The history of Botafogo de Futebol e Regatas begins in 1891 with the founding of Grupo de Regatas Botafogo in Rio de Janeiro. In 1894, it became Club de Regatas Botafogo. Separately, Botafogo Football Club was established in 1904. In 1942, the two entities merged to form Botafogo de Futebol e Regatas, now one of Brazil's most prominent sports institutions.

Recognized by the five-pointed star on its emblem—earning it the nickname Estrela Solitária ("Lone Star Club")—Botafogo's official colors are black and white. Since 2007, the club has played its football matches at Nilton Santos Stadium, formerly known as Engenhão. Its main rivals are Flamengo, Fluminense, and Vasco da Gama.

FIFA included Botafogo among the greatest clubs of the 20th century. Major titles include the 2024 Copa Libertadores, 21 Carioca Championships, four Rio-São Paulo Tournaments, two Brazilian Championships, and a CONMEBOL Cup (precursor of the current Copa Sudamericana).

Botafogo also holds notable records in Brazilian football: a 52-match unbeaten run (1977–1978), a 42-match unbeaten streak in the Brazilian National team during the same period, the highest number of player appearances in Brazilian national team matches (1,100, including unofficial games), and the most players sent to the World cup. The club also achieved the largest victory in Brazilian football history: 24–0 over Sport Club Mangueira in the 1909 Carioca Championship.

Foundation

Predecessors

Botafogo de Futebol e Regatas traces its roots to 1891, when members of the Clube Guanabarense (founded in 1874) established the Grupo de Regatas Botafogo, led by rower Luiz Caldas, known as Almirante. Following Caldas' death in 1894, the group was formalized as Club de Regatas Botafogo, with its headquarters located in a mansion near Morro do Pasmado, at the southern end of Botafogo Beach.

On 12 August 1904, in parallel to the regatta club, a new football team, the Electro Club, was created on the initiative of Flávio Ramos and Emmanuel Sodré, two young men between 14 and 15 years old who studied together at Colégio Alfredo Gomes. A little over a month later, the name of the association was changed to Botafogo Football Club, at the suggestion of Flávio's maternal grandmother, known as Dona Chiquitota.

Club de Regatas Botafogo In 1891, with the participation of members from the Guanabarense Club, founded in 1874, the Grupo de Regatas Botafogo was established by rower , known as Almirante. During the Revolt of the Navy, two revolutionary leaders, Admiral Custódio de Melo and Commander Guilherme Frederico de Lorena, had their sons, João Carlos de Melo (John) and Frederico Lorena (Fritz), as members of the group. Their involvement raised government suspicions, leading to the group being forced to cease activities. As a result, John and Fritz left Rio de Janeiro, and Luiz Caldas was arrested.

Caldas died in late June 1894. The remaining members of the group then organized the founding of the club. With forty members, the Club de Regatas Botafogo was established on July 1, 1894.

The club's headquarters were located in a now-demolished mansion on the south side of Botafogo Beach, near Morro do Pasmado, where Avenida Pasteur ends today. The founders included Alberto Lisboa da Cunha, Arnaldo Pereira Braga, Arthur Galvão, Augusto Martins, Carlos de Souza Freire, Eduardo Fonseca, Frederico Lorena, Henrique Jacutinga, João Penaforte, José Maria Dias Braga, Julio Kreisler, Julio Ribas Junior, Luiz Fonseca Quintanilha Jordão, Oscar Lisboa da Cunha, and Paulo Ernesto de Azevedo. The boat Diva, launched in 1899, became a legend on Guanabara Bay by winning all 22 regattas it entered, earning the club the Rio de Janeiro championship that year.

Club de Regatas Botafogo was the first team from Rio de Janeiro to win a Brazilian championship in any sport, achieved in October 1902 through the victory of athlete Antônio Mendes de Oliveira Castro, who later became the club's president.

On October 25, 1903, before the founding of Botafogo Football Club, Botafogo rowers joined Flamengo rowers for a friendly football match. The Botafogo team—comprising W. Schuback, C. Freire, Oscar Cox, A. Shorts, M. Rocha, R. Rocha, G. Masset, F. Frias Júnior, Horácio Costa Santos, N. Hime, and H. Chaves Júnior—defeated Flamengo 5–1 at the Paissandu pitch. Some Botafogo players were also part of the newly formed Fluminense team.

Though Club de Regatas and the Football Club were separate, there was a sense of unity between them. In 1942, during a match in the Carioca Basketball Championship, Botafogo FC player Armando Albano collapsed and died on the court. Following this, the clubs' presidents initiated the merger process that led to the creation of Botafogo de Futebol e Regatas. The union was finalized on December 8, 1942, marking the official dissolution of Club de Regatas Botafogo.

Botafogo de Futebol e Regatas Born from the union of Club de Regatas Botafogo and Botafogo Football Club, Botafogo de Futebol e Regatas was officially founded on 8 December 1942, the day of the Immaculate Conception, the club's patron saint. Discussions about the merger had begun as early as 1931 but faced resistance. Figures such as rowing historian Antônio Mendes de Oliveira Castro and football representative João Saldanha opposed it, alleging that Regatas was influenced by Fluminense supporters—Botafogo's rival and the only major Rio club without a rowing department.

