"This Club World Cup is simply a imagination travel existent for Brazil fans," says South American shot adept Tim Vickery, speaking from Rio de Janeiro.
"Every autobus stop, each h2o cooler... everyone is talking astir it. It's full-on."
While Britain sleeps, with immoderate games astatine the newly-expanded tourney successful the United States kicking-off astatine 02:00 BST, Brazil is going chaotic for it.
And nary wonder.
Millions of shot fans are glued to tv sets pursuing the fortunes of Rio-based teams Botafogo, Flamengo and Fluminense - arsenic good arsenic Palmeiras, who are based successful Sao Paulo.
And it is simply a lawsuit of truthful far, truthful good.
All 4 person progressed from their respective groups to the last-16 aft immoderate eye-catching results which person near fans asking if a squad from Brazil tin triumph the Club World Cup for the archetypal clip since 2012?
Botafogo have beaten newly-crowned champions of Europe Paris St-Germain, Flamengo turned a 1-0 shortage into a 3-1 triumph over Chelsea, portion Fluminense and Palmeiras person held Borussia Dortmund and Porto respectively.
The United States is hosting astir of the games astatine the 2026 World Cup adjacent summer. Canada and Mexico are besides co-hosts.
If a squad from Brazil wins the Club World Cup, what volition that accidental astir the chances of the Brazil nationalist squad winning the World Cup for a sixth time?
"I didn't expect that, astir radical successful Brazil didn't expect that," Brazilian sports writer Renata Mendonca, speaking to BBC World Service Sport, says astir each 4 Brazilian teams advancing.
"The mode they privation to amusement the world... the Brazilian teams are bully capable and could beryllium astatine the apical of the world.
"This motivates them a lot."
Atletico Madrid and Porto person already been sent packing, portion some teams from Argentina - Boca Juniors and River Plate - person besides been eliminated.
Brazil's quartet, however, march on.
At slightest 1 is guaranteed a spot successful the quarter-finals.
That's due to the fact that Palmeiras and Botafogo person been drawn against 1 different successful an all-Brazil showdown successful Philadelphia connected Saturday (17:00 BST kick-off).
Meanwhile, Flamengo look Bayern Munich connected Sunday (21:00), portion Fluminense conscionable Inter Milan connected Monday (20:00).
"This tourney is simply a precedence successful the mode an Olympic jock volition bash each of his grooming and programming to highest astatine a circumstantial time," Vickery tells BBC Sport.
"Certainly for Flamengo and Palmeiras, who truly privation to triumph it. This is an implicit precedence for them and they person programmed to beryllium astatine their highest now."
Is the climate, which the Brazilian teams are utilized to, helping springiness them an edge?
Both Chelsea brag Enzo Maresca and Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola person mentioned the utmost vigor since the tourney started.
Chelsea trained successful 37C earlier their 3-0 radical triumph implicit ES Tunis successful Philadelphia.
"It is astir intolerable to bid oregon to marque a league due to the fact that of the weather," said Maresca earlier this week, portion Guardiola said earlier Thursday's lucifer with Juventus that his players must beryllium prepared to "suffer" successful the challenging vigor of Orlando.
The soaring temperatures crossed the United States person led to matches crossed the contention implementing h2o breaks during games.
But not each players person struggled successful the heat.
"We're utilized to it," Botafogo right-back Vitinho, who spent 2 years astatine Burnley, said of the precocious temperatures. "I anticipation that it works successful our favour."
Another origin to see is that each 4 teams from Brazil person breached distant from their home season, which runs from March until December, to instrumentality part.
While they look caller and sharp, teams from Europe went into the Club World Cup connected the backmost of agelong seasons.
PSG's archetypal crippled against Atletico Madrid successful Pasadena connected 15 June came 15 days aft their 5-0 mauling of Inter Milan successful the Champions League last successful Munich.
Vickery adds: "A fewer weeks agone the Flamengo president was saying to a mate of excavation 'we're flying successful mid-season'.
"For the European clubs... is the extremity of their season? Is it pre-season? The European clubs, their readying hasn't been to highest now."
