, whose squad included players like Piá, Júnior, Djalminha, Renato Gaúcho, Marcelinho, Zinho, and Gaúcho.

Exactly 20 years ago, Grêmio and Flamengo decided the Copa do Brasil. And it was a bucket of cold water for the red-and-blacks. The score remained 0-0 at the Olympic Stadium, forcing the decision to the return leg at the Maracanã. Grêmio took the lead. Lúcio and Romário turned the score around before halftime, but Carlos Miguel equalized 11 minutes from time. The 2-2 draw was enough for the trophy to go to the team from Rio Grande do Sul.

In 2003, after eliminating only teams from the North and Northeast of the country (Botafogo-PB, Ceará, Remo, Vitória, and Sport), it was the Mais Querido's turn to face Cruzeiro. The first game, at the Maracanã, ended in a hard-fought draw. The team of Alex, Deivid, and Aristizábal opened the scoring, and Fernando Baiano scored the equalizer in stoppage time. In the return leg, the blue team prevailed and won 3-1.

The following year, the title once again came within striking distance. Flamengo was defeated by Santo André in the final, but redemption would come two years later.

It was the first time a state-level derby decided the Copa do Brasil. Flamengo and Vasco, the derby of millions. And, as happened every time the teams met in finals after 1988, the Red-Blacks took the title. In the first leg, Obina and Luizão built a solid lead. The return leg saw the Red-Blacks once again dominate. The title was sealed thanks to Juan's goal, scored in the 28th minute.

The Mais Querido would go another seven years without competing in the final. In 2013, they defeated Remo, Campinense, Cruzeiro, Botafogo, and Goiás before reaching the final. The red-and-black clash against Atlético-PR began at the Durival de Britto stadium. The home team opened the scoring, but Amaral scored a stunning goal to equalize. The Maracanã was packed for the return leg to watch the Mais Querido perform. Without giving their opponents any warning, Flamengo took a 2-0 lead—with Elias and Hernane scoring—and won the third title.