Corinthians must win Copa do Brasil to reach the Libertadores | OneFootball

The presence of Corinthians in the Libertadores 2026 is at risk. The defeat to Fortaleza this Wednesday took away Timão’s chance of securing a spot through the Campeonato Brasileiro, and now the team needs to win the Copa do Brasil title to qualify for the continental tournament.

Corinthians could no longer reach the G7, but still had a chance to go to the Libertadores through the Brasileirão if they finished the round-robin tournament in eighth place.

In this scenario, if unsuccessful in the Copa do Brasil, Dorival Júnior’s team would have to root for Cruzeiro or Fluminense to win the trophy. That way, the eighth-placed team in Série A would also earn a spot in the Libertadores qualifying round.

However, with the setback in Ceará, Corinthians are now in tenth place on the table, with 46 points. The gap to eighth-placed São Paulo, with one round left in the competition, is five points.

Extra pressure?

In Fortaleza, coach Dorival Júnior was asked whether the situation puts extra pressure on the team to win the Copa do Brasil. He, however, does not think so.

The coach gave an overview of Corinthians’ campaign in the Brasileirão and recalled the numerous difficulties the team faced throughout the season.

“There are several aspects to be analyzed. This is not a complaint, it’s a statement of fact. When I arrived, I pointed out the need for situations we would have to intervene in. I asked for some names before I was hired, I could see the needs we would have. We had an absurd number of injuries, spent much of the season without Garro, Yuri, and Memphis, as well as Carrillo. With all that happened, I believe Corinthians had a campaign in which rarely was an opponent superior. I think with one more detail we could have had a different campaign,” he assessed.

“We’ve reached this point valuing the growth of the youth academy players. Months ago, no one was talking about these athletes. Corinthians changed that. This work takes time, patience is necessary. If you respect the stages, you will see results ahead. We need to fix the last transfer windows, in which we practically didn’t have any, so we can have an even stronger squad. We represent a top club that is hungry for titles again, and we need to give that to the fans. I think this takes time, patience, and repetition so these boys can gain confidence,” he continued.

“Last year Corinthians struggled, this year we were never close to the relegation zone at any point, which is an important factor. We wanted a better position, but we need to understand the limitations we had and the problems we encountered throughout the season,” he concluded.

(Photo: Rodrigo Coca/Agência Corinthians)

Semifinal ahead

Corinthians still have to play the last round of the Campeonato Brasileiro before facing Cruzeiro for a spot in the Copa do Brasil grand final. The match is scheduled for December 10 and 14. Timão will open the tie in Belo Horizonte and play the second leg at home, at Neo Química Arena.

Corinthians’ next match

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.