CR Flamengo will train at Stockton University during Club World Cup

One of Brazil’s biggest and most beloved clubs will be bringing the global game back to the campus of Stockton University this summer, using the NJAC school’s facilities to prep for their first two FIFA Club World Cup games in June.

Boasting one of the best natural surfaces for soccer in the region, Stockton is no stranger to the sport on a global scale having hosted Saudi Arabia during the 1994 World Cup and a friendly match with Trinidad and Tobago. Former Real Madrid midfielder Santiago Solari played for the Ospreys for a season in 1994. Local semi-pro side Atlantic City FC hosted games there during their inaugural season in the NPSL in 2018. Stockton’s own soccer programs have had their own success with the men’s team winning the NCAA Division III men’s national championship in 2001.

“At Stockton, we have a proud, rich history of hosting for FIFA going back to the 1994 World Cup, and thanks to the extraordinary efforts of our Associate Athletic Director Jeff Haines, we are able to continue that tradition,” Tony Berich, Stockton’s executive director of Athletics & Campus Recreation, said in a news release.

Flamengo will arrive at Stockton on June 11 ahead of their games in Philadelphia against Esperance Sportive de Tunisie on June 16 and Chelsea FC on June 20. The team will have access to two natural grass outdoor fields, including G. Larry James Stadium, and the air-conditioned Sports Center, which includes physical therapy facilities and meeting rooms for the coaching staff.

Based in Brazil’s largest city Rio de Janeiro, the Rubro-Negro (Scarlet and Black) has an estimated fan base of nearly 50 million and is reportedly the country’s most valuable soccer team.

Philadelphia Union fans got a little taste of how well their fans travel when Flamengo played the Philadelphia Union last January at Al Lang Stadium in St. Petersburg, Fla. last January, winning 2-0.