Laranjeiras Base

The birthplace of Brazilian football and home of the oldest club in Rio de Janeiro state.

Located in the Laranjeiras neighborhood of Rio de Janeiro, Fluminense Football Club was founded on July 21, 1902. It stands as the oldest football club in the state. The club's early history is deeply tied to this specific locale, where Oscar Cox, a Brazilian-born English citizen who learned football in Lausanne, led a group of young aristocrats and enthusiasts to establish the team. In 1902 Oscar Cox founded Fluminense here, the first football club in a city whose most popular sport at the time was rowing.

Quick Facts

Location: Laranjeiras, Rio de Janeiro
Founding date: 21 July 1902
First official match result: 8–0 vs Rio Football Club

Lore & Background

Fluminense began its journey in Laranjeiras with a group led by Oscar Cox. The first official match, an 8–0 victory against the now-defunct Rio Football Club, took place on these grounds. By 1906, the club secured its first title, winning the Campeonato Carioca. A defining moment occurred in 1914 when the Brazil national team played its debut match here against touring English side Exeter City during Fluminense's 12th-anniversary celebrations; it was at this venue that Brazil scored its first-ever goal and won its first trophy. By 1922, the site boasted 4,000 members and a stadium seating 25,000 people, impressing European clubs with its facilities.

Reader's Guide

It is where Oscar Cox introduced football to Rio de Janeiro on July 21, 1902. Fans can trace the lineage from that first 8–0 win against Rio Football Club to the 1952 Copa Rio victory, which the club regards as a world title. The location marks the exact spot where Brazil played its first match in 1914 and secured its first trophy. Since the 1950 World Cup the Maracanã has hosted the big Rio club games, but the Fla-Flu story began at Laranjeiras: in 1911 a disagreement among Fluminense players led to the formation of Flamengo's football team.