Brazil’s teams and exuberant fans are defining Club World Cup

The South American clubs taking part in the FIFA Club World Cup have been one of the tournament’s biggest stories on and off the pitch. 

On it, Brazilians clubs have shocked some of European soccer’s best — Botafogo toppled French powerhouse PSG before Flamengo took down England’s Chelsea — and off of it, supporters of teams such as Palmeiras and Fluminense have fueled an exciting atmosphere for the reconfigured tournament. 

It has put a spotlight on the passion South Americans have for their clubs and how the support has helped propel their teams during the Club World Cup. 

At MetLife Stadium, Palmeiras fans packed the sections behind the net, chanting throughout the match while waving banners and flags. And the party continued during a weather delay during one match with fans packing the concourse, banging drums and continuing to chant. 

Similar scenes played out in stadiums across the United States during the group stage of the Club World Cup. Away from the field, fans turned local landmarks into soccer hubs — it went viral when Palmeiras fans taking over Times Square the night before the tournament. 

All four of the Brazilian clubs — including Palmeiras and Fluminense, which each played a pair of games at MetLife Stadium during the group stage — advanced to the knockout round beginning Saturday.

The turn of events has shocked some, but Manchester City coach Pep Guardiola hardly seemed surprised about the atmosphere the fans have created or about the results on the pitch. 

“I love when I see Botafogo, all the Brazilian teams, Argentinian teams, how they celebrate, how they are together, I love them,” Guardiola told reporters recently.

“I like how all the games are tight, except one or two, and people are surprised, European teams lose. … Welcome to the real world, my friends.”

The strong support has been bolstered by fans willing to travel to the United States to follow their favorite clubs, along with a strong base of support already in North America.

Palmeiras, for example, has a club-recognized group called Palmeiras Consulate in New York, which has organized a number of events since the start of the Club World Cup earlier this month. 

Adriano Branco helped create the group two years ago after he relocated from Brazil to the New York area for work. In a conversation with The Post, he called helping to bring together so many fans from so many backgrounds a “rewarding experience.” 

“I’m having the time of my life to see people that are in the U.S. [and] have never left the U.S. as their first time watching a [Palmeiras] match,” he said. “I could see a lot of supporters crying, from the emotion of being in the atmosphere of the stadium. And I can tell you that what you saw at the stadium here is the same as you would see in Brazil if you were there in a big match. 

“For me, I was telling friends, I don’t think I’ve ever been that happy in my life with everything that’s happening surrounding Palmeiras here in New York.”

Branco hasn’t been surprised by the support the South American clubs have had — Palmeiras in particular — but the sheer number of fans that have shown up has been eye-opening. 

He estimated that 30,000 of the 45,000 fans announced for Palmeiras’ first match against Porto on June 15 had been there to support the Brazilian side. 

“To be honest, I was not surprised [about the enthusiasm], but I was surprised at the size, at the quantity,” he said. 

The Club World Cup has allowed other fans to come together as well. Egyptian side Al Ahly also saw a sizable turnout of supported during their stint in the tournament and fans praising the unity the games created. 

“It’s incredible,” said Flobatir Abdou, who drove down from Massachusetts to see Al Ahly face Palmeiras last week. “Coming from Egypt, soccer is one thing that unites everybody together and having everybody support the same club, same badge, it’s a whole [different] feeling, especially in a stadium like this with a team like this, and a moment like this.” 

“I met a lot of people from Miami, Orlando, New York, New Jersey. It’s a lot of people from different states coming together,” said a Palmeiras fan who identified himself as Guilerme.

The Club World Cup Round of 16 begins Saturday with an all-Brazilian clash between Palmeiras and Botafogo in Philadelphia.

Sunday’s slate includes a showdown between Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami and his former club PSG, as well as Brazil’s Flamengo taking on Bayern Munich.

All matches are streaming for free on DAZN.