Vickery believes determination is thing other to origin into the speech astir Brazilian clubs doing well.
"There is much wealth successful Brazilian football," helium says.
"The modular has risen implicit the past fewer seasons. One crushed is due to the fact that of the influx of overseas coaches.
"Of the 4 Brazilian clubs present - 2 person Portuguese coaches [Abel Ferreira - Palmeiras and Renato Paiva - Botafogo].
"There's plentifulness of Portuguese and Argentine coaches successful Brazilian shot and it's brought much ideas. Even Filipe Luis, the Brazilian coaching Flamengo, his backup unit are each Spanish.
"There's an openness to caller ideas that determination wasn't a fewer years ago."
Mendonca adds: "The timing of this contention is precise bully for South American teams. They are successful the mediate of their season, they are precise good prepared physically.
"They person amended conditions present to support their talented players and adjacent bring backmost immoderate players. Flamengo, for example, signed Jorginho aft leaving Arsenal, portion Danilo and Alex Sandro person travel from Juventus.
"Also Botafogo, they person kept Igor Jesus for this competition. After this helium volition spell to Nottingham Forest.
"These are aspects that explicate wherefore Brazilian teams are performing precise well."
Tens of thousands of fans person travelled from Brazil to cheer their respective clubs astatine the Club World Cup.
And they person proved 1 of the highlights of the tourney truthful far, with vibrant atmospheres astatine each of their games.
Brazil person already qualified for adjacent summer's World Cup, but Vickery does not judge the show of the nine teams volition person immoderate bearing connected however Carlo Ancelotti's broadside execute adjacent year.
"What the performances of the Brazilian clubs item is the spot of nationalist teams similar Colombia and Uruguay," helium adds.
"Palmeiras, Botafogo, Flamengo and Fluminense...a batch of their champion players are not Brazilians.
"The mode that European shot treats Brazil, Brazilian shot present treats the remainder of South America. You person got 2 of the midfielders for Colombia - Richard Rios of Palmeiras and Jhon Arias of Fluminense.
"Gustavo Gomez, a centre-back for Paraguay, plays for Palmeiras and Jefferson Savarino, who plays for Venezuela, made the extremity for Botafogo against PSG.
"That's the exemplary - Brazil sells its champion players to Europe and 1 of the ways they replenish them is from neighbouring countries successful South America."
Flamengo: Brazil's signifier squad going successful the tournament, topping this season's home league.
They earned their spot successful the tourney by winning the Copa Liberatodores successful 2022, their 3rd triumph.
They stunned Chelsea with a 3-1 triumph to decorativeness apical of their radical unbeaten.
Fluminense: It has been a rollercoaster fewer years for Fluminense, having won the Copa Libertadores successful 2023 for the archetypal time.
They followed that up by astir being relegated from Brazil's apical formation past play - conscionable avoiding the embarrassment of being successful the Club World Cup and the country's 2nd tier.
This play they are sixth aft 11 games and are captained by erstwhile Chelsea defender Thiago Silva. They besides person the oldest subordinate successful the tournament, 44-year-old goalkeeper Fabio.
Palmeiras: One of South America's astir fashionable club, they are nary alien to occurrence during their 115-year history.
They person won 57 trophies, including 3 Copa Libertadores - the South American equivalent of the Champions League. They were the champions of Brazil astir precocious successful 2023.
Their prima subordinate is 18-year-old guardant Estevao, who volition beryllium joining Chelsea aft the tournament, having antecedently sold Endrick to Real Madrid.
Botafogo: The large astonishment squad successful the tourney truthful acold aft beating European champions PSG to triumph their group.
They dominated South America successful 2024, winning some the Copa Libertadores and the Brazilian championship. This play has been a conflict though aft the departure of cardinal players.
Their rise, nether the ownership of John Textor, has been singular going from indebtedness ridden to apical of the South American game.
Striker Igor Jesus remains though and is wide expected to articulation Nottingham Forest astatine the extremity of the tournament.
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