Orlando City SC to open new year against Brazilian giants Flamengo on January 27 at Exploria Stadium
ORLANDO – Orlando City Soccer Club will meet Clube de Regatas do Flamengo, in an FC Series friendly match at Exploria Stadium in Orlando, Florida, on the afternoon of January 27, 2024.
The match will be Orlando City’s first friendly in preparation for the 2024 season, and close Flamengo’s weeklong preseason tour in Florida, with the game kickstarting the Lions’ 10th Major League Soccer season at the same venue they called home during their inaugural campaign. The clubs met previously in Rio de Janeiro in 2015, when Flamengo got the best of the Lions, 1-0, on a late goal.
Founded in 1895, Flamengo is one of the most popular and successful soccer clubs in Brazil. With a rich history, a commitment to excellence and over 40 million supporters, Flamengo has consistently been a dominant force in Brazilian football. The club won its third Copa Libertadores title in 2022 and has also claimed the Brasileirão Série A title 8 times, the Copa do Brasil 4 times, and the Intercontinental Cup once.
Orlando City is coming off of a historic regular season, totaling 18 wins, 63 points and the second overall seed in the postseason, the highest-ever seed in team history. Setting Club records for wins and points, the Lions also posted the best road record in the league, holding a 9-4-4 regular season record away from home and collecting 31 points. They reached the Eastern Conference Semifinals in the 2023 MLS Cup Playoffs.
Public tickets go on sale Tuesday, December 12. Orlando City Season Ticket Members will have a match ticket presale, and will be contracted directly by their Member Services Representative at a later date.
Longtime FC Series sponsor Universal Orlando Resort will support the match as part of their partnership.
SATURDAY, JULY 27 - FC SERIES
ORLANDO CITY SC (USA) vs. CR FLAMENGO (BRAZIL) | 2:00 p.m. ET
Exploria Stadium
Orlando, FL
WHAT THEY ARE SAYING
FC Series / Florida Cup CEO Ricardo Villar
“We are thrilled to return to our traditional January preseason window focused on top South American clubs. We look forward to providing a first-class experience to Flamengo while in town as the FC Series returns to Exploria Stadium for a record-setting 11th match.”
Flamengo Vice President for Communications and Marketing Gustavo Oliveira
“This pre-season in the United States, including games with MLS semifinalists, is a great opportunity to grow the Flamengo brand inside the very important American market, where we will play in the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup. With the 2026 FIFA World Cup and the investments that are being made by the country, world football has in the United Stated, a new, enormous point of attention. Flamengo, as major European clubs, are alert to this and will, more and more, reinforce their presence in the country, may that be with work on social media focused on the American public, may it be by way of in person events of the Flamengo brand, as this pre-season will be.”
Orlando City SC EVP of Soccer Operations and General Manager Luiz Muzzi
“Flamengo is one of the most historic clubs in Brazil, with the most on-the-field national championships, three Libertadores titles and a world championship. This is both an exciting way to open the new year for our supporters and a great test for our team, as we look toward a 2024 that also includes Concacaf Champions Cup early on. We’re excited to have the eyes of the Nação on Orlando during this time and are hopeful that this match will be the springboard for a very successful 2024 for our team and fans."
About FC Series / Florida Cup
The largest annual international soccer event in the Sunshine State, the FC Series is a global platform that combines sports, music and entertainment. In 2023, the event was broadcasted live to over 100 countries. Across social networks, content posted by official event pages and shared worldwide reached more than 100 million people. In 2022, the event expanded to the FC Series featuring multiple matches across the United States. For more information on the FC Series, visit FCSeries.com, or follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and TikTok.
About Florida Citrus Sports
Florida Citrus Sports is a not-for-profit event management organization dedicated to positively impacting the Orlando region while enhancing the quality of life in Central Florida through world-class events, including the Cheez-it Citrus Bowl, the Pop Tarts Bowl, the Florida Blue Florida Classic, the FC Series and the Camping World Kickoff. For more information, visit FloridaCitrusSports.com.
About Orlando City SC
Orlando City SC joined Major League Soccer (MLS) as the league's 21st franchise in November 2013, becoming the first MLS team in the Southeast. The Lions began league play in March 2015, and in 2017, moved into its privately-owned downtown soccer stadium. In 2022, Orlando City SC re-launched OCB as a founding member of MLS NEXT Pro to bridge the gap between its successful youth development academy and the First Team.
In November 2015, the Club announced its intention to bring professional women's soccer to Central Florida and launched Orlando Pride in National Women's Soccer League. The Pride began league play in April 2016 with a star-studded team of FIFA World Cup Champions. For more information, visit orlandocitysc.com or orlando-pride.com.
About Clube de Regatas Flamengo
Flamengo is the greatest soccer brand in Brazil. The club, recognized by its iconic red and black jersey, is known for having the biggest number of supporters in the whole planet - more than 48 million fans worldwide. Established in 1895, Flamengo has won many titles in multiple sports during those 128 years. In football, the most loved sport in our country, we have won 8 Brazilian Leagues, 4 Brazilian Cups, 37 Rio state leagues, 3 Libertadores Cups and the 1981 FIFA Club World Cup. The biggest names in Brazilian soccer history have played for Flamengo, including Zico, Junior, Leonardo, Romario, Socrates, Adriano and even Pelé, once, in a friendly match.
Nowadays the club is known for having the most professional structure in the national scenario. After years of planning and money-saving, Flamengo is now unleashing its full potential by attracting bigger sponsors and spending that money in infrastructure improvements and players. The restructuring years have turned into trophies: last season, the club once again became state, national and continental soccer champions. Among the olympic sports, Flamengo won the rowing, basketball, gymnastics and synchronised swimming national championships.
