Flamengo and Botafogo meet on Sunday, August 30, 2026, at 4 p.m. at the Maracanã, in the 25th round of the Campeonato Brasileiro. The official match page on the CBF website lists Globo, ge tv and Premiere as broadcasters. The basic service information for the derby is therefore already defined; what can still change before kickoff is mainly the medical and disciplinary situation of the two squads.
The information below reflects the scenario available on the morning of August 24. This time frame matters because Botafogo still face Athletico-PR this Monday, in the 24th round, and could arrive at the derby with a new position in the standings and even additional suspensions.
Flamengo vs Botafogo: date, kickoff time, venue and where to watch
The derby is scheduled for Sunday, August 30, at 4 p.m., at the Maracanã in Rio de Janeiro. The CBF lists the match as game 241 of the 25th round of the 2026 Serie A and names Globo, ge tv and Premiere as broadcasters.
Flamengo have also already opened ticket sales operations as the home club, while Botafogo released service information for the visiting supporters. This reinforces that the date, kickoff time and stadium are already consolidated across the official channels of the clubs and the competition.
How Flamengo arrive for the derby
Flamengo enter derby week in second place in the Brasileirão, with 45 points. The team lost 2-1 to Cruzeiro at the Mineirão on Saturday, August 22, after Pedro opened the scoring and Cruzeiro completed the comeback in the second half. The result prevented Flamengo from closing the gap to the lead further.
On Sunday, Palmeiras thrashed Vasco 4-1 and reached 51 points. Flamengo therefore begin the week six points behind the leaders, although they have a game in hand. The pressure for a response in the derby increases because the team had created good chances against Cruzeiro but returned from the Mineirão without a point.
There is, however, a scheduling advantage before the match against Botafogo. Flamengo do not have a midweek fixture and will have free days to recover the squad and prepare for the derby at the Maracanã. Leonardo Jardim’s staff had been managing fatigue and rotating players in August, including after the sequence against Cruzeiro in the Libertadores and the league.
How Botafogo arrive for the derby
Botafogo are in a more unstable situation. On the morning of August 24, before facing Athletico-PR at the Nilton Santos, the team have 30 points and sit in the middle area of the table. They were coming off a 1-0 loss to Vitória in the league and, in the Copa Sudamericana, beat Cienciano 1-0 in Rio but were eliminated because of the heavy defeat suffered in the first leg in Peru.
The coaching change also weighs on the context. Botafogo dismissed Franclim Carvalho on August 18 and placed under-20 coach Rodrigo Bellão in interim charge. Bellão led the team against Cienciano and remains in charge for the match against Athletico-PR. As of Monday morning, there had been no official announcement of a new permanent coach to take charge for the derby.
Monday’s match is decisive for interpreting Botafogo’s real situation before August 30. A win can change both their position and the atmosphere around the team, while cards and physical problems can alter the list of available players. For that reason, any projected lineup for Flamengo vs Botafogo made before that fixture is still provisional.
Which absences can already be treated as confirmed
For Flamengo, Vitão is the clearest absence for the derby at this point. The center-back is treating a muscle injury in his left thigh, and the most recent updates indicate that he will still need a few weeks before returning. Given that timetable, his absence on August 30 can be treated as confirmed.
Alex Sandro and De la Cruz are also in the medical department. Alex Sandro had been recovering from pain in his right calf associated with tendinitis, while De la Cruz is treating a muscle injury in his left thigh. Both missed recent matches, but the information available through August 24 does not establish a timetable as definitive as Vitão’s for the derby. It is therefore more accurate to classify them as
medical doubts under monitoring, rather than confirmed absences for August 30.
For Botafogo, Kaio Pantaleão is a confirmed absentee. The center-back remains in recovery from a serious injury, with the reported return projected only for October. He therefore will not be available for the derby at the Maracanã.
Warleson requires a different classification. The goalkeeper received 15 stitches in his chin after a challenge against Cienciano and is out of the match against Athletico-PR. The club is monitoring the healing process, and there is not yet enough confirmation to state that he will also miss the August 30 game. His situation should be reassessed during the week.
Arthur Cabral, meanwhile, serves a suspension this Monday against Athletico-PR after being sent off against Vitória. That suspension, by itself, is served before the derby and does not mean an automatic absence against Flamengo. Any additional disciplinary sanction would have to be confirmed separately.
Botafogo’s Monday match could create new suspensions
The main reason the list of absences is not yet closed is the calendar. Botafogo face Athletico-PR six days before the derby and have players at disciplinary risk. Ferraresi, Júnior Santos, Kadir, Matheus Martins and Villalba are among the names being monitored because of cards for the round.
If any player reaches the card limit established by the competition regulations during Monday’s game, he could become unavailable for the Maracanã. For that reason, the final confirmation of Botafogo’s suspended players can only be made after the end of the 24th round and the update of the disciplinary records.
For Flamengo, the week without a match reduces this type of uncertainty. The red-and-black side’s situation should depend more on the physical progress of the players receiving treatment and on Leonardo Jardim’s decisions in preparation.
What the first meeting says about the matchup
Flamengo and Botafogo have already met in the 2026 Brasileirão. On March 14, at the Nilton Santos, Flamengo won 3-0, with goals from Samuel Lino, Léo Pereira and Pedro. The result is useful context, but it should not be treated as a direct prediction for the rematch.
Since that game, Botafogo have gone through coaching changes and squad adjustments. Flamengo are also at a different stage of the season, with Leonardo Jardim in charge and a direct fight near the top of the table. The August 30 derby therefore arrives in a different competitive scenario from the first meeting.
What to watch through Sunday
For Flamengo, the main update will be medical. Vitão is already out, while Alex Sandro and De la Cruz need to be monitored in training during the week. Because the squad will have a longer break without games, the coaching staff will also be able to manage players who had been accumulating minutes more carefully.
For Botafogo, the first checkpoint is the match against Athletico-PR. The result changes the reading of the table and the team’s emotional moment, while cards can produce new suspensions. After that, attention shifts to Warleson’s recovery and to any decision regarding the coaching position.
There is also an operational point at the Maracanã: the pitch entered an intensive recovery process this week, with work aimed at reaching better conditions for the derby. The expectation is that the stadium remains confirmed as normal, but the condition of the field will be one of the elements monitored through Sunday.
Summary of the scenario before Flamengo vs Botafogo
What is already settled is straightforward: Flamengo vs Botafogo will be played on Sunday, August 30, at 4 p.m. at the Maracanã, in the 25th round of the Brasileirão, with Globo, ge tv and Premiere listed by the CBF. Flamengo arrive in second place with 45 points and are trying to respond after the defeat to Cruzeiro; Botafogo still need to complete their 24th-round match against Athletico-PR before their position and overall atmosphere are definitively updated for the derby.
Among the absences, Vitão of Flamengo and Kaio Pantaleão of Botafogo are the cases most clearly confirmed for August 30 based on the recovery timelines currently available. Alex Sandro, De la Cruz and Warleson remain in situations that require another check during the week. Botafogo’s list of suspended players can also change after Monday’s game.
For anyone planning to follow the derby, the safest approach is to check the official CBF and club channels again toward the end of the week, when medical updates, matchday squad lists and any suspensions will be closer to a final definition.
