Corinthians hand Neo Química Arena to Santos and start Brasileiro at Vila Belmiro | OneFootball

The Federação Paulista de Futebol announced that Santos v Red Bull Bragantino, in the fifth round of the Paulistão, will be played at Corinthians' Neo Química Arena at 16:00 on 25 January. The fixture, originally set for Vila Belmiro, falls on the city of São Paulo's 471st anniversary.

On the same day, Corinthians visit Velo Clube at 20:30 at Estádio Benito Agnelo Castellano in Rio Claro.

Corinthians' next outing will be their Brasileiro opener against Bahia, now set for Vila Belmiro rather than Neo Química Arena. The match has been brought forward from 29 to 28 January, Wednesday, at 20:00, after club agreement and approval from the FPF and the CBF. That gives them an extra day's rest before the Supercopa do Brasil.

Corinthians could not play in the city of São Paulo on 28 January, with São Paulo facing Flamengo the same day and police typically barring two major fixtures in the capital. Shifting to Vila Belmiro was an alternative.

This is not the first time Santos have sought to host at Neo Química Arena. In 2024 the ground staged a Santos home semi-final, a 3-1 win over Bragantino, netting Corinthians about R$ 640,000 after costs. In February 2025 Santos requested use from then president Augusto Melo for a Paulistão match with Água Santa, but it was later rejected.

Source: Meu Timao