Abel stays at Palmeiras after first trophyless year, eyes comeback in 2026 | OneFootball

Coach Abel Ferreira experienced his worst season at the helm of Palmeiras and ended the year 2025 without any titles and with three runner-up finishes. Despite finishing the year under scrutiny from part of the fans and empty-handed, he earned the board’s vote of confidence and renewed his contract until the end of 2027, a date that coincides with the end of president Leila Pereira’s term.

Squad Overhaul

In 2025, the Palmeiras board invested around R$ 700 million and signed 12 players, while also seeing several departures. This was the biggest overhaul of the team since the arrival of the Portuguese coaching staff. It was also the first time Abel Ferreira was able to have greater influence in the assembly of the squad.

However, not everyone managed to establish themselves and the season ended in a frustrating way. In the first half of the year, Verdão was the runner-up in the Paulista Championship against Corinthians, which ended the club’s chance to win a fourth consecutive State title, something that hadn’t happened since the 1930s.

In the Club World Cup, Verdão was knocked out in the quarterfinals after being eliminated by Chelsea, 2-1. After the tournament, Abel lost two key players from the squad: Richard Ríos and Estêvão. It took a while for the coach to find the ideal team and replacements for the departures, and in August, they were eliminated from the Copa do Brasil by Corinthians.

Crisis

It was during this period that the club experienced a sort of crisis that created a “rift” between the coach and the fans. For the first time, some supporters called for the coach’s departure in chants at Allianz Parque, something Abel frequently mentioned throughout the year. Soon after, the coach saw the team bounce back and string together a good run.

Inconsistency and Two Consecutive Runner-up Finishes

In the final stretch of the season, however, still alive in the Brazilian league and the Libertadores, competing for titles with Flamengo, Palmeiras faltered and lost matches at crucial moments, wasting the chance to stay at the top of the table. On the eve of the Libertadores final, Abel “threw in the towel” in the Brasileirão, which many considered a mistake, since there were still some matches left and the gap was not insurmountable.

Before the continental final, the club hit its worst streak, with three losses and two draws. In the same week, Verdão was defeated by Flamengo, 1-0, in the final and saw their rival lift the Brasileirão trophy with one round to spare.

Renewal

Despite the pressure at the end of the season, there was no sense of desperation behind the scenes, and the board backed the coach’s stay. In 2026, he seeks to solidify his team, bounce back, and return to winning titles. To do so, he relies on his experience with ten titles at Palmeiras, making him the most successful coach in the club’s history.

In total, there have been 395 games, 229 wins, 93 draws, and 74 losses. On his own, Abel has 363 matches, 211 victories, 84 draws, and 68 defeats.

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