The merger was ultimately prompted by a tragedy. On 11 June 1942, during a basketball match for the Carioca Championship between the two Botafogo clubs, football player Armando Albano, also a Brazilian National Team team member, collapsed during halftime. He had arrived late from work and collapsed after bending to pick up a ball. Despite efforts to revive him, he died during the second half. The match was stopped at 23–21 in favor of the football club. As a tribute, Club de Regatas Botafogo ceded the match, allowing Albano a symbolic final victory. Deeply moved, the leaders of both clubs decided to proceed with the merger. Statements from both presidents reflected this unity:

The merger process began immediately and was formalized about six months later. The new club retained the black and white striped flag, but the emblem with the intertwined "BFC" was replaced by a black shield with a white Lone Star. The rowing badge was also modified to match the new football crest, now featuring a black background with a white outline.

Football

The 1900s and 1910s: The Glorious One ("O Glorioso") emerges In 1906, Botafogo won its first trophy, the Caxambu Cup, the inaugural football competition in Rio de Janeiro for secondary teams. That same year, it debuted in the first edition of the Carioca Championship, finishing fourth. Its first victory in the competition was a 1–0 win over Bangu, with a goal by Gilbert Hime at the Estádio das Laranjeiras.

In 1907, Botafogo was involved in its first major controversy. Tied on points with Fluminense but with fewer goals scored, Botafogo contested the rival's self-declared championship title, arguing that a walkover win against Internacional had unfairly excluded them from improving their goal average. Fluminense relied on the Metropolitan Football League's statute, which used goal average as a tiebreaker, though it lacked regulatory authority. The dispute remained unresolved until 1996, when both clubs were declared co-champions.

In the 1909 Carioca Championship, Botafogo finished as runner-up but recorded the largest victory in Brazilian football history: a 24–0 win over Mangueira. The team scored 9 goals in the first half and 15 in the second, averaging one goal every 3.3 minutes. Gilbert Hime scored nine goals, followed by Flávio Ramos with seven.

In 1910, Botafogo won the Carioca Championship, scoring 66 goals in 10 matches. After an opening loss to America, the team rebounded with large victories, including 15–1 and 9–1 over Riachuelo, 7–0 over Haddock Lobo, and 6–0 over Rio Cricket. In the decisive match against Fluminense, Botafogo won 6–1, with three goals by top scorer Abelardo de Lamare. The title-clinching campaign ended with an 11–0 win over Haddock Lobo and earned the club the nickname O Glorioso ("The Glorious One"). That year, it also won the Interstate Trophy by defeating São Paulo champions AA Palmeiras 7–2.

In 1911, Botafogo withdrew from the Metropolitan Athleticos Sports League (LMSA), which it had helped found in 1908. The decision followed a violent match against America that led to harsh suspensions for players Adhemaro and Abelardo de Lamare. In protest, the club left the league and played only friendly matches for a period. Later that year, it gave up its Campo da Rua Voluntários da Pátria headquarters for financial reasons. In 1912, now affiliated with the Football Association of Rio de Janeiro (AFRJ), Botafogo won another Carioca Championship, playing at the Rua São Clemente field.

The 1910s and 1920s: the black-and-white hiatus Between 1912 and 1930, Botafogo experienced its first title drought. Despite this, it won the Carioca Second Division in 1915 and 1922. The club was runner-up in the First Division four times—in 1913, 1914, 1916, and 1918—and had several top scorers during the period, including Mimi Sodré, Luís Menezes, Aluízio Pinto, and Arlindo Pacheco.

In the early 1910s, the club inaugurated the General Severiano Stadium, defeating Flamengo 1–0 in the opening match with a goal by Mimi Sodré. Around this time, the term cartola (top hat) began being used to refer to football directors. One version credits this to Uruguayan club Dublin's officials arriving in top hats for a friendly in Rio in 1917; another attributes it to Botafogo officials dressing formally to welcome the visitors.

In the 1920s, the club's best result was third place in the 1928 Carioca Championship. In 1923, it narrowly avoided relegation by defeating Villa Isabel 3–1 in a playoff. Internal issues also marked this period. In 1924, the departure of manager Oldemar Amaral Murtinho led to the exit of striker Nilo, who joined Fluminense but returned in 1927 and became that year's top scorer.

1930s: The four-time champion

Botafogo returned to prominence in the 1930s. Led by strikers Nilo and Carvalho Leite, it won the 1930 Carioca Championship. In 1931, the club finished fourth in the state league and won the Rio–São Paulo State Champions Cup, defeating Corinthians 7–1, with four goals by Nilo.

Botafogo won the 1932 Carioca title with two rounds to spare. In 1933, the league split into AMEA and the newly formed LCF, which aimed to professionalize the sport. Botafogo remained with AMEA, winning the 1933 and 1934 championships. In 1935, with the creation of the Metropolitan Sports Federation (FMD), Botafogo won its fourth consecutive title, becoming the first professional state champion recognized by the Brazilian Sports Confederation. The standout player was Leônidas da Silva, who joined from Flamengo and played until early 1936.

In 1936, Botafogo embarked on its first international tour, playing nine matches in Mexico and the United States, with six wins, one draw, and two losses. The following year, renovations began at General Severiano Stadium, including the addition of concrete bleachers. In the 1938 reopening match, Botafogo defeated Fluminense 3–2.

The club had significant representation in the 1934 World Cup in Italy, contributing nine players: goalkeepers Germano and Pedrosa, defender Octacílio, midfielders Ariel, Canalli, Martim Silveira and Waldyr, and the attacking duo Áttila and Carvalho Leite.

1940s: The fasting of Heleno de Freitas