This summer, Stockton University will be welcoming with open arms one of Brazil’s biggest soccer teams, CR Flamengo.  

The team from Rio announced that they will arrive at Stockton’s Galloway campus on June 11, ahead of its first two matches for the FIFA Club World Cup 2025™. The first match in the global tournament will be on June 16 at 9 p.m. at the Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia.

“Stockton is proud to welcome the CR Flamengo to the United States and New Jersey,” said Stockton President Joe Bertolino. “Our Athletics Department has worked hard to prepare our top-notch facilities for this event, and this will be a great opportunity to showcase our beautiful campus to CR Flamengo and the world.”

This is a huge opportunity for Stockton University, as CR Flamengo has a fan base of nearly 50 million and is reportedly the country’s most valuable soccer team. Sporting their red and black colors, the team’s mascot is a vulture. Brazilian communities across the state are elated to hear that one of the most popular teams will be visiting the university.

According to Stockton’s executive director of Athletics & Campus Recreation, Tony Berich, this is not Stockton’s first time hosting for FIFA. In 1994, Stockton University hosted the Saudi Arabia national soccer team that competed in that year’s World Cup. In addition, the university also hosted a match with Trinidad and Tobago.

The FIFA Club World Cup will be played in 11 United States cities from June 14 to July 13 and features 32 teams divided into eight different groups from six confederations around the world. Flamengo’s final game in the group stage will be against León, from Mexico, in Orlando on June 24. The top two teams from each of the groups will advance to the knockout stage.

Be sure to check out the tournament’s final, which will take place July 13 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